First, we have to say that there are no strict rules on matching wine with food because after all, it’s simply a matter of personal taste, but there are certain guidelines on what would generally be considered good choices in pairing food with wine.

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Here you will learn how to make a good wine choice that will complement your meal.

While similarities attract, opposites can do so too

As a first basic guideline when trying to pair food with wine, you should either try to “match” or “complement” the characteristics of the food to the wine, for example, matching desserts with sweet wines, or to “contrast” or “counterbalance” overpowering characteristics like spicy foods with sweeter wines.

Delicate food might match better with a delicate wine, while richer, more robust food will pair best with heavier, fuller flavored wines. In the end, you should have a combination of food and wine which you can just enjoy together!

Know how to taste food and wine together?

• Take a mouthful of the wine, roll it around in your mouth and swallow it.
• Ask yourself what you smell: look for familiar fruit or berry flavors.
• Do you find the wine light or heavy?
• Consider the sweetness and acidity of the wine.
• Take the summation of the wine and try to match it to the characteristics of the food. Try to find at least one aspect that corresponds with the food, like sweetness, flavor, etc.
• Now try a small bit of the food. Consider how it tastes and if it is a pleasant experience, then you have found a good match.

Salt in food

• Increase body of the wine
• Decrease bitterness and acidity in a wine
• Salt is wine’s friendly companion

Acidity in food

• Increase body, sweetness and fruitiness in the wine
• Decrease acidity in a wine
• High acid food can also be paired with highly acidic wines
• Too much acidity in food would make a wine feel flabby

Umami in food

• Increase bitterness, acidity, and the burning effect of the wine
• Decrease body, Sweetness, and fruitiness in the wine
• MSG, cooked mushrooms, asparagus, eggs, and ripe soft cheeses, cured or smoked seafood
• Pair with wines with more fruity than tannic
• High Umami can be balanced with salt or acidity

Sweetness in food

• Increase bitterness, acidity, and the burning effect of the wine
• Decrease body, Sweetness, and fruitiness in the wine

Bitterness in food

• Increase bitterness in wine
• Bitterness flavors add to each other. White or low tannic reds

Spice in food

• Increase bitterness, acidity, and alcohol burning
• Decrease body, richness, sweetness and fruitiness in a wine

General Good Choices

Below you can find some pairings which are generally considered as matching, but as mentioned above you will still have to take into account personal taste, the manner the food is cooked (roasted, baked, steamed, etc.) or whether the food is accompanied with spices or sauces. Also keep in mind that the same type of wine can have a very different taste when it is sourced from a different region or country.

Beef and Lamb: select red wines for beef and lamb. Among others, suitable wines include Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Barbera, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel.

Chicken: white wine like Chardonnay is a good choice for grilled or roasted chicken.

Fish and Seafood: choose a white wine like Chardonnay, Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc for fish and seafood.

Game: a good choice would be a spicy red like Shiraz for game such as venison.

Tomato based meals: serve Barbera or Zinfandel with tomato-based meals (spaghetti, pizza, etc.)

Duck: try Pinot Noir or a Shiraz for duck dishes.

Spicy: white wines like Riesling can offset the spiciness of the food. Avoid adding a Chardonnay to spicy food as it will taste bitter.

Cheese: full-bodied wines match well with hard cheese while dry Riesling is a good choice for soft cheese. Fendant is an excellent choice for fondue and raclette.

Dessert: sweet wines are suitable for dessert, but the dessert should not be as sweet as the wine.