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Food & Wine Guide
Featured Pairings
Grilled Ribeye/NY Strip/Porterhouse
Steak should be paired with a tannin-rich wine because high protein foods mellow the tannins. There needs to be enough protein in the food to stand up to the tannin in a wine and vice versa ...
Steak au Poivre
Northern Rhone Syrahs are often marked by a refreshing black pepper, black olive aroma that would complement this preparation perfectly. The only exception is a small number of Cote-Roties, ...
Garlic Roast Chicken with Truffles
Burgundy, either white or red, or Barbera d'Asti from Piedmont is ideal for garlic roasted chicken. Look for something with a good amount of richness, and higher acidity.
Chicken Scallopini with tomatoes, white wine, cream sauce optional
A Chardonnay is the perfect match for this preparation. If you choose to use the cream sauce, go with a New-World styled Chardonnay. When opting to go sans cream, a Chablis or Côte de Bea ...
Coq au vin
The traditional chicken braised in red wine, with lardons, mushrooms, and a bouquet garni is as versatile to pair as it is to make. Pinot Noir from Burgundy is an ideal match for this dish, ...
Shellfish platter
The salinity and minerality of fresh oysters and clams demands something refreshing, crisp, and most importantly, with high acidity. Muscadet or Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley is usua ...
Lobster and Crab
The sweeter and fleshier crustaceans can handle something fuller, though still preferably without oak. A Viognier, Marsanne, or Roussanne from the Northern Rhône, or a white Bordeaux, are a ...
Sushi
The elegant and subtle aromas in Sake are often lost once wasabi, pickled ginger, and vinegar are thrown into the mix. The answer here is Champagne. Soybeans, specifically miso, which is a f ...
Double Cut Pork Chop
Pork chops and just about any Pinot Noir work marvelously together.
Braised Lamb Shank
Northern Rhône Syrah or a full-bodied Sangiovese are ideal for braised lamb shank.
Hangar Steak
With the lack of fat on the diaphragm, choose something slightly rounder and lusher on the palate, such as a Grenache-based Châteaueneuf-du-Pape, or Pinot Noir from Côte-de-Beaune, such as ...
Steak Tartare
The capers, mustard, and anchovies all push this towards a white wine pairing. Better yet, Champagne!
Fruit Tarts
Sauternes is a delicious accompaniment for fruit-based desserts. Apple, peach and apricot flavors reflect the fruit aromas and flavors in the wine, which is why it works so well.
Chocolate Mousse
Port is the perfect pairing for chocolate-based desserts. The sweetness of Port stands up well to the sweetness of chocolate and the fruit, nut and caramel flavors in the wine are lovely wi ...
Food & Wine Guide
An understanding of basic food and wine pairing principles can elevate your next dining experience from delicious to utterly divine. Simplicity is the key to success. Pairing wine with food is a simple balancing act which can be as easy as matching a characteristic of the food with a characteristic of the wine. The richness of a dish can be matched with a similarly rich, full-bodied wine, likewise, intensely flavored foods work well with intensely flavored wines. High acid ingredients, such as tomatoes or balsamic vinegar, are best paired with acidic wines, think Italian red wines like Chianti. When choosing a pairing for sweet foods, or desserts, the wine should always be a touch sweeter than the food, otherwise, the wine will not taste as good as it should. With a few simple guidelines, one realizes that being a sommelier is not all that difficult. Here are five pointers to get you on the path to dining bliss:
Drink what you like!This is the most obvious point, yet one that people constantly ignore in search of an absolute, ideal pairing. Instead of picking a wine they like, they follow the recommendation of an influential source blindly. If one does not like high acid wines, forcing a Barbera with a tomato-based pasta becomes an painfully expensive exercise in futility. First and foremost, choose something that tastes good to you!
Most good wines are more versatile than you think.Nearly all good wines have something in common, and that is balance. When a wine is in balance, the interplay between fruit, secondary aromas, body, acidity, tannins, and, in the case of sweet wines, sugar, play off each other harmoniously. Instead of worrying about bringing out the best of all these elements, a good, pleasurable pairing needs only to enhance a few of these elements individually.
Match the food of the region to the wine of the region.This is true everywhere, but especially so for the wines of Europe, specifically France, Italy, and Germany. The various local cuisines and wines of these European countries have evolved alongside one another for centuries, which is why regional pairing makes perfect sense. With hundreds of years of local tradition before global commercialization, winemakers for a long while have merely been peasants of which grapes are their crop. If one thinks of wine as a local agricultural product, it stands to reason that the wines and cuisine should naturally match. Braised wild boar is a Tuscan specialty. Pairing? Brunello! Having bouillabaisse in Nice? Why drink anything other a local rose? Goat cheese from Northwestern France? A fresh, crisp Sancerre from the Loire Valley is the ticket.
Match the color and intensity of the food to the color and intensity of the wine.This is another obvious point that is often overlooked. It is not a coincidence that chicken pairs better with white and steak pairs better with red. Certainly, the preparation of each dish will alter possible pairings, but this guideline has led diners to more fortuitous pairings than you might think.
When absolutely clueless, try Champagne!Too often Champagne is earmarked only for a celebratory toast, and ignored for what it really is: wine, with bubbles. Champagne is generally blended from Chardonnay and two separate clones of Pinot, meaning it often contains great elements of both white and red wine. Furthermore, it always has great acidity, and in the case of vintage Champagne, body. Certain powerful Champagnes pair exceptionally well with red meats. If on someone else's expense account next time, try a vintage Krug with a ribeye!
Tannin levels in a wine should be considered when making a pairing. For example, steak should be paired with a tannin-rich wine because high protein foods mellow the tannins. There needs to be enough protein in the food to stand up to the tannin in a wine and vice versa. In this vein, high tannin wines do not pair well with oily or salty foods and make them taste unappealing. Conversely, oily and salty foods love acidity in wine, as well as a touch of sweetness. Classic pairings to consider: Port wine and Stilton cheese; a crisp, dry white wine, like Sancerre, with briny oysters. Wines with high acidity also work extremely well with rich and fatty foods, think Foie Gras and sweet, acidic Sauternes.
Whether you’re cooking for two or ten, dining out or entertaining at home, these simple principles and pairing ideas can be used as a guide as you explore the world of food and wine. The more you experiment, trying new wines and new pairings, you will get to know your taste and are sure to stumble upon some truly delightful food and wine combinations. Cheers and bon appétit!