The Food and Wine combinations that most of us grew up with were the “Red wine with beef” and “White wine with fish or poultry” rules. Since then, we’ve heard “any wine as long as you like it”. A person can differentiate (on average) about 9,000 different aromas. Even those of us with a poor sense of smell can identify more than 3000 aromas. One can taste only four things: Sweetness, Acidity, Bitterness and Saltiness. The surest and easiest way to match foods with wines is to look for sweetness, acidity or bitterness in the food and serve wines that have the same characteristics
White wines with high acid: Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, White Bordeaux and almost all sparkling wines. These wines usually pair well with most seafood.
Red Wines with high acid levels: Pinot Noir (including Red Burgundies), Sangiovese (including Chiantis) and Gamay (including Beaujolais) These wines are usually very good pairings with grilled seafood and with most red sauces (tomato-based).
White wines sweetness include Most German wines, Vouvray, Chenin Blanc, Asti Spumante and many Rieslings. White Zinfandel has sweetness and high acidity.
Red wines with sweetness include: Lambrusco and Port (very sweet)
Red wines with bitterness include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Red Bordeaux, Zinfandel.
Commonly Used Combination
Appetizers
| Asparagus with hollandaise |
Pouilly fuisse , Pouilly Fume, Soave |
| Melon |
Vouvray, Moscato d alba |
| Tomato Stuffed with Sea Food |
Silvaner, dry Riesling Wines |
| Fish |
Dry White Burgundies |
| Quiche Lorraine |
Beaujolais, Light fruity Wines |
| Shell Fish |
Chablis |
| Lobster |
Muscadet , Dry White Wines |
| Coquilles St. Jacques |
Petit Chablis |
Soups
| Thin Soups |
Dry Sherries |
| Fish Soups |
Dry French Or Spanish Wines |
| Vegetable Soups |
Tocai, Soave, Dry White Wines |
| Turtle or Rich Soups |
Dry Madeira |
Fish
| Cod (baked & fried) |
Muscadet from Loire, White Italian wine |
| Fried or grilled fish |
Chablis |
| Poached white fishes with sauce |
Pouilly Fuisse, White Alsatian wines, Dry Rhine or Mosel wines |
| Salmon(poached, grilled or baked) |
Dry White Burgundies |
| Poached sole |
Rieslings, Sylvaners from Alsace |
Chicken
| Capon ala crème |
White Burgundies |
| Fried |
Beajoulais Red wines |
| Roast Chicken |
Red Bordeaux i.e. Chateau Latour, Chateaux Margaux, Chateau Lafite |
Veal
| Braised |
Pouilly fume, Sancerre light red wines |
| Escalope |
Red Beaujolais |
| Roast |
Red Beaujolais, Meursault |
Ham
| Boiled Ham |
Young Red wines |
Lamb
| Braised Lamb |
Beaujolais, Light Red Bordeaux wines |
| Leg of Lamb provençale |
Heavy Red Wines ( Chateau Neuf du Pape, Hermitage) |
| Grilled Chops |
Velvety Red Wines |
| Saddle of lamb roasted |
Red Bordeaux i.e. Chateau Latour, Chateaux Margaux, Chateau Lafite |
Pork
| Grilled chops |
Chateau Neuf Du-Pape |
| Roast |
Great Beaujolais |
| Tenderloins with prunes |
Sancerre earthy light dry white wines |
Beef
| Beef Steaks |
Chianti, Well balanced dry red wines |
| Broiled |
Red Bordeaux, Red burgundy wines |
| Braised |
Chateau Margaux |
| Braised provençal |
Chateau Neuf Du-Pape, Italian Red Wines |
| Braised with red wines |
Light red wines |
| Braised fillet chasseur |
Nuit St Georges, Rich Red Wines |
Duck
| Roast |
Beaujolais, Italian Wines from Piedmont, Veneto, Tuscany & Spanish dry red (Rioja) |
Turkey
| Roast |
Light Red Wines, Cantenac |
| Cold with Ham |
Beaujolais, White Rioja, Dry white wines |
Cheese
| Brie |
Medoc Red Wines, Red Burgundies |
| Danish Blue or Roquefort |
Chateau Neuf- du- Pape |
| Edam |
Mosel Wines, Soave, |
| Cheddar |
St. Emilion, Italian Red Wines |
| Gorgonzola |
Barbaresco, Chianti |
| Stilton |
Port |
| Gruyere |
Sancerre, Beaujolais |
Fruits, Nuts
| Fruit, Nuts |
Sweet Sherries, Madeira, Marsala |
