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 1. Match the wine with the dominant flavour, texture or characteristic of the dish you are preparing to find a balance that works. Below are some general rules of thumb followed by categorised suggestions of wines which will match. Try them out and then expand on or fine tune the choices to create your own personalised, definitive list.
- Rich, heartier dishes suit full bodied wines such as Merlot, Syrah/Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel or Chardonnay
- Foods with a naturally higher acidic content, including many fruits and cheeses, often go well with wines which are considered to have a sharp edge such as Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Grigio or Zinfandel. These wines will also flatter foods that are commonly served with a tangy accent, such as fish or salads which are frequently flavoured with lemon or vinegar.
- Highly seasoned dishes flavoured with salt or spice will pair happily with lower alcohol, fruity wines like Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Grigio, a dry Rosé or Pinot Noir rather than anything highly tannic.
- Delicately cooked and flavoured food, such as steamed, smoked or poached dishes, will require an equally delicate match. Try Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel or Gewürztraminer.
- Sweeter savoury dishes, such as honey roasted ham or pork with a syrupy glaze, will suit a medium sweet or off dry wine like Riesling or Chenin Blanc.
- Desserts and puddings will only successfully match well rounded sweet wines - or at least wines that taste sweeter than the dish they are asked to complement. Serving anything else leaves the wine in danger of tasting acidic or simply rather weak. Try Muscat, Vespaiola, Frontignac or a Port.
Now try our Ten Matches Made in Heaven to get you started.
2. Adjust the flavour of your meal, should you find the food and wine match you’ve chosen isn’t perfect. With careful use of the right seasoning or cooking method, an unsuitable dish can be cunningly tweaked to better suit the wine, if you find it feels too dry or too bitter.
- Lemon juice or vinegar will sharpen the flavour of a dish and make it more compatible with an acidic wine. The wine in turn will taste richer and mellower, subduing any bitterness.
- Fresh pepper - grind over a rare steak to add texture and juiciness and make a heavily tannic wine taste less tannic.
- Salt will suppress unwanted bitterness in wine. It will also make sweet wines taste sweeter.
- Meat cooked rare will add texture and juices to the meal and can often compensate for a mediocre wine.
- Sweetness in a dish will increase the awareness of bitterness in the wine, making it appear stronger and drier.
3. Use a decent drop for cooking
Wine can be an exceptional ingredient for marinades and sauces, but if you decide to add wine in the preparation of the food, make sure it is of good quality - don’t cut corners just because you are cooking with it. Try to use the same variety of wine that you will be serving with the dish - and if at all possible (and if cost does not prohibit) the same wine itself.
4. Experiment with food and wine pairings
- Opposites often attract, so you can choose sweet wines to complement salty cheeses and spicy Asian food .
- Know your geography and you can match food and wine by place of origin, as regional pairings - having developed naturally together - are often well suited.
… But don’t get too carried away! When you are drinking very fine wine, remember to only serve it alongside neutral dishes that are lightly seasoned.
5. For formal dinners, follow etiquette and serve
- Lighter wines before more full-bodied wines
- Drier wines before sweet ones (unless there is a particularly sweet early course)
- Lower alcohol wines before higher alcohol wines
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