Wine & Food Pairings

If you 100% don’t know anything about wine, the most basic rule is white wine with fish & poultry (white meat & sauces) and reds with red meat (& red sauces). Obviously, it’s more complicated than that and there are many new trends for less traditional pairings out there, but if you don’t always have the perfect ingredients and dishes to match your wine and vice versa, this is the easiest rule to follow.

There are some other basic rules you can follow if you have a large choice of wines and food ingredients at your disposal. Here are the basics with some links to find out more. However, frankly you just need to google any dish or wine to find several websites that recommend pairings. Usually they offer a red and white option in case you prefer one over the other. Matching Food & Wine and her 20 Pairings to Know by Heart is a good place to start.

Try some pairings out and figure out what you like best. Remember these are not hard and fast rules, but they are established recipes (with a bit of food science) that people have discovered over the years. For example, who knew peanut butter and jelly would go so well together until someone tried it, and now it’s tradition in the US. At the same time, wine pairings like wine appreciation is still subjective and relative to your own personal tastes, genetics and habits despite sommeliers sometimes behaving like they always know best.  

1. Match wines with dishes from their region like a red Burgundy (or a similar Pinot Noir) with Beef Bourguignon or Coq au Vin because these dishes come from the region of Burgundy. If you can be even more precise, match terroir with terroir (what grows together goes together). If the produce is grown from the same climate and soil of the region then it should match the wine grown in that same region. For example, Epoisses cheese from Burgundy can be had with Burgundy wine. Here’s a list of some classic regional pairings.
2. Similarly, there are classic pairings that have been around a long time, like Sauternes with Foie Gras or blue cheese. There’s also champagne and caviar. Some of these have to do with some of the other rules of pairing (below) and some are classic because they are regional pairings. Here’s a list of classic wine pairings. Here’s a list of typical pairings according to typical varieties. Look at the variety links in the varieties section for other pairings based on variety. Here’s a guide on pairing rosés depending on the varieties used. Here are some suggested classic pairings for champagne/sparkling wines. Here are some pairing suggestions for desserts with non-dessert wines and with dessert wines. Here are Sauternes pairings and Sherry food pairings.
3. Match wines based on similar characteristics. For example, you have heavier, more intense wines with heavier, more intense foods. You have a more acidic Italian wine with an acidic tomato-based sauce. Earthy wines go well with earthy foods. It might help bring out these qualities or allow other qualities to come out because there’s so much of the qualities you’re matching. For example, acidic wine with acidic food actually tones down the acidity and reveals other characteristics. However, two definite matchy-matchy pairings to avoid are alcoholic and/or tannic wines that can create some heat with “hot” spicy food because that just increases the burning sensation. Bitter and bitter also just overdoes the bitterness. 
4. You can also match wines based on contrasting characteristics. For example, sweet goes well with salty. Sweet also goes well with “hot” spicy, so that’s why off-dry Rieslings are often the choice for spicy Asian foods. Acidity, tannins and bitterness need some fat to balance it out. Tannins and acidity and salt also work well together, which is why people like acidic whites with potato chips. Sometimes heavy dishes plus heavy wines are just too much, so a medium-lighter wine but with good acidity is sometimes better. Think about matching clothes. Would you wear an outfit with green everything? It’s nice to have some contrasting colors and designs to highlight each. Here’s a link about matching similar and contrasting characteristics.
5. You should also consider what you’re trying to highlight. If you’re drinking a complex older wine, then keep the food pairing appropriate but not too complex to avoid competing with the wine. Sometimes, I want to feature the dish, so I just want a simple wine to not get in the way of the dish.
6. Here’s a basic overall summary on wine and food pairings. I also found a nice wine pairing guide for vegetarians/vegans which has a lot good general advice as well.

Acidity is Key

Overall, any wine with good acidity is a good food wine for me, because it works to cut through fat and salt, and you need a wine to be more acidic than your dish if it’s an acidic dish. Therefore, it’s the most versatile for the type of dishes out there. Both red and white wines can be acidic too. For example, many sommeliers point to various whites as the best pairings with most cheeses, but in France, most people have reds with their cheese. One difference here is that American red wines tend to be powerful and low in acid and are made for drinking alone. On the other hand, French reds tend to be more elegant, terroir driven and acidic which make it better with cheeses and food in general because French wine is meant for food primarily. Another factor is French cheeses are more pungent than American, so they can go with a strong red wine. 

However, traditions aren’t always correct and wine styles can differ or change. Due to trends, producers hunting points from critics and global warming, some Old World producers make more New World style wines these days or vice versa, so it pays to research and read the label. For example, traditionally a Muscadet is perfect with shellfish like oysters, but I had accidentally picked up a rare oaked Muscadet which lacked the acidity I wanted for the shellfish we had. I was disappointed and then looked at the label to discover it was aged in oak.*

*I’m not the only one to have experienced this unexpected style of Muscadet. As a consequence, they have since changed the rules of what can be called Muscadet.  

Reverse Pairing

Another consideration if you’re also in charge of cooking is adjusting the food to match your wine. One can add extra acidity (i.e. with lemon juice), salt and fat (cream, cheese, butter, oil) to their dish for example to help match a more acidic or tannic wine. Similarly, I may want to open a certain wine from a certain country, so I will look to order or make food from the same region to match it. It’s reverse pairing.

Cooking with Wine

Another related topic that you may want to consider is cooking with wine. First, if you cook with a wine, then drink the same type of wine with the dish. Second, your cooking wine shouldn’t be crap because it can ruin your dish. Lastly, besides helping you finish up opened bottles, wine can serve many purposes in cooking such as deglazing, reduction sauces or simply to enhance aromas. It can add acidity, sugar or other flavors depending on the type of wine. Here are a couple of articles with the basic rules of cooking with wine. https://www.decanter.com/learn/advice/10-things-to-know-about-cooking-with-wine-377369/ and https://www.finecooking.com/article/cooking-with-wine.

Other Pairings

One last thing to consider besides food is your guests and the ambiance. For example, a geeky natural wine from some obscure variety may not impress a person who only drinks Napa Chardonnay although I have no problem occasionally inviting people to explore new things like travel, a new book, film or song, a new dish, etc., so why not explore a new wine. However, I may give them a heads up and I have other options that they may like better available.

The price of the wines I serve to guests also tends to be higher than the price of the wines I drink any given evening because it’s a way to show how important they are to you. The same might be true for a business dinner. In the case of other wine geeks though, perhaps a cheaper more obscure wine might be more fun than an expensive Cabernet, so it’s important to know your guests and context.

Lastly, I also consider things like music (read about music and wine pairing) and themes. For example, I can take the “what grows together, goes together” concept with food and expand it to the decorations and music such as a Spanish themed meal with Spanish food, music and wine. 

Bottom line, rarely will a bad pairing completely ruin your meal or wine, so don’t stress out about it. At worst, you have to eat and drink them separately or open another bottle. However, a good pairing can take your whole dining and drinking experience to a higher, sometimes ethereal level. 

Chilean Wine Pairing

As far as Chilean wines, your average Chilean consumer, like many consumers around the world, doesn’t necessarily think about the best pairings. I see people eating light seafood with heavy Cabernet. This is partly because Chileans don’t have the same wine and gastronomic culture and history as Italy or France. Ultimately, you drink and eat what you like and don’t always think about the ideal or traditional pairing. Even this world class Michelin star chef says it’s ok. At the same time, Chileans do drink a lot of wine on its own and with food, so their wines work for both.

Chilean food is generally simple, with basic, mild seasoning and a lot of meat. They have a lot of Asados (BBQ’s but not with the tangy sugary sauce Americans use) and roast meats for special occasions, so any Chilean Cabernet or Carmenere or other Bordeaux variety wine should work. Perhaps Merlots, Malbecs, Syrah and Carmenere would be a little better for slightly lighter dishes like pork, pasta, pastel de choclo (a Chilean corn based shepherd’s pie) and empanadas or even roast chicken. Chilean cheese is also rather basic and not at all pungent as in France or Italy. I would say they’d more likely have a red with it though.

All Chilean seafood dishes, which are generally fresh and simple because of constant proximity to the ocean anywhere you go in Chile, go well with most Chilean whites. Some popular seafoods you find here are congrio (often translated as conger eel but it’s usually a type of cusk eel), machas (clams), erizo (sea urchin), jaiba (a type of crab), ostras (oysters), loco (abalone), ostiones (scallops) and many types of fish such as salmon, reineta and merluza (hake). Don’t expect to find Chilean sea bass on a restaurant menu though. Despite its name, it’s not that common here.

Fish comes a la plancha (grilled) or frito (fried). Scallops and clams often come baked with cheese on top. Paila marina is a popular type of seafood soup with fish and mussels. Of course, you can have some of these raw like in ceviche. You can never go wrong with Sauvignon Blanc with any of the seafood dishes in Chile. However, there’s a dish called pastel or chupe de jaiba, which is essentially a creamy crab casserole that might be better with a buttery and oaked Chardonnay. You can have this type of dish with scallops and abalone too.

A Pisco Sour is a great pairing for ceviche and seafood too. Pisco is not only a Peruvian drink made from distilled grape juice but is also produced in Chile. The main difference is the higher-end piscos in Chile are aged in oak while Peruvian piscos generally aren’t. In addition, Chile tends to use Muscat, Torontel and Pedro Gimenez grapes for their Pisco while Peru allows 8 different varieties including Muscat and Torontel. You’re more likely to find Peruvian Pisco outside of South America although Chile actually produces more. Here’s a Peruvian Pisco Sour recipe and a Chilean recipe. 

If you’re interested in making Chilean dishes to pair with your Chilean wines, I found a blogger from Houston who has Chilean recipes in English: https://www.chileanfoodandgarden.com/chilean-recipes/

As far as non-Chilean dishes, I’ve mentioned many times in this site that Chilean Carignan works well with Italian cuisine because of its similarities to Italian wines. Pinot Noir has not completely caught on in Chile as other countries because it’s too light for many consumers used to having big reds with their meaty dishes, but with more foreign dishes like sushi becoming popular, red wine lovers in Chile might resort to lighter wines like Pinot for sushi, fish, pasta, or Asian foods.

In general, most Chilean reds and whites wines have the necessary acidity and soft tannins to not clash with many foods, so you don’t have to be that careful pairing with Chilean wines. Plus, the typical savory herbal notes are good pairings for vegetables and well spiced foods.     

Bringing Wines to Dinner Parties

One somewhat related thing to know is that Chileans generally prefer that you open a wine they bring over as a guest, so expect anything you bring to be opened.

In France, it’s not at all expected because you always let the host decide what goes best with what they prepared. Therefore, with any wine you bring over to a French family, don’t expect to drink or keep the wine if it’s not drunk. It’s a gift for the host.

In the US, my experience has been somewhere in the middle. Less Americans are particularly strongly opinionated about wine pairings, so they may not have chosen any particular wine and would be more open to drink one you bring over. Plus, Americans like to drink wine without food before or after the meal, so this is why American wines tend to be riper and creamier because they don’t need the tannins and acidity to go with the food. Hence, a wine you bring over might just be opened for anyone who wants to start with wine before dinner while others drink beer or whatever. Nonetheless, still don’t expect to get your wine back if it’s not drunk.