7 Rules for Pairing Wine with Foods

Pairing food and wine should not be rocket science. Thinking about pairing a hamburger with a glass of crisp Chablis? Though you may not find it in most food and wine pairing recommendations, go for it if it works for you.

That said, there are some tried and tested guidelines that have stood the test of times. If you plan to host a party and want to seem like an educated food-lover, following these guidelines for food and wine pairings will likely help you achieve that mission.

1. Match Flavor Intensity and Character

Foods and wines that have similar flavors complement each other very well. For instance, lemon butter garlic salmon and Pinot Gris both have citrus flavor. This makes them a great combination to serve at parties.

This rule works for every type of wine and food flavor. A serving of rich chicken in cream sauce will work exceptionally well with a glass of rich Chardonnay. Similarly, pairing pepper steak with a bold and spicy Shiraz is always a winner. Basically, remember this thumb of rule: match mild foods with mild wines, big, flavorful foods with big, flavorful wines, and rich foods with rich wines. More often than not, these easy combinations will work.

2. Consider Acidity

The acidic level of your food and wine is another essential thing that needs to be taken into consideration. When you’re eating oily food such as buttery sauces or Indian curry, high-acid wine, such as young Riesling, work as a palate cleanser. In contrast, a crisp, dry Pinot Grigio pairs well with foods that have strong acidic content, such as a salad with a vinegar-based dressing.

However, high-acidic wines will clash with dishes that contain rich, creamy sauces due to the significantly different flavor and texture profiles. Consider this… would you drink a cup of milk if someone squeezed a lemon into it? Pairing high-acid wine with richer foods can have a very similar feeling to that.

3. Serve A Wine at Least as Sweet as The Food

Another rule of thumb to remember: the sweetest thing on the table should be a bottle of wine. However, it shouldn’t be significantly sweeter than the food being served. This is essential because dry wines can seem over-acidic and tart when paired with sweeter foods.

Wines like Sauternes, which is sweet and has a good level of acidity, pair well with rich foods like creamy pasta and pate. The acidity cuts through the fat while the sweetness complements the richness of the food. The sweetness also balances out the salt in the dishes. This is why blue cheese is often served with sweet wines. Similarly, sweet wines also offer relief from spicy foods. So remember to serve at least one wine that is as sweet as the sweetest dish on the menu – or maybe even a little sweeter.

4. Try to Match the Weight of the Food and Wine

Of course, when it comes to food and wine, weight does not equate to pounds or kilos. Here, this term means pairing less fatty food with lighter style wines and heavier, richer foods with heavier wines.

Since fish and poultry dishes are generally lightweight, complementing them with delicate wines such as white wine or light, low-tanning reds works really well. In comparison, full-bodied wines like Shiraz take heavier foods like red meat casseroles to another level. Prawns and Chardonnay complement each other well as they’re both medium-weight and rich.

5. Spicy Wines Complement Spicy Foods

We’ve discussed how sweeter wines provide relief from spicy foods. However, if your aim is to enhance the strong spices of Indian or Thai food or any dishes that contain ingredients like hot chili peppers, you may not want to go with sweeter wines. Not only will this hamper the spiciness of the dish, but it may also clash with the flavor of the wines.

So if you want to pair wine with a spicy dish, consider something that perfectly balances the sweet and spicy quotient, such as an off-dry Gewürztraminer or Riesling.

6. With Lighter Meats, Pair Wine with the Sauce

Sometimes when you’re cooking with lightweight protein, such as chicken or pork, the meat may not be the flavor of your dish. In such cases, pair the wine according to the sauce instead of the meat. What would you prefer? If your pork chops are cooked in a delicate white wine sauce, opt for a wine that matches the sauce. But if your pork chops are cooked in a zesty red wine, opt for something similar when it comes to the wine you serve as well.

Similarly, pair cream and mushroom sauces with Chardonnay, red and meat sauces with Shiraz, and delicate citrus sauces with Sauvignon Blanc. Of course, these are just basic guidelines, and you can apply these rules to almost every wine and sauce out there.

7. Do Not Mix Salt with Tannin

Salty flavors in foods can be balanced by crisp, acidic wines. For example, olives and feta cheese pair well with Sauvignon Blanc. However, salt can also clash with tannin and make it smell stronger. So, try to avoid big, grippy red wines such as Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon when serving food that is particularly salty.

With salty food, look for something with low tannins and noticeable acidity. As opposed to fruity wines, opt for something savory to bring out the flavors in the food as well as the wine. A moderately aged Chardonnay has a nice nutty complexity that works well with salty food such as semi-hard and hard cheese.

By knowing these rules, not only can you make your food and wine pairings exquisite for your guests, but you can also experiment and learn how to break these rules. As discussed before, there aren’t any hard and fast rules that you have to follow at all times. However, these can help you pair your foods and drinks more confidently.