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)
