Food + Wine Pairing
THE BASICS.
Thinking about what to pair with a complex recipe can be overwhelming. But if you can learn the rules around a few basic elements, you’ll be golden:
LESSON #1: ACID
What is acid?
It’s the tartness in food & wine that makes your mouth water.
Acidic foods: lemon, lime, grapefruit, green apple, tart fruits in general, tomatoes, vinegar, goat cheese, charcuterie, antipasti, spicy ethnic dishes, tomato sauce & more
Acidic whites: Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Albariño, Muscadet, sparkling wines
Acidic reds: Sangiovese (the classic!), Barbera, Gamay, Aglianico, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo
Pictured above: estate Sangiovese from Walla Walla Vintners
High acid wines pair well with:
● High acid foods (for balance)… Think: Sauvignon Blanc & chèvre / Sangiovese & tomato sauce
● Salty foods (for balance)… Think: Muscadet & oysters
● Fatty foods (to cut through the richness)… Think: Barbera & salmon
● Spicy foods… Think: Gamay & chicken wings
LESSON #2 : SALT
What are salty foods?
Olives, anchovies, bacon, feta, prosciutto, salami, blue cheese, pizza & more
A little bit on salt & wine:
● Salty foods require wines with high acid or some sweetness to balance the palate.
● Avoid tannic wines (which will become drier)
Wines that work with salty dishes:
Acidic whites: Sparkling, Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Albariño, minerally Pinot Grigio
Off-dry whites: Riesling, Pinot Gris (Alsace), Viognier, Kerner, Gewurztraminer
LESSON #3 : FAT
Which foods are high in fat?
Pâté, charcuterie, bacon, steak, lamb, pork (some cuts), cream, cheeses
Food pairing tips for rich foods:
Tannic wines cut through fatty or rich foods, creating balance on the palate. Try tannic reds with: steak, lamb, duck, wild mushrooms, dark chocolate
A little bit on tannins:
● Tannins are found in the skins & seeds of grapes.
● They have a bitter taste & cause a dry feeling in the mouth.
● Other tannic foods/drinks: tea, walnuts, plum skin
Tannic reds: Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Syrah/Shiraz, Tempranillo, Nebbiolo
LESSON #4 : SWEETNESS
We are not talking dessert here. We are talking sweet elements in savory dishes. Sweet foods include sweet peppers, beets, carrots, caramelized onions, yams, honey, golden raisins, berries, ripe stone fruits & more.
Food pairing tips:
Sweet foods require a wine with the same or higher level of residual sugar; otherwise the sweetness of the food can make an acidic/tart wine taste sour. Bottom line: a food with some sweetness needs a wine with some sweetness.
A little bit on off-dry wines:
● Off-dry is the wine term for slightly sweet, offset by acid so it ends on a dry note.
● Off-dry whites are one of the most versatile food wines!
● Sweet wines balance sweet foods.
● Sweet wines balance salty foods (for that beloved American combo!)
● Sweeter wines can tone down, complement spicy food
Off-dry whites include Riesling, Pinot Gris (Alsace), Viognier, Gewurztraminer.
A FEW MORE PAIRING TIPS:
ALCOHOL: Generally speaking, high alcohol wines are trickier to pair. They are fuller-bodied & richer in flavor, and sometimes “hot” in your mouth, making them overwhelm the foods they are paired with. The one exception could be a rich, fatty piece of meat off the grill which should be able to hold its own. Also, high alcohol wines (like tannic wines) can make spicy foods spicier.
OAK: Oaky flavors come from the oak barrels used for aging. Oak adds complexity to wine and it smooths out very tannic (dry) wines.
What does oak taste like? In white wines, it adds notes of vanilla, butter, toast, spice. In reds, it adds flavors of tobacco, spice, coffee, chocolate, vanilla, and sometimes a sweet note.
General guidance re: oak? You need a rich meal to stand up. Oaky Chardonnay? Enjoy with some homemade macaroni-n-cheese, smoked trout or salmon, and gooey double- & triple cream cheeses. Oaky Cab? A marbled, rib-eye off the grill.
BODY: This one’s pretty intuitive. Lighter foods call for lighter wines. Richer, heavier foods need the balance of fuller-bodied wines.
RECAP & CHEAT SHEET
PAIR LIKE WITH LIKE:
1 ● Delicate, light foods = lighter-bodied wines (oysters/Muscadet)
2 ● Rich dishes = richer, fuller-bodied wines (steak/Cab)
3 ● Acidic foods = acidic wines (think tomatoes/Sangiovese, goat cheese/Sauvignon Blanc)
4 ● Sweet elements in food = wines with higher residual sugar = off-dry (sweeter in the middle with a nice, acidic, dry finish).
5 ● White/green fruits & veggies (pear, broccoli, scallions, lemon) = white wine
6 ● Red/dark fruits/veggies (cranberry, red plum, fig, tomato, mushrooms, eggplant) = red wine (preferably lighter varietals: Grenache, Pinot Noir)
OTHER BASIC RULES:
7 ● Salty food = acidic wines (caviar/Champagne)
8 ● Salty food = off-dry wines (Stilton/Riesling)
9 ● Spicy foods = off-dry wines (spicy Thai dish/Gewurztraminer)
10 ● Fatty protein = tannic wine for balance (lamb chop/Tempranillo
11 ● Rich foods = tannic and/or acidic wine for balance (mushroom pizza/Barbera)
12 ● Oaky & high alcohol wines are tricky to pair. Be careful.
13 ● Rosé has never met a food it didn’t like!
VARIETAL BY GROUP
Note: theses lists are not exhaustive & yes, there can be overlap:
Acidic Whites: Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño, Grüner Veltliner, Muscadet, bubbly
Softer, fuller-bodied Whites: Pinot Grigio, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Sémillon
Off-dry Whites: Riesling, Pinot Gris (Alsace), Viognier, Kerner, Gewurztraminer
Acidic Reds: Sangiovese, Barbera, Gamay, Nebbiolo, Montepulciano, Pinot Noir
Dry Reds: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Nebbiolo, Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional, Monastrell
Juicy Reds: Grenache, Zweigelt, Primitivo, Nero d’Avola, Merlot
Lighter-bodied Reds: Barbera, Grenache, (cold-weather) Pinot Noir, Cinsault, Schiava
Fuller-bodied Reds: Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Pinotage, Tempranillo, Tannat, Zinfandel
Too much to remember? Just stop by the shop, tell us what you’re having for dinner, and let us do the pairing work for you!
Julie & Jens, co-owners
Portalis Wine Shop