7 tips for pairing food and wine

A great food and wine pairing is better than sex. Quote it. Here’s a rundown on some basic tips you can use when it comes to pairing food and wine.

1. What grows together, goes together

One of the classics and our favorite piece of advice. The idea here is that food that is native to a certain region will pair best with a wine whose grapes natively grow in that region. Some examples:

France: Champagne with oysters or caviar. Or even better, French fries. Get it??
Central Italy: Chianti (Sangiovese) with pasta or pizza with red sauce
Rias Baixas, Spain: Albariño with a yummy seafood dish or pulpo a la gallega

2. Salty and Sweet

Anytime I see any kind of “dark chocolate sea salt caramel” combo, I’m dropping whatever I’m doing and I’m eating it. Salty/sweet is one of the best pairings out there and that remains true when you’re working wine into the mix.

Our favorite salty/sweet pairing: Sauternes (French sweet wine from Bordeaux) and blue cheese

3. ACID and fat

Isn’t there a Netflix show that sounds like this? The idea here is that highly acidic wines “cut” through the richness of fatty/oily foods. Think of yourself chomping down on a nice juicy steak – how refreshing does an otherwise drying Cab Sauv taste? Acidic wines are the ones that make your mouth water more – examples include Sauvignon Blanc, Champagne, Italian red wines, Cab Sauv. Some of our favorite combos:

A juicy steak and Cabernet Sauvignon
Fish and chips and bubbly
Loaded nachos and Sauvignon Blanc

4. sweet food needs sweeter wine, baby

Layer on the sweetness! Food that’s high in sugar should be paired with a wine that has at least as much sugar, preferably more. That’s because sweetness in a dish actually decreases your perception of sweetness & fruitiness in wine. Ever had a rich chocolate cake with Sauvignon Blanc? No bueno. Instead try:

Cheesecake with a sweet Riesling
Chocolate cake with a Ruby Port
Fresh fruit (is this dessert???) with a Moscato d’Asti

5. Sweet and Spicy!

This applies to food that is either HOT spicy or just loaded with lots of spices. Generally with these kinds of dishes, you want a lower alcohol, higher acid white wine w/ a little sweetness. More alcohol just brings more heat and if you’re an absolute baby like me when it comes to spicy food, that ain’t gonna work. Some of our go-tos:

An off-dry Riesling and Thai food
Pinot Noir and a cajun dish (try Chrissy Teigen’s dirty rice)
Gewürztraminer (also b/c it’s fun to say) and buffalo wings

6. Smoke and Oak

We mainly like this one because it rhymes, but it also makes a lot of sense. Often when you’re grilling or smoking, you’re using chips that can have flavors like mesquite, apple and drumroll…oak. If you get a little grilled or char flavors on your food, look for something aged in oak.

Lodi Zinfandel w/ pulled pork
Grilled fish and Chardonnay
Merlot or Syrah with ribs

7. Do whatever the hell you want

This is the most important one of all. If you are obsessed with one style of wine – drink it! If you like to match the flavor of your wine to the flavor of your food, great! The most important thing is that you just keep trying new combinations and find some bomb pairings that you personally love.