Food And Wine Pairing Guide

Let me reiterate that there is no right or wrong way on how to pair food and wine. Still, pairing food and wine for beginners might be a little daunting, so I added a chart that will at least give you an idea of how to pair food and wine better. It’s pretty detailed and shouldn’t leave you with any questions, so enjoy.

Here is the article on How To Pair Food And Wine in case you missed it.

Food And Wine Pairing Guide

Appetizers
Soup
Salad

Beef
Lamb
Veal

Pork
Game
Poultry

Fish
Shellfish
Pasta

Desserts
Cheese
Chinese Food





Appetizers
Type of Dish	Preparations-Sauces	Wine Options
Caviar	Fresh	Dry Champagnes like Ultra Bruts and Blanc de Blancs, and top Sparklers
Pate		White Burgundy, Sauternes, Late Harvest Vidal and Pinot Noir
Green Olives	Marinated	Spanish Fino and Manzanilla
Escargots	garlic	White Burgundy, Gewürztraminer, Beaujolais
Roasted red peppers	Rich, smoky, sweet	Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc Pinto Grigio, Beaujolais, Grenache, Dolcetto




Soup \| Back to Top
Type of Dish	Preparations-Sauces	Wine Options
Vichyssoise		Fino, Manzanilla, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon
Seafood	Bisque	Pinot Gris, Burgundy and New World Chardonnay, Amontillado, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc
Bouillabaisse		dry Rosé




Salad \| Back to Top
Type of Dish	Preparations-Sauces	Wine Options
Green Salad	Lettuce, arugula, frisee, radicchio, green herbs	Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay
Salad Nicoise		Dry aromatic white or dry Rosé or pungent Sauvignon Blanc
Spinach Salad




Beef \| Back to Top
Type of Dish	Preparations-Sauces	Wine Options
Brisket	Barbecue	Shiraz, Chianti, Zinfandel, Petit Verdot
Stew	Beef Bourguignon	Bordeaux blend, Syrah/Shiraz, a Chile red wine, Malbec, Zinfandel
Steak	au poivre	Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or peppery Zinfandel
T-bone	Grilled	Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot Bordeaux
Meat Loaf	Veal, Pork, Beef	Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel.
Chili	Chile con carne	Zinfandel




Lamb \| Back to Top
Type of Dish	Preparations-Sauces	Wine Options
Leg of Lamb	Roast	Bordeaux from Pauillac or St. Julien, New World Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Cote Rotie, Shiraz
Chops	Grilled with Lemon,-thyme butter, white beans	French wines from the South like Bandol, young Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Sangiovese
Stew	Tomatoes, onions, potatoes, peas	Spanish riojas, earthy New World Pinots
	Curry	White Rhone, Bandol Rosé, German Kabinett, Gewürztraminer
Souvlaki	Grilled	Cabernet Francs, Cabernet Sauvignons




Veal \| Back to Top
Type of Dish	Preparations-Sauces	Wine Options
Chops	Served with wild mushroom (porcini) sauce	Barolo, Brunello, Barbaresco, Tuscan blends, youthful Bordeaux, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlot, rich Spanish reds from Ribera del Duero or Priorat.
Scaloppini	Served with egg plant and tomatoes	Nebbiolo, Chianti; Cotes du Rhone, Spanish Rioja, Red Burgundy
Osso Buco	Veal shanks, carrots, celery, rosemary, sage, lemon peel etc. etc.	Barbaresco, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, or Taurasi. Herbal white wines also work: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Vernaccia, Greco di Tufo, Amarone
Wiener Schnitzel		Riesling, Grunerveltliner




Pork \| Back to Top
Type of Dish	Preparations-Sauces	Wine Options
Chops	Red wine marinade	Rhone reds, Chianti, Shiraz, Barbera, Zinfandel, especially, if the marinade is fruity
Roast Loin	Tarragon and Mustard Sauce	Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume, Grave, Meursault, New World Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc from Virginia and the Loire Valley, herbal Pinot Noirs
Spareribs	Smoky Barbecued Ribs	Zinfandel, Petit Verdot, Primitivo
Ham	Baked and honey-glazed	Full Flavored Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, dry Rosé, Pinot Noir
Sausages	rich onion gravy, olives, capers,	Chilean red wine, Malbec, red Bordeaux




Game \| Back to Top
Type of Dish	Preparations-Sauces	Wine Options
Venison		Merlot, Shiraz, Zinfandel




Poultry \| Back to Top
Type of Dish	Preparations-Sauces	Wine Options
Roast Chicken	Salt, pepper, garlic, lemon in the cavity	Rioja and Ribero del Duero, Barbera, Dolcetto, Grenache, Petite Syrah, Red Burgundy, German Riesling or other similar style delicate Chardonnay
Sauteed Chicken	Tomato-based sauces	Chianti, Rosso di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Rioja, Dao
Grilled Chicken	Marinades of garlic, saffron, paprika, cilantro, ginger	Off-dry whites Rieslings, Vouvrays, Sauvignon Blancs, off-dry Rosés, Cotes-du-Rhone, Gigondas, Minervois
Jamaican Jerk Chicken	Fish, chicken, vegetables dishes	Sparklers, Gewürztraminer, and fruity Rosés
Duck Breast	Grilled	Pinot Noir or Beaujolais
	Roasted with plum sauce	Barbera or Syrah or other reds with black plum flavors, Nebbiolo
Quail and Squab	Oven roasted	Rioja Reserva, Bordeaux, Pinotage
Turkey	Plain Roast	Light bodied white and red wines like Sauvignon Blanc, Chilean white wine, Gewürztraminer, Beaujolais, Cabernet Franc
Turkey Thanksgiving meal	All the trimmings	Gewürztraminer or rich fruity red like Syrah or even Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc




Fish \| Back to Top
Type of Dish	Preparations-Sauces	Wine Options
Salmon	Grilled or seared	White Burgundy, Chablis, Viognier, Chardonnay Pinot Gris, and even young Pinot Noir
	Smoked	Champagnes and Sparklers, manzanilla sherry, dry Riesling

Tuna	Grilled or seared	White Burgundy, Chardonnay-Viognier and Rhone blends, Pinot Noir and Merlot
Sole, Turbot, Halibut	Grilled	White Burgundy, Chablis, lightly oaked or un-oaked Chardonnays, Pinot Grigio




Shell Fish \| Back to Top
Type of Dish	Preparations-Sauces	Wine Options
oysters, clams, mussels.	Raw, steamed in wine with garlic and parsley	Champagne or Sparkling Wine, Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis, Muscadet
shrimp	Fried	Muscadet
Oyster stew		Chardonnay
Seafood salad	cold	Champagne or Sparkling Wine, Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio,
Cioppino	Tomato and seafood	Zinfandel
Lobster	Richly sauced	Champagne, Chardonnay, Vigonier
Crab	Cold Crab Salad	Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier
Crab cake		Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Chardonnay
Soft shell crab		Chardonnay, Riesling
Scallops	Sauteed simple	Champagne or Sparkling Wine. Sauvignon Blanc
$nbsp;	Cream sauces	Semi-dry Riesling
	Grilled with Peppers	Chardonnay




Pasta \| Back to Top
Type of Dish	Preparations-Sauces	Wine Options
Lasagna	Cheese and tomato sauce	Chianti, Vino da Tavola,
Ravioli	Butter and cream sauce	Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay
Tortelloni	Stuffed with Gorgonzola	Robust Malbec, Chianti
Macaroni and cheese	Cheese Sauce	Pinot Grigio or Dolcetto, Beaujolais
Pizza	Tomato and cheese	Chianti, Zinfandel
Spaghetti	Meat Sauce	Chianti, Barbara, Zinfandel
Linguini	Clam Sauce	Arneis, Gavi
	Pesto Sauce	Vernaccia, Verdicchio, Orvieto
Fettucini	Carbonara	Amarone




Desserts \| Back to Top
Type of Dish	Preparations-Sauces	Wine Options
Apple Pie	Tart apples, cinnamon	Auslese, Late-harvest Riesling, Muscat, Sauterne, some white Bordeaux wine, Late Harvest Vidal
Cheesecake	Plain and with fruit	Orange Muscat, French Beaumes-de-Venise, Sauternes dessert wine, Late Harvest Vidal
Tiramisu		Vin Santo or cream Sherry
Chocolate	Chocolate cake, mousse, souffles	Banyuls dessert wine, Baumes-de-Venise, California Orange Muscat, Muscat Blanc , Extra-dry Champagne




Cheese \| Back to Top
Type of Dish	Preparations-Sauces	Wine Options
Double Cream and Triple Cream	Brie, Camembert	Sparkling wines, medium-bodied Pinot Noir, Sancerre
Cheddars	Mild, sharp, tangy, robust	Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Merlot, Syrah, whites with bottle aging
Hard Cheeses	Parmesan, Comte, Gruyere	Sancerre, Graves and similar style Gewürztraminers, Riesling or even sweet Sauternes or Mombazillac and Tempranillo
Goat Cheese		Riesling, Grunerveltliner, Sauternes, Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume
Stilton, Roquefort, and other Blue cheeses		Port, Amarone, Sauternes, Sparkling wines, Syrah, Zinfandel, Chianti




Chinese Food \| Back to Top
Type of Dish	Preparations-Sauces	Wine Options
		Riesling or Gewürztraminer