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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
     
     

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