Matching Food with Wine
As there are different varieties of wine, there are also different varieties of food and cuisine that match with each wine type. To fully enjoy the flavor of your favorite wine, try serving it with the perfect food:
The general rule of food-wine matching is:
- Sweet wine with sweet food
- Acidic wines with sour food
- Bitter wine with bitter food
- Acidic wine with salty food
- Red wine with red meat
- White wine with white meat
If this is too general for you, here’s a more specific listing of perfect wine-food matching:
WineandFood
|
Food type
|
Wine type
|
| Chinese food | Frontignac, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Rosés and Traminers. For roasted birds like Peking duck– Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir and light Californian Zinfandel. |
|
Japanese food |
Any red or white sparkling wine. Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc for Sushi or Sashimi. |
|
Thai food |
Rosé, Rieslings, Gewürztraminer and Frontignac. Dry whites and reds generally not suited. |
|
Vietnamese food |
Fruity, sweet wine like Rosés and Traminers. Chardonnay is also good. |
| Mexican food | Very cold, fruity, full-bodied Sauvignon Blancs, Rosés, Pinot Noirs, and light Merlot. |
| Indian food | Full-bodied sparking wines and fruity reds such as Merlot for sweet curries. Hot and spicy food match well to slightly sweet and cold Riesling and Gewürztraminer. |
| Middle Eastern cuisine | Fruity wines red and white, choose drier Rosés and Rieslings. |
| Barbecue | Rosé and light style grenache, Sauvignon Blancs for seafood. Big cuts of meat choose fuller style wines of Grenache and Shiraz. |
| Fried Foods | Sparkling wines, crisp, dry, fruity wine, white or red. |
| Soup | Fino or Amontillado sherry |
| Salad | Don’t drink wine with a salad vinegar based dressing. For other salads Champagne is safest choice. |
| Vegetarian | Light to medium red, Merlot, Chardonnays and dry Riesling for green vegetables. |
| Pates | Semillon, Fumé Blanc for general pate. Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc for oily and fish pates. |
| Prawns | Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, dry Riesling, Semillon |
| Pasta | Barbera and Sangiovese Italian varieties, full bodied reds and fruity whites |
| Oysters | Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Champagne |
| Scallops | Chardonnay and medium-dry Riesling |
| Lobster | Chenin Blanc and dry Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Marsanne. |
| Mussels | Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged Semillon |
| White Fish | Fumé Blanc and Oaked Chardonnay. Alsace Pinot Gris or Italian Pinot Grigio. |
| Salmon or Tuna | Chardonnay, dry Riesling, and Pinot Noir will also suit. Also medium bodied Merlot and Shiraz for the tuna. |
| Chicken | Pinot Noir or Merlot. |
| Turkey | Shiraz, Merlot, Riesling, Gewürztraminer or Chenin Blanc for white wine lovers. |
| Pork | Shiraz or a crisp acidic Chardonnay. |
| Lamb | Medium to full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and medium to full bodied Shiraz. Tuscan reds and Italy Chianti. |
| Beef | Shiraz, Cabernet, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. |
| Veal | Chardonnays and Pinot Blanc or light red wines. |
| Duck | Shiraz or Merlot. |
| Venison | Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. |
| Cheeses | Cheddar - Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlots Swiss,Gruyere - Pinot Noir. Blue cheese - Sauterne, Tawny Port Creamy cheese, Camembert and Brie - Very dry Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. |