
It can be a little overwhelming figuring out what wines to pair with your food. Here are some tips on how to pick the best wine with your favorite dish.
Beef
Simple Roasted Grilled
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Merlot
- Red Boudreaux
- Shiraz
- Zinfandel
In a sauce
- Chateauneuf-du-Pape
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Shiraz
- Zinfandel
Braised
- In red wine (match with the same red wine)
- Osso Bucco – Amorone
- Brunelle di Montalicione
- Chateauneuf-du-Pape
- Peppery spice – red Zinfandel
Acidic Sauce
- Match acid with acid
- Chianti
Eastern (China, India, Japan)
- Off-dry Gewürztraminer or Riesling
- (Chinese or Indian)
Veal
- Rich savory manner good with Barolo,
- Brenello di Montalicino, Bordeaux, Cabernet, Merlot or event a Cotes du Rhone
Poultry
Chicken in a cream sauce
- Chardonnay or full White Burgundy
Chicken – Fried
- Lean Sauvignon Blanc
- Chardonnay (may not be as refreshing)
Chicken – Roast
- Chardonnay or White Burgundy
- If you like red, try Riaja, Pinot Noir or Red Burgundy
Chicken (Tomato, Spicy, Smokey)
- Smokey & Spicy – Cabernet
- Sauvignon
- Tomato – Chianti, Rosso di Montalcino or Rioja
- Spicy – Gewürztraminer or dry-off Riesling
Duck or Game Bird
- Medium-bodied, flavorful Pinot Noir
- Red Burgundy
- Rioja (good with squab or quail)
- Eastern (China, India, Japan)
- Off-dry Gewürztraminer or Riesling (Chinese or Indian)
- Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc (Japan)
Fish
Full Flavor or Rich Sauce
- Flavor fish with rich butter sauce – Chardonnay
Mild Flavor or Lemon Sauce
- Sauvignon Blanc
Salmon
- Red – Pinot Noir or Burgundy
- White – Pinot Gris or Chardonnay
Caviar
- Dry Champagne
Crustacean
Crab
- Dry Riesling
Lobster
- Chardonnay
- Corton-Charlemagne
- Brut Champagne or other Brut Sparkling Wine
- Vouvroy is good as well
Oysters
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Chablis
- Champagne
Shrimp
- Light acidic manner Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio
- Substantial Sauce – Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay
- Cocktail Sauce – off-dry Riesling or Gewürztraminer
Scallops
- Clean, rich Chardonnay
Pasta
Red Tomato Based
- Chianti
- Sangiovese
- Zinfandel
- Dolcetto
Lasagna
- Barolo
- Barbaresco
- Riserva
- Chianti
- Montepluciano d’Abruzzo
- Rossi di Montepulciano
- Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
- Other Italian Reds
Cream Sauce
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Light Italian Chardonnay
- Pinot Grigio
With Light Fish
- Pinot Grigio
- Sauvignon Blanc
Dessert
Apple Based Desserts
- Sauternes
Chocolate
- Brachetto D’Acqui
- Asti Spumanti, Muscat
- Moscato d’Asti
- Port
Cheese
- Port (Stilton Cheese)
- Sauternes (Blue Cheese)
- Amarone (Parmegiano Reggiano)
Keep in mind that foods go well with wines where they initiated from so if you are having French food a French acid wine would go best. Additionally, wines and hot spices do not go well together; wine survives better on the palate with a little sweetness.
At the end of the day if you are unsure about what wine to pair with your favorite dish the best rule of thumb is to drink what you like!
Food and Wine Pairing. (2007). Retrieved July 15, 2012 from www.foodandwinepairing.org.
WE’D LOVE FOR YOU TO SHARE THIS IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEBSITE BUT PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING COMPLETE INFORMATION: Event Producer Strategist, Entrepreneur, Speaker, and Coach, Annette Naif, CEO & Creative Director of Naif Productions.
# # #
About Naif Productions:
Naif Productions is a strategic event planning, design and production firm specializing in corporate, live coaching sales events, social, non-profit, and weddings. Based in New York City, we produce events worldwide from Fortune 500 clients and coaches to families and charities. Naif Productions specializes in helping clients attain their goals, realize return on investment, and achieve the most unique, creative experiences.
About Annette Naif:
Since 1986 Annette Naif has been designing and producing custom events, helping clients create their unique style that translates into a memorable and profitable experience. Annette spent 17 years producing events in the motion picture industry where she helped coordinate numerous productions for film and episodic television programs. Since then Annette’s been running her own event production company, coaching other event planners, teaching an event operations and production course at NYU, and now is the CEO & Creative Director of Naif Productions.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.