A Quick Guide to Food and Wine Pairings

Good food deserves good wine. And that’s where we come in! Here’s some handy hints to help you find your best match:

Think about the “weight” of food and wine

Pair bold foods with bold wines, and light foods with light wines. A big hearty stew would over-power a light Gewurztraminer, and light lunch time salads don’t need a bold Rioja.

Compare and Contrast.

A classic example of comparing food and wine is matching a lovely oaked chardonnay with a creamy pasta sauce; both have qualities which mirror and compliment the other. A contrast to a creamy pasta sauce with be something fresh and crisp, like a Pingoletto, which would cut through any fattiness in the sauce, and add freshness.

Salt and Acid.

Most wines are very acidic, and most of the time (unless they’re not well balanced) we don’t even realise. Dishes with a bit of salt in the cry out for acidic wines to balance them out, so try a Sauvignon Blanc with a fish supper, or Pad Thai with a Reisling to blow your mind!

Salt and Sweetness.

A classic Christmas pairing is Port and Stilton, because the sweetness of the port balances out the saltiness of the blue cheese beautifully. If you think about the popularity of sea salt chocolates or salted caramel you’ll see it’s not just a trend in wine (but it’s our favourite version of this pairing…)

Sweet on Sweet

Be very careful with this pairing, as desserts that are sweeter than the wine will make the wine taste bitter and lacklustre. Stick with fruity on fruity, and nutty on nutty when it comes to sweet wines!