Pairing wine with food - basic rules of thumb

I’m reading ‘Perfect Pairings’ by Evan Goldstein which is an excellent overview of wine flavors and practical guide to pairing wines with food. The book also has many delicious recipes which demonstrate the concepts.

This post attempts to summarize the basic rules of thumb presented in this book regarding pairing wine with food.

Tart foods

• Pair with equally tart or sharp wines or wines that exceed the sharpness of the food.
• Acidic whites, roses or sparkling wines are best. Wines from cooler regions (e.g. Northern France) tend to be higher in acidity than those grown in warmer climates.
• Avoid red wines except those of a sharp nature (Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, Gamay).

Tart wines

• Pair well with tart foods (see above) such as a green salad with a vinaigrette dressing.
• Can cut the heat of mildly spicy dishes
• Complement fish dishes as the acid cuts the fish oil. Try serving a tart white instead of lemon wedges.
• Pair well with rich, creamy foods since they tend to counterbalance the richness
• Can cut the saltiness of food that might otherwise be perceived of as ‘too salty’.
• As you can see, tart wines (wines high in acid) work well in a variety of food pairings.
• White wines from cooler climates tend to be higher acid wines.
• Tart red varietals include Pinot Noir and Gamay.

Slightly sweet foods

• Pair best with off-dry or slightly sweet wines. Try to match the level of sweetness in the wine to the food.
• If you want to serve a dry wine, make sure it is young and very ripe.

Sweet wines

• Pair dessert wines with deserts that are less sweet than the wine, otherwise the wine will taste sour.
• Try pairing slightly sweet or off-dry wines with salty dishes or dishes that are a combination of salty and spicy (such as some thai food dishes -- papaya salad anyone?)
• If the wine is off-dry or slightly sweet, pair with slightly sweet foods.

Salty foods

• Should be served with wines with a low to medium level alcohol content. (~ under 12%) Otherwise the ‘heat’ of the wine will be accentuated by the salty food.
• Pair well with slightly sweet wines.
• Avoid wines high in oak flavors.
• Avoid wines high in tannins.

Spicy foods

• The spicier the food, the more difficult it is to pair with wine.
• Pair with off-dry or semi-sweet wines
• Pair with whites or roses -- either still or sparkling.
• Pair with wines with low to medium levels of alcohol.
• Really spicy foods are probably better off paired with beer or another non-wine beverage.

Bitter foods

• Pair with wines higher in tannins.
• Pair with wines aged in oak.
• Try wines with higher acidity. This doesn’t always work, but it is better than going too sweet.

Tannic wines

• Pair with foods high in fat and protein such as red meat. The fat and protein will counterbalance the astringency and bitterness from the tannins.
• Often clash badly with spicy foods.
• Pair with bitter foods such as endives, eggplant, chard, broccoli rabe to achieve symmetry of taste between wine and food.
• Server with blackened or grilled foods (which are made to taste bitter by the method of preparation)
• Serve with food seasoned with black pepper.

Oaky wines

• Pair well with dishes with bold flavored food.
• Play up the Oak with ingredients such as nuts or sweet spices.
• Pair with rich, textured sauces.

Aged Red wines

• As the wine becomes more delicate, so should the paired food preparations.
• Rare preparations of meat can fill in some of the flavor gaps that may have been lost as the young fruit flavors fade with aging.
• You have, in general, more food pairing options with aged reds compared to young, tannic reds.