Pairing Food and Wine

Learn how to identify your personal preferences in food and wine and how to use those preferences to make a great food and wine pairing.

Before you begin pairing your favorite food and wines, take a moment to think about your personal flavor preferences. Developing a deeper understanding of your palate’s preferences will help guide you in creating delicious pairings.

Tips for a successful wine pairing

1. Be sure your food and wine compliments each other

   1. You don’t want the flavors to compete for your taste buds; you want the flavors to enhance each other

   2. Pair lighter foods with lighter wines and richer foods with richer wines

2. Choose a wine and accompanying food from the same region

3. Check your wine label - sometimes the label itself recommends a food pairing.

4. Keep a Journal of Wine Pairings to better understand your palate, favorite wines, and favorite food and wine pairings

Four Main Flavor Aspects to Consider

1. Sweetness

   1. Sweet wines are often served towards the beginning or end of a meal but not with the main dishes

   2. Sweet wines can pair well with charcuterie boards and fruit-filled desserts

   3. Try a Riesling with Sopressata Salami and Smoked Gouda

2. Acidity

   1. Acidic wines pair well with rich, fatty foods because the acidity can cut through the fattiness

   2. Acidic wines can also balance sweetness and saltiness in your food

   3. Try a Sauvignon Blanc with a creamy fettucine alfredo and garlic bread

3. Tannins

   1. Tannic Wines can create a delicious contrast to fatty foods

   2. The tannicity in wine will pair well with juicy or saucy foods

   3. Try a Syrah with a seared Porterhouse Steak and Roasted Red Potatoes

4. Alcohol Content

   1. The alcohol content in your wine is important in building the structure of the wine, however it is not a strong characteristic for pairing your wine with food.

   2. In a higher alcohol wine, one of your other three characteristics (acidity, tannin, or sweetness) will be stronger in order to balance the higher ABV.