Trying to figure out if you should serve a Pinot Noir or a Syrah at your next dinner party? Here's a fabulous quick guide to wine and food pairings from Fine Living:
WHITE WINES
Chardonnay
Wine has notes of lemon, pear, pineapple, vanilla, and oak making it engaging with seafood, fish, chicken, and egg dishes. Chenin Blanc
Similar flavors found in Chardonnay, thus the wine works best with appetizers, fish, chicken, & Asian or Indian cuisines.
Gewürztraminer
Wine is spicy and it captures the essences of Asian and Indian foods, as well as ham. (Champagne/sparkling wine is, however, the best accompaniment for these foods.)
Muscat (sweet wine)
Lots of acid and pear notes allowing foie gras, dessert, and fruit to pair well.
Pinot Blanc
Apple and pear tones making it right for fish, chicken, egg dishes, and brunch.
Pinot Gris
Hint of spritz and soft sweetness make it right for Asian and Indian foods.
Riesling
Apple, peach, citrus, and big acidity allow it to pair well with pate, fish, ham, and foie gras. Also, fine with Asian and Indian foods.
Sauvignon Blanc
Big acidity and crispness cut right through fish allowing it to pair well with chicken, turkey, and veal.
Sémillon (The best of it is sweet wine)
Apricot, honey, and nectar-like, it needs foie gras, fish courses; it craves Roquefort cheese. This is the grape for Chateau D’Yquem.
Viognier
Floral flavors with apricot and tropical fruit, making it excellent for cheese, brunch (egg courses), fruit, & quiche.
RED WINES
Barbera
Rich, plum, peppery, blackberry flavors, with high acidity pair it easily with bistro foods, Italian dishes with beef or chicken. Cabernet Franc
Soft grape with plum, spice and big acidity make it perfect for lamb, pork, and chicken courses.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Big acid, spice, hefty blackberry, and oak require beef, steak, game, and rich cheese courses.
Gamay (Beaujolais wine)
Nothing complicated here and it marries easily with pork, ham, cheese, deli foods, brunch dishes, or any casual supper.
Grenache (The best come from Rhône, Australia, and California)
Spice and plum pair it nicely with beef, meat, and duck. (Like Pinot Noir, it’s one of the most versatile red wines, marrying with almost any cuisine.)
Malbec
This wine is popular in Argentina, where they love to pair it with steak, red meat game, and beef stew.
Merlot
This wine loves lamb; it also goes well with beef, macaroni and pasta dishes.
Pinot Noir
A versatile wine that craves salmon; superb with roast chicken, pork, grilled meats, quail, and pheasant. Like Champagne, it goes well with almost all cuisines.
Sangiovese
One of Italy’s finest grapes. Big acidity and cherry nuances pair nicely with veal, poultry, beef; it craves Parmesan cheese.
Syrah (also called Shiraz)
Peppery, spicy, blackberry, and oak make it forward enough to marry well with game, beef, pork, and cheese.
Tempranillo
Cherry, soft spice, with good acidity allow it to cut through game, duck, and steak.
Zinfandel
Spicy, with cherry and blackberry and modest acidity allow it to pair easily with beef, veal, pork, chicken, ragout, and cheese.
Picture: Leo Gong, Sunset Magazine
