Pair like a pro: How to choose the perfect wine for your favourite foods

11 August

If you've ever wondered which wine to buy for a meal and felt a bit lost, fear no more! We've put together some food and wine pairing tips to help you pair like a pro.

  1. What grows together, goes together. If in doubt, choose a wine that comes from the same country and region your food comes from. Wine and food made in the same place have grown up together and more often than not go well together. Also check out the following food and wine pairing tips to narrow it down further.
  2. Salty foods make wines seem smoother and richer and they also help to balance bitterness and acidic flavours. Pair salty foods with wines with higher tannins (wines where your tongue and teeth feel dry when you take a sip) like Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah or big and bold Argentinian Malbecs.
  3. Acidic foods like citrus based sauces, vinegary or tomato based dishes, go well with wines with high acidity. These foods make the wine seem fruitier and richer. Go for wines with high acidity such as Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Grenache.
  4. Highly flavoured foods can overwhelm the flavours in lighter flavoured wines. Go for wines with similar flavour intensity that can stand up to the flavoursome food.
  5. Fatty or oily foods make wines taste less acidic. Go for wines with higher acidity (like wines in point 3).
  6. Spicy foods (chilli) make wines taste less sweet and fruity and also increase the burning sensation from alcohol. Alcohol also increases the heat from chilli, so go for wines with lower alcohol and preferably some sweetness.
  7. Sweet foods make wines taste more bitter and less sweet and fruity. Sweeter wines go well with sweet foods, and be careful of wines with high tannins (like wines in point 2).
  8. Savoury foods (umami) like seafood, meats, soy, aged cheeses and mushrooms) make wines taste more bitter and less sweet and fruity. Go for wines with low tannins like Pinot Noir, Gamay or Grenache in the reds, or Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio or Riesling in the whites.

For help finding wines to pair with specific foods, drop us a line HERE. We'll be happy to point you in the right direction!

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