Food and Wine

Matching Food with Wine

Food type	Wine type
Chinese	Choose slightly sweet or off-dry wines. Frontignac, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Rosés and Traminers are the best. With roasted birds like Peking duck Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir and light Californian Zinfandel.
Japanese	Choose very cold, off-dry, fruity white wines. Any red or white sparkling wine in general. Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc go well with Sushi or Sashimi.
Thai	Similar spicy foods to those of Japanese. Rosé is a good choice. Rieslings, Gewürztraminer and Frontignac can go well. Traminer is best suited to spiced dishes of a floral nature. Dry whites and reds are generally not suited.
Vietnamese	Choose very cold, fruity, slightly sweet Rosés and Traminers. Rieslings are possibly too acidic. Chardonnay is a good all round choice.
Mexican	Very cold, fruity, full-bodied Sauvignon Blancs and Rosés. Chilli heat will overpower the aromatic nature of Rieslings and Traminers. Pinot Noirs is a good choice and light Merlot. Cabernet is too tannic and robust.
Indian	Choose full-bodied sparking wines and fruit driven reds such as Merlot for sweet curries. Hot and spicy styles match well to slightly sweet and cold Riesling and Gewürztraminer.
Middle Eastern	Fruity wines, both red and white, work well. Choose the drier Rosés and Rieslings.
Barbecue	Wines need to be both fruity and rich for the general foods. Rosé and light style grenache make good choices. Sauvignon Blancs with seafood. More powerful cuts of meat (sirloin) and richly flavoured may be accompanied by fuller style wines of Grenache and Shiraz.
Fried Foods	Sparkling wines with a firm acid finish are terrific. Any crisp, dry, fruity wine, white or red. The acid needs to be high to cut through the fats.
Soup	Heavier style soups will suit a wine more. Fino or Amontillado sherry
Salad	Avoid wine with a salad that has been dressed with a vinegar base. For other salads Champagne would be the safest choice.
Vegetarian	Vegetarian such as bean dishes, enchiladas suit light to medium red, Merlot and light style whites, Chardonnays and dry Riesling for meals base on green vegetables.
Pates	Semillon, Fumé Blanc for general pate and Chardonnay with a fish pate or Sauvignon Blanc for oily types.
Prawns	Any crisp dry white styles, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, dry Riesling, Semillon
Pasta	Barbera and Sangiovese are Italian varieties and supply varietal fruits, crisp acid finish, deep colour and low tannin
Oysters	Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and fine Champagne
Scallops	Chardonnay and medium-dry Riesling (delicate varietal style from a long ripening region)
Lobster	Chenin Blanc and dry Riesling for a cold salad with dressing. For a hot dish Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Marsanne.
Mussels	Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged Semillon
White Fish	Smokey and oaked flavours will complement, Fumé Blanc and Oaked Chardonnay. Alsace Pinot Gris or Italian Pinot Grigio. Full-bodied reds should be avoided such as Cabernet Sauvignon that can present an unpleasant metallic tangy taste. Fish in tomato or herb based sauces will accompany a medium weighted red (shiraz).
Salmon Tuna	Delicate Chardonnay and dry Riesling. Pinot Noir will also suit. Tuna will also sit well with medium bodied Merlot and Shiraz.
Chicken Rabbit	For roast chicken Pinot Noir or Merlot.
Turkey	Roasted or cold sliced turkey is a great companion for Cabernet blends with Shiraz and Merlot. Medium to full bodied Shiraz will also suit or Riesling, Gewürztraminer or Chenin Blanc for white wine lovers.
Pork	A versatile food that will work with bold full-bodied Shiraz or a crisp acidic Chardonnay.
Lamb	Medium to full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon. Roast lamb Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and medium to full bodied Shiraz. Tuscan reds and Italy Chianti.
Beef	Full bodied Shiraz for sirloin. Fillet steak and medium weighted Cabernet, Merlot and Cabernet Franc or blends of these. Spicy garnished meats such as pepper or mustard deserve spicy style wines like Grenache and Peppery Shiraz. Roast beef Cabernet Sauvignon (Bordeaux), Pinot Noir (Burgundy) and the Syrah-based red Rhone wines. Big style reds from Tuscany and the Piemonte in Italy -- Barolo, Brunello, and Chianti.
Veal	Most Chardonnays and Pinot Blanc or even with a light red like Beaujolais from France or Dolcetto from Italy.
Duck	Mid weight Shiraz or Merlot with firm acid structure.
Venison	Big meaty styles of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel with a warm to hot alcohol finish.
Cheeses	Cheddars - Cabernet Sauvignon and fuller style Merlots, barrel fermented Chardonnay and Semillon. Swiss,Gruyere - Pinot Noir. Blue cheese - Sauterne, Tawny Port and Dessert wines are traditional but will also work with very dry (Fino) Sherries. Creamy cheeses, Camembert and Brie - Very dry Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. Malolactic Chardonnay for those developed buttery notes. Champagne also works well.
Dessert	Good dessert wines such a Botrytis wines are best sipped and should be served by themselves as a dessert. Mousses and crème brûlée are well matched to Sauterne. Muscat and sweet Riesling for fruit tarts, fruit cakes and nut based pies like pecan. Blue cheese and nuts (walnuts) with Tawny Port.
Fruit	Aromatic wines for those strong fruit flavours Riesling, Traminer, Frontignac

Matching Wine with Food

The right wine with the right food is a simple statement but difficult to define. In reality the right wine is the one that you enjoy drinking. There are well tried and tested conventions that will allow you to match food and wine so that you will be able to get more out of your dining experience. The generally accepted rule of "like with like" can assist:

• Sweet wine with sweet food
• Sour foods with acidic wines
• Bitter with bitter
• Salty food with acidic wines
• Red wine with red meat
• White wine with white meat

There are of course many exceptions to this rule and dining has become far more exotic than in the past. It is also difficult to tell which wines are acidic or which retain bitterness. Experience is the answer. Improvement of the palate and your perception of the four primary tastes of wine and food, sour, bitter, sweet and salt (in food only).

Wine type	Food type
Chardonnay Medium to full-bodied, dry.	Poultry and game birds, veal and pork, rabbit fish and pasta preparations which feature cream and/or butter, mushrooms.
Sauvignon Blanc Light-medium bodied, dry.	First courses, seafood, ethnic dishes—pastas, curries, salsas, spicy sausages, vegetable dishes, luncheon salads, olive-oil based dishes, tomato sauces, goat cheese.
Chenin Blanc Light to medium-bodied, normally off-dry to semi-sweet.	Braised Chicken, sushi and other Oriental dishes, poultry, pork.
Traminer Light to medium body, usually semi-sweet, occasionally off-dry.	Spicy cuisines such as Chinese, Mexican, and Indian, mild sausages, fruit salad.
Riesling Light to medium bodied, semi-sweet to off-dry.	Crabmeat, appetizers and finger foods, pork, salads.
Semillon Medium bodied dry white	Grilled fish, foods with creamy sauces such as pasta
Verdelho Medium bodied dry white	Yabby, grilled fish, fruit platters and Italian pastas with cream based sauce
Cabernet Sauvignon Medium to full-bodied, tannic and dry.	Beef, lamb, pork, duck, game meats, cheeses.
Merlot Medium to full-bodied, less tannic than Cabernet, dry.	Beef, lamb, pork, duck, game meats, cheeses, stews, pizza, heart pastas.
Shiraz Medium to full bodied	Beef fillet with tomato based sauce. Rich spicy meals. Veal, kangaroo, roast duck. Sparkling shiraz goes well with pastries and puddings.
Grenache Medium to full bodied dry red	Fillet steak with tomato based sauce, sweet seafood, chicken and red meats
Pinot Noir Medium to light-bodied, dry, little tannin leaves silky texture.	Lamb, duck, turkey, game birds, beef, rabbit, semi-soft cheeses.
Rosé Vary greatly in the level of residual sugar (sweetness).	Best with smoked foods, quiche, pork and ham, Mexican and Thai food. Can be served with all food.
Brut Dry	Aperitifs and first courses, fruits and nuts. Fuller bodied variations go well with any fish and chicken
Blanc de Noir Dry but more fruity than Brut. Made from Red grapes only.	Aperitif, with lunch, desserts
Blanc de Blancs Delicate dry wine made from white grapes only.	Caviar. Anytime