1. Pinot Noir: Pair with earthy flavours
Recipes made with earthy ingredients like mushrooms and truffles taste great with reds like Pinot Noir and Dolcetto, which are light-bodied but full of savoury depth.
2. Chardonnay: Great with fatty fish or fish in a rich sauce
Silky whites—like Chardonnays from California, Chile, or Australia—are delicious with fish like salmon or any kind of seafood in a rich sauce.
3. Champagne: Perfect with anything salty
Most dry sparkling wines, such as brut Champagne and Spanish cava, actually have a faint touch of sweetness. That makes them extra-refreshing when served with salty foods, like crispy fries.
4. Cabernet Sauvignon: Fabulous with juicy red meat
California Cabernet, Bordeaux, and Bordeaux-style blends are terrific with steaks and dishes like lamb chops with frizzled herbs. The firm tannins in these wines refresh the palate after each bite.
5. Sauvignon Blanc: Goes with tart dressings and sauces
Tangy foods—like scallops with grapefruit-onion salad—won’t overwhelm zippy wines like Sauvignon Blanc, Vinho Verde, from Portugal and Verdejo from Spain.
6. Dry Rosé: For rich, cheesy dishes
Some cheeses go better with white wine, some with red; yet almost all pair well with dry rosé, which has the acidity of white wine and the fruit character of red.
7. Pinot Grigio: Pairs with light fish dishes
Light seafood dishes, like seafood tostada bites, seem to take on more flavour when matched with equally delicate white wines, such as Pinot Grigio or Arneis from Italy or Chablis from France.
8. Malbec: Holds up to sweet-spicy barbecue sauces
Malbec, Shiraz, and Côtes-du-Rhône are big and bold enough to drink with foods brushed with heavily spiced barbecue sauces.
By: Food & Wine