Enophile Blog

Few culinary subjects arouse so much fear as selecting the right wine for dinner. It used to be simple: “Red wine with meat; white wine with fish” was the adage that everyone adopted. Then journalists and sommeliers (the people in fancy restaurants who help select wine) started to get more creative and introduced new twists on this age-old formula. With the recent proliferation of different grape varieties and new wineries or brands, picking the right wine suddenly became much more complicated.

Let’s start by saying something that should make you feel a lot better: There are no right answers. Experiment to your heart’s content. Pairing wine with food is not so much a science as an art, and as with every art, there is room for disagreement. Everyone has different ideas about which wines go with which foods—or vice versa. It’s largely a matter of taste, and as the saying goes, there is no arguing about taste.

Consider the Sauce
When choosing a wine, the type of meat served is significant, but the sauce often determines which bottle to select. An easy rule for beginners: If your recipe’s sauce is wine-based, pour the same type of wine that is in the dish. Roast Leg of Lamb with Mustard and Red Wine Sauce, for instance, or Salmon with a Spiced Red-Wine Sauce, or Authentic Coq au Vin (which traditionally calls for a dry red wine) are some of the dishes that would enable you simply to match the wine that is in the recipe.

Chicken
Chicken is a neutral meat. If you prepare it with a tomato sauce, a wild mushroom sauce, or a lemon-herb sauce, you can pick different wines. With a Braised Chicken in Aromatic Tomato Sauce, I might go for a medium-bodied, well-structured red like Pinot Noir. A red Burgundy would also be a good choice, or a domestic Pinot Noir, such as those from Oregon.

If you’re serving the chicken with a more substantial sauce, such as Chicken with Truffles, Wild Mushrooms, and Potatoes, you can pick a slightly heavier red wine. An affordable Cabernet might bring out earthy mushroom flavors. A Merlot would offer soft texture and lush fruit.

Finally, if the chicken has a light, lemony, or herbal sauce, as in a Roast Chicken with Lemon and Thyme, pick a crisp Chardonnay. Some Chardonnays from the Carneros region of California have a brisk, citrusy flavor that would accentuate the lemon and still have plenty of body and richness.

Pasta
When it comes to pasta, sauce is everything. For a rich, meaty tomato sauce (Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs or Fettuccine Bolognese), you want a flavorful, zesty red wine such as Zinfandel or Chianti. Both of these are casual, food-friendly wines that are great for a big pasta feed (they are good with an Eggplant and Tomato Pizza, too).

If the pasta will have a light seafood sauce (Linguini with Herbed Clam Sauce), you might pick a very crisp white wine like a dry Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc to complement the shellfish.

The trickiest pasta sauce to handle is a creamy one, such as Fettuccine Alfredo. Many advocate a crisp white wine to help cleanse the palate, but one that also has plenty of richness to stand up to the flavors. Again, a Chardonnay would be near the top of the list.

Fish
Fish does not automatically require a crisp white wine. A red would be perfectly appropriate with Salmon with Mushroom Orzo and Red Wine Sauce, for example. Try a Pinot Noir. An elegant, fruity rosé makes a good companion for other full-flavored fish. With lighter, more delicate dishes, such as steamed halibut or braised trout, you’ll want a wine that will not overwhelm the food. Again, it is important to consider the sauce that is used. Assuming subtle flavors, pick a mild white wine like Pinot Grigio or a good dry Chenin Blanc.

Red Meat
Red wine with red meat is the one pairing for which the old rule still seems to work—but which red should you choose? It depends on the dish. A classic steak or pot roast is a great opportunity to bring out that big, expensive California Cabernet Sauvignon. The tough, tannic flavors and intense depth of these wines would overwhelm most foods, but not steak. You could also drink one of the hefty reds from France’s Rhone Valley.

Roast Prime Ribs of Beef with Cracked Pepper Crust would call for a red wine that is loaded with spice. A powerful red Zinfandel would do the trick; a Syrah could also be an interesting choice. For more delicate meat dishes, such as Grilled Veal Chops with Rosemary or a tender lamb chop, try a medium-bodied red. An older Cabernet, with tannins that have mellowed, might be appropriate; a Bordeaux-style blend would be an excellent choice as well. What about an old-fashioned hamburger? Again, go with a casual, food-friendly red like Zinfandel, Chianti, or Syrah.

Spicy Etnic Fare
The popularity of cuisines from Asia and Latin America brings up a new set of food-and-wine challenges. For spicy Asian food (Grilled Salmon with Thai Curry Sauce, for example), look for a wine with good aromatics and perhaps a touch of sweetness. The Gewürztraminer grape produces some excellent wines for Asian menus. Crisp rosés also work here. With Mexican food, you might try a zesty Zinfandel or Rioja from Spain. Of course, with many fiery dishes, the drink many ultimately choose is a cold beer…but that’s another story.

Dessert
There is a host of sweet wines to enjoy with dessert. Most of these are late-harvest wines, made from grapes affected by the friendly fungus Botrytis cinerea. This so-called noble rot pierces the skin of the grapes, causing water evaporation. As a consequence, the percentage of sugar in the juice is significantly elevated, and the resulting wine is sweet. Sauternes from Bordeaux is among the most famous of these late-harvest wines. Germany makes exquisite sweet wines under the Eiswein (frozen grapes) or Trockenbeerenauslese designations. Domestic late-harvest wines from grapes such as Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Muscat, or Gewürztraminer are also good choices.

In general, pair these sweet wines with fruit or nut desserts, such as a Caramel Nut Tart—also with fruit tarts, cobblers, or pies. A Double-Chocolate Torte, or similar chocolate-based dessert, might be better with a vintage Port.