Wine and Food Pairings Guide

Appetizers: If based in artichokes or shrimp try a crisp Sauvignon Blanc, Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé. Asparagus works with a herbaceous Sauvignon Blanc. Champagne is a natural with caviar, Pinot Noir with smoked salmon or rumaki. Match foie gras with white or red Burgundy, Gewurztraminers, Pinot Gris, Rieslings, or Sauternes. With sharp English type cheeses and Cheddars: Dry reds, Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlots. Port and Stilton are a lovely combo. With Swiss, Gruyere, and equivalent: Pinot Noir. For Blue cheeses: Sauternes, dry reds or sherries. Creamy cheeses like Camembert and Brie are delicious with buttery rich Chardonnay or Champagne. Goat's milk cheese with Sauvignon Blanc. Parmigiano Reggiano, Romano and similar hard cheeses work with dry reds.

Meats and BBQ: Pare well with a quintessentially American Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Beaujolais, Shiraz, or Grenache. Barbecued beef and pork also work with Tempranillo-based wines like a Rioja. Dry rosés compliment barbecued chicken. Grilled steak is a natural for big, fruity reds, Argentine malbec and Bandol is also good with grilled meats. Roast beef is delicious with tannic reds like Bordeaux, Cabernet, and Merlots, Syrah, Shiraz or Rhones. Lamb is a classic match with red Bordeaux, Burgundies, Rhones, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Syrah, Shiraz, or Rioja. Roasted chicken works with Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Riesling. If you are making a tomato/cheese entree like chicken cacciatore pair it with a dry red.

Pork and Chicken: Think richer Chardonnays, Pinot Blanc, Alsatian Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and lighter-styled Pinot Noir. Roast pork pairs well with Pomerol, St-Émilion, Sangiovese or Zinfandel.

Asian food: is often matched with Gewurztraminer. If the dish is duck based try Pinot Noir, and a Cabernet with stir-fry beef dishes, or a rich Chardonnay if the dish is seafood based. Châteauneuf-du-Pape marries well with Chinese spices like hoisin sauce.

Roasted Duck: A California cabernet sauvignon., or a Côte-Rôtie if citrus and herbs like tarragon and thyme are used in the dish. If duck is prepared with orange or peach based sauces try Sauternes. Grilled duck breast prepared in the Provencal manner is best with French Médoc, Pomerol, Madiran, Corbières, or a California cabernet sauvignon.

Seafood: Try a big Chardonnay with lobster, and Champagne with lobster salads. Sancerre and Muscadet are suited to oysters. Shrimp works with crisp whites like White Bordeaux and Sauvignon Blanc. Riesling is a nice mate with crab. Try White Vinho verde or the classic match of Hermitage blanc with grilled or fried scallops. For scallops in cream sauces try Grand cru Chablis, Graves and rich chardonnays

Salmon: Pinot noir, riesling, white Burgundy with subtly prepared salmon like poached or in papillotes. Understated rosés work but not with cream sauces.

Salade Niçoise: Provence rosé. For other salads match them to the main ingredient as above.

The best expert is always--what works best for you!