Wine and Food Pairing 101

Have you ever been in a nice restaurant and found yourself staring at a wine list like it was written in ancient Hebrew, wondering how you could possibly make a selection that you enjoyed but also didn’t make you look like your wine of choice comes from a box with a name like Peanut Noir or Chef Boyardeaux? Well, let’s see if we can’t de-mystify this whole wine and food pairing conundrum and help make a visit to a restaurant where the food doesn’t come in a bag a little less daunting.

When selecting a wine, the obvious first step is to give some consideration to what you’ll be ordering for dinner. The goal of wine and food pairing is to enhance the flavor of both, so take your time and consider your options. I’m sure everyone has heard the saying “red wine with red meat, white wine with white meat” spoken like it came from the Gospel of John, but while there is some validity to that statement it should be taken more in the context of a general guideline than a commandment carved in a stone tablet. Before we dig into the details, I will start with Kyle’s #1 Rule for Wine Selection: Drink what you like. Regardless of whether you’re eating a juicy New York Strip or a strip of Juicy Fruit gum, this should be your first inclination. That’s not to say you shouldn’t expand your horizons every now and then and try new things, there are a lot of great wines at very affordable price points, so don't be afraid to experiment a little, but Rule #1 is always a good fallback. So if you like bold reds, order bold reds. If you like sweet whites, order sweet whites. If you like Boones Farm, go to a drive thru.

As mentioned above, the red meat/red wine thing is just a starting point, and there is some actual science behind it, but it’s only part of the equation. Let’s look at red wine and steak for example. Dry red wines have higher levels of tannins, which are the bitter compounds in wine that give your mouth that dry, drawn up feel (think unsweetened tea.) Tannins aren’t a bad thing though, quite the opposite actually. And let's not confuse the term dry with being tannic, dry wines refer to those lacking sugar content, not those that are high in tannins. White wines with little to no tannin taste can still be dry. To get a good feel for tannins, chew a couple grape seeds or a bit of a grape stem, or eat a piece of the woody part inside a pecan shell. Some people really enjoy the tannic taste in wine, others not so much. Back to the steak pairing though, when drinking red wine with steak, the tannins in the wine bind with the proteins in the steak enhancing the flavor of the steak, while the steak fat softens the tannins in the wine. Flavors of both are improved, therefore mission accomplished. So the next time you are in the mood for a big marbled ribeye, choose a bold red like a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Syrah to pair with it. All red meat isn’t created equal of course, and tastes differ as well, so if you want a good steak but bold reds aren’t your thing, try a Merlot, which is lower in tannins and easier to drink than a Cab, but still gives you still get the benefit of the taste enhancement. Likewise, if you are eating a milder red meat like a slice of roast beef or prime rib, select a lighter red like a Pinot Noir that won’t overwhelm the taste of the meal.

As for white wines, they typically have fewer tannins than reds, but may have more pronounced acidity. This can be beneficial when eating milder white meats; much like squeezing a lemon on a piece of fish can make it taste fresher, the acidity in a white wine behaves similarly, and the lighter-bodied white wines won’t overpower the taste of a light white meat the way a bold red may. So with your halibut, trout, or other lighter fish or seafood, pair it with a lighter-bodied white like a Pinot Gris or maybe a Riesling. With a meatier, more fatty fish like salmon, an oaked Chardonnay would pair well. A Rose’ is also a good choice for salmon and other fatty fish, since it blends characteristics of both red and white wines, and even a lighter-bodied red would work. An off-dry (slight sweetness) Riesling works well with fried chicken, go a little bolder for baked or broiled. Pork is usually stout enough to hold it's own, so anything from a medium-bodied red to a fuller-bodied Chardonnay will pair nicely. Shellfish are often cooked in white wine, so choose a Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, or even Champagne if the occasion calls for it!

Now that the easy part is behind us, let’s dig a little deeper. Red meat and white meat are pretty general descriptions. Meats are prepared by different cooking methods and even to varying degrees of doneness. A lot of meats are cooked in sauces or with heavy spices that dramatically affect the taste, and subsequently will affect the wine pairing. For pairing wine with meats in heavy sauces, the rule of thumb is to pair to the sauce, not the meat. With creamy sauces a crisp white can add acidity and really liven up the dish, so a Sauvignon Blanc or an unoaked Chardonnay would be a solid choice. Pasta dishes with tomato-based sauces are already higher in acids, a lighter white such as a Pinot Grigio would smooth the acidic taste, but if the tomato-based dish also has sausage or meatballs then a lighter Italian red like a Sangiovese or Chianti (which is mostly Sangiovese anyway) will pair well. As before however, sauces, spices, and tastes all vary, so be prepared to experiment. A good basic guideline is to pick a wine that has a similar intensity as your meal, so one doesn't overpower the other.

There are two common methods for further refining wine pairings based on whether the wine characteristics mirror the flavors of the food or contrasts with it. These methods are known as congruent pairing and complementary pairing. Congruent pairings will share certain flavor profiles, making the taste of each bolder or more pronounced. Congruent paring examples are sweet wines paired with fruit desserts, like a Chenin Blanc with fresh berries, or a tawny port with pecan pie, a personal favorite! Other examples are a peppery Tempranillo with blackened prime rib, or a smoky Syrah with barbeque brisket. Congruent pairing is the simplest of the two, just pick a wine with similar characteristics to your food, or vice versa, and you're pretty much there. Complementary pairings are those that seek to enhance opposite flavor profiles. Pairing sweeter wine with a spicy dish will permit the sugar in the wine to smooth out and balance the spiciness in the food. A traditional favorite is pairing a bold red like a Cabernet with a chocolate dessert, which will soften the tannins in the wine and enrich the chocolate. Or maybe try a sparkling wine with a spinach quiche. The complimentary method can be useful in choosing a wine, just keep in mind that it requires a little more knowledge of the characteristics of the different varietals of wine to really know how to apply them. Also keep in mind that the same varietal will vary from winery to winery, and from year to year, based on a whole host of things like weather, soil, winemaker's moods, and probably alignment of the planets as well. If you want to learn to pair complementary wines and foods, do some homework, practice pairing, don't be afraid to make some mistakes, and enjoy the journey.

So there you have it, wine pairing 101. This is just the basic 10,000 foot view, there are as many nuances to wine pairing as there are wines to pair, but it really doesn’t have to be difficult, just get a few basic guidelines down and let ‘er rip. Don’t be afraid to ask your waitstaff or the restaurant sommelier to offer suggestions, that’s what they are there for. Most nicer restaurants post their wine lists online along with their menus, so do a little research beforehand to familiarize yourself with your options and save some time at the table. If you’re ordering for the table, you may have to compromise in some areas to please the group, or better yet, order several bottles and experiment. And if you get confused or frustrated, remember Rule #1 and just order something you know you like. Chances are you’ll likely do that anyway!