How to Pair Food and Wine

Learning how to pair food and wine can seem a little daunting. There are just so many possible combinations! This ultimate guide to wine and food pairings offers simple pointers and basic guidelines for planning a menu that matches the wine.

How to Pair Food and Wine

When it comes to finding the right bottle of wine for your meal, it’s not enough to just pick the one with the prettiest label (much to this graphic designer’s chagrin).

Understandably, though, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the selection of wines available to us. If you want to pick a great wine for your next home-cooked dinner, you’re going to need to know a few things about how certain wines and foods go together.

The good news? You don’t need to be a sommelier to get it right. A few simple guidelines can help you choose a wine that enhances your meal rather than competes with it. Whether you’re planning a cozy pasta night, grilling up a steak or putting together a cheese board, understanding basic pairing principles will make your dining experience even more enjoyable.

From balancing flavors to complementing textures, these easy-to-follow tips will help you pair wine with confidence — so you can focus on savoring every sip and bite. You’ll see there’s a wine pairing for just about everything (and you can even cook with wine). The only question is, which wine will you choose?

Quick pairing guide

We’ll dive deeper into the details below, but this quick chart of complementary pairings offers a handy guide to pairing wine with your dish. There’s plenty of nuance to consider when it comes to how to pair wine and food, so keep reading to learn more!

1. Start with the food.

The best tip I can share is that it’s easier to pair a wine to your food than to pair food to a wine, so start with the food. A good rule of thumb is to match the intensity of the food with the intensity of the wine. Light dishes, like seafood or salads, pair best with delicate wines, while rich, hearty meals, such as braised meats or creamy pastas, need a fuller-bodied wine to stand up to bold flavors.

The exception is champagne, which goes with everything! When in doubt, sparkling wines are the ultimate wildcards, as their crisp acidity and bubbles complement a wide range of foods, from salty snacks to rich, buttery dishes.

Regional pairings work well, too. Wines and foods from the same region often complement each other naturally. For example, serve Chianti with Italian pasta or Rioja with Spanish tapas. Japanese sake goes well with sushi.

2. Spicy goes with sweet.

Pair spicy dishes with slightly sweet or ripe hot-climate wines that have soft tannins. Spicy heat can make wine taste astringent or even bitter. Spice limits your ability to taste sugar, so a dry wine will taste extra dry and flat.

A nice plump California red will have a little sweetness to offset the spice, as will an off-dry German Riesling. Pair them with spicy foods like jalapeño poppers and shishito peppers. The ripe fruity flavors of red zinfandel also helps balance heat in spicy dishes.

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3. Acid cancels acid.

For creamy pasta dishes like pasta carbonara, fried foods like fried pickles or very acidic dishes like those with marinara sauce, choose a high-acid wine.

The acidity in the wine will help to balance the acid in the food, effectively canceling each other out. Acidic wines can also cut through any fat, helping to perk up a dish that’s otherwise a bit cloying. Think an Italian Pinot Grigio or a cool-climate Chardonnay.

4. Salt desires sweetness.

Salty food can make tannic or high-alcohol wines taste ‘hot’ with alcohol or give it a bitterness. Choose a wine with some residual sugar or ripe tannins instead. That being said, salty food is fun to pair with, as it can also emphasize the delicious flavors in a wine.

For salty foods, opt for wines with some residual sugar, ripe tannins or bright acidity to balance the saltiness. Off-dry Riesling or Gewürztraminer work well, as their slight sweetness and acidity complement cured meats, fried foods and salty cheeses.

For a red, try Grenache or Zinfandel, which have ripe fruit flavors and softer tannins that pair nicely with barbecue or charcuterie. Prosecco and champagne are also great choices — their crisp bubbles help cleanse the palate and enhance salty flavors.

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5. Strike a balance.

Try to pair the ‘weight’ of a dish with the ‘weight’ of a wine. For example, for a flavorful beef bourguignon or steak, pair with a full-bodied wine like a Cabernet Sauvignon. Its rich, bold flavors and firm tannins make it an excellent match for hearty dishes like lasagna, Mississippi pot roast or a juicy ribeye steak.

A light and delicate fish dish would likewise be paired with a delicate wine. Pinot Grigio works wonderfully with light fish dishes, offering a crisp, subtle profile that complements rather than overwhelms the flavors.

Dry rosé sits between white and red wines, making it a great match for dishes that need something not too heavy but with more body than a white wine, like salmon, roasted vegetables or Mediterranean dishes like whipped feta dip and pita chips.

6. Match the meat to the wine.

When you are pairing wines with meat, consider the flavors in your dish as well as the texture and

• Chicken: Lighter chicken dishes pair well with Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, while roasted or grilled chicken can handle a Pinot Noir or Grenache.
• Red meat: Full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Syrah/Shiraz are great choices for steak, lamb or boeuf bourguignon due to their bold structure and tannins.
• Pork: A versatile meat, pork pairs well with Pinot Noir, Grenache or a fuller-bodied white like Viognier.
• Seafood: Salty, briny seafood like shrimp or oysters pair beautifully with Pinot Grigio or Vermentino.
• Pasta: Tomato-based pasta sauces go well with Chianti or Sangiovese, while dishes with creamy sauces, like penne rosa, match Chardonnay.

7. Hook the perfect wine for fish.

Avoid serving tannic wines like Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo or Malbec with fish, as their bold tannins can create an unpleasant metallic taste when paired with seafood. But don’t let anyone tell you that you have to drink white wine with fish! A nice Pinot Noir with salmon is perfection.

However, white wine does pair exceedingly well with seafood and fish. Sauvignon Blanc is a great choice with light, flaky fish like cod or halibut, especially with citrus or herb-based sauces. Unoaked Chardonnay pairs well with richer fish like salmon or sea bass, particularly when served with buttery or creamy sauces. For a zesty, seafood-friendly option, try Albariño, which complements grilled fish, ceviche and oysters.

Rosé is an excellent alternative to both white and red wines for seafood. A Provence-style rosé pairs beautifully with shrimp, tuna or seafood paella, as its acidity and fruitiness enhance delicate flavors without overpowering them.

8. Wine + cheese = forever.

It’s no secret that cheese goes well with wine! It’s a classic pairing that is a great appetizer or snack for parties or even weeknight snacking. (Don’t miss our complete guide to a basic charcuterie board.)

When pairing wine and cheese, consider balance — a bold, aged cheese can stand up to a full-bodied red, while a light, tangy cheese pairs best with a crisp white. Texture also matters — creamy cheeses often shine with wines that have good acidity to cut through their richness.

Sweet wines in particular shine with cheeses, but dry whites and red wines are fantastic too. Here’s a quick primer:

9. Dessert second.

When pairing a sweet wine with a dessert, start with the dessert and match the wine. Try to choose a dessert wine that is sweeter than the dish. The sugar in a dessert can mask the sweetness of a wine, making it taste drier than if you were drinking it without food.

For a perfect dessert pairing, try Sauternes with rich custards or cheesecake and Port with dark chocolate or caramel-based treats. Moscato d’Asti and ice wine are fantastic matches for fruity desserts, while a Late Harvest Riesling pairs beautifully with pies and poached pears.

Chocolate and wine are another great pairing, but it’s easy to mess up. The bold flavor of chocolate can overpower the fruity flavors in the wine, making it taste dull or sour. There are a few combinations that can work:

If you are serving a boozy dessert like rosé granita or champagne cupcakes, you can match the wine to what is used in the dish.

10. Savor every sip.

Trying new wines together is the perfect way to get a date or party started and give everyone something to talk about. Consider hosting a wine tasting party. You can even incorporate seasonal treats like Christmas cookies or Girl Scout cookies.

Choosing a wine doesn’t have to be stressful. Every sommelier started somewhere — and probably made some odd choices too. It’s okay if your chosen wine didn’t work this time! Get back up and try something different next time. And when in doubt, go to a wine shop and ask the associates for some recommendations.

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A version of this article was published September 16, 2015. Rachel Von Sturmer contributed.