The below food pairing chart is a guideline on successfully matching the overall finished dish with the proper wine. In using this chart, take into account all the ingredients that make up any given course and select a wine that agrees with as many of the possible ingredients. This will bring out the subtle nuances of the dish and tie everything together!
| Option |
Style |
Wine Type |
| A |
A Dry toasty and yeasty Sekt (Sparkling Wine) with great essence, floral notes and a wonderful composition. |
A Traditional Method Sparkling |
| B |
A Dry or Semi-Dry wine with a racy and elegant structure, balanced acidity, little residual sugar (RS) and soft fruit component. |
A Kabinett / Spätlese or QbA |
| C |
A Dry wine with softer acidity, little residual sugar and a medium body. |
A Pinot Grigio, Silvaner, Blanc de Noir |
| D |
A Dry, slightly aged, full bodied wine, with a hint of RS (residual sugar), and great balance between outstanding fruit and acidity. |
A Spätlese / Charta |
| E |
A Dry or Semi-Dry wonderfully balanced, well-structured, velvety, indulgent German Pinot Noir. |
A Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) |
| F |
A Semi-Dry medium to full-bodied wine with a wonderful balance between fruit and acidity and a higher level of RS and more underlying fruit tones. |
A Spätlese |
| G |
A Sweet medium to full-bodied wine that is bold with fruit, pronounced acidity and loaded with depth and character and may be botrytised. |
A Spätlese or Auslese |
| H |
A Noble Sweet, that is medium to full-bodied and layered in complex tropical fruits, honey, caramel, beautiful acidity and can be botrytised. |
An Auslese / BA / TBA or Eiswein |
Cuisine, Preparation & Wine Match
Appetizers & Sides
| |
Preparation |
Best Match / Other Options |
| Cheese |
Mild cheeses like young gouda, cheddar, mozzarella, ricotta, Colby, simple cheese dips…
|
A, B, C / D or E |
Aromatic cheese like brie, bleu, fontina, aged gouda, swiss, raclette, feta, provolone…
|
B, C / D or E |
Spicy cheese like, jack, cheddar, manchego, gruyere, asiago, appenzeller...
|
B, C / F, G |
Strong cheese like, Roquefort, sharp cheddar, gorgonzola, goat cheese, tete be moine...
|
G or H / B |
| Salads |
Starter salads, simple with veggies and mild dressings... |
A, B |
| Starter salads, simple with fruits and mild dressings... |
B, D, F |
| Entrée salads with (chicken, fish, shellfish, etc…) |
B, D |
| Entrée salads with (beef, lamb, etc…) |
E |
| Soups |
Clear and mild based soups with simple stock (chicken, veal, vegetable...)
|
B / C |
Cold, mild soups (gazpacho, tomato, cucumber…)
|
B / A |
Creamy, light, refined with soft texture and balanced structure (cream of…)
|
F / B |
Clear and spicy soups with texture and a touch of heat (blackbean, gulasch, Asian…)
|
D / E, F |
Big, bold, rich, indulgent soups (lentil, stews, bouillabaisse, chowder…)
|
C, D, E |
Seafood
| |
Preparation |
Best Match / Other Options |
| Shellfish |
BBQ, baked or pan broiled with light creamy sauces, vinaigrettes, or stand alone |
B / A, C, D, E |
| BBQ, baked or pan broiled basted in olive oil and spices (hot spices with F or G) |
C, D, E / F, G |
| Fish |
Poached, steamed, broiled or smoked white fish with butter, lemon or vinaigrette |
B / C, D, E |
| Poached, steamed, broiled or smoked oily fish (salmon, tuna, trout) with olive oil & herbs |
E, D |
| Marinated and prepared sweet / sour, or spicy with tomato, dill, cheese, cream sauce, etc… |
D, E or F |
Meat & Poultry
| |
Preparation |
Best Match / Other Options |
|
Poultry |
Roasted, pan broiled, braised, BBQ, baked or cold with no sauce
|
B / C, D, E |
Roasted, pan broiled, braised, BBQ, baked or cold with butter or vinaigrette sauce
|
D, E / B |
Roasted, pan broiled, braised, BBQ, baked or cold with bold spices.
|
D, E, F / G |
| Lamb |
Roasted, BBQ, braised, broiled with various sauces, spice, fruit, onion, etc…
|
E, D |
| Pork |
Roasted, BBQ, braised, broiled with various sauces, spices, herbs, onion, etc…
|
E, D / F, G |
| Beef |
Roasted, BBQ, braised, broiled with various sauces, spices, herbs, onion, etc…
|
E |
| Cured Meats |
Mild Sausage (B / F), Strong smoked ham & sausage (E - Pinot)
|
See to the left |
| Game |
Roasted, BBQ, braised, broiled with various sauces, spice, herbs, onion, etc…
|
E |
| Rich |
Silky pate & foie gras
|
H / G, F |
Pasta & Rice
| |
Preparation |
Best Match / Other Options |
|
Pasta & Rice |
Based with mild cheese, light meats, herbs, veggies...
|
B, C / D, E, A |
Based with intense, robust cheeses, heavy sauce, veal, eggplant, etc...
|
D, E / B, C |
Based with sweet / sour ingredients (ham / pineapple), fruits, or spice & heat, etc…
|
F / G |
Desserts
| |
Preparation |
Best Match / Other Options |
|
Desserts |
Chocolate based cakes, pastries & desserts |
Coffee drinks |
| Cakes, pastries and desserts based with fruit (tarts, strudel, pie, cobbler…) |
G |
| Rich indulgent desserts like cream brulée, cheesecake, nut based, etc… |
H |
| An aged Ice Wine or TBA can serve as a stand-alone dessert and is often best that way! |
H |
|