15 Rules for Great Wine and Food PairingsBY RAY ISLE

F&W’s Ray Isle created pairing principles for the world’s most important

wines, then the F&W Test Kitchen came up with stellar recipes to match.

The result: the most comprehensive pairing guide we’ve ever created.1 OF 21

Crispy Udon Noodles with Nori Salt

Scallops with Grapefruit-Onion Salad

Zucchini Linguine with Herbs

Seafood Tostada Bites

Sizzling Shrimp Scampi

Thai Green Salad with Duck Cracklings

Honeyed Fig Crostatas

Beet Risotto

Triple-Decker Baked Italian Cheese Sandwiches

Leek-and-Pecorino Pizzas

Pappardelle with Veal Ragù

Chicken Drumsticks with Asian Barbecue Sauce

Creamy Chicken-Liver Mousse

Lamb Chops with Frizzled Herbs

Cumin-Spiced Burgers with Harissa Mayo

Asian-Spiced Pork

Sour-Orange Yucatán Chickens

Crisp Salmon with Avocado Salad

Shiitake-and-Scallion Lo Mein

Smoky Shrimp-and-Chorizo Soup

Korean Sizzling Beef

Slideshow: 15 Pairing Rules & Recipes

15 Perfect Pairings, from White Wines, to Rosés, to Reds:

White Wines

Champagne

is perfect with anything salty

Most dry sparkling wines, such as brut Champagne and Spanish cava, actually have a

faint touch of sweetness. That makes them extra-refreshing when served with salty

foods.

Crispy Udon Noodles with Nori Salt

   Champagne Pairings

Sauvignon Blanc

goes with tart dressings and sauces

Tangy foods won’t overwhelm zippy wines like Sauvignon Blanc, Vinho Verde from

Portugal and Verdejo from Spain.

Scallops with Grapefruit-Onion Salad (photo)

Sour Orange Yucatán Chickens

   Sauvignon Blanc Pairings

Grüner Veltliner

when a dish has lots of fresh herbs

Austrian Grüner Veltliner’s citrus-and-clover scent is lovely when there are lots of

fresh herbs in a dish. Other go-to grapes in a similar style include Albariño from Spain

and Vermentino from Italy.

Zucchini Linguine with Herbs

   Grüner Veltliner Pairings

Pinot Grigio

Pairs with light fish dishes

Light seafood dishes seem to take on more flavor when matched with equally delicate

white wines, such as Pinot Grigio or Arneis from Italy or Chablis from France.

Seafood Tostada Bites

   Pinot Grigio Pairings

Chardonnay

For fatty fish or fish in a rich sauce

Silky whites—for instance, Chardonnays from California, Chile or Australia—are

delicious with fish like salmon or any kind of seafood in a lush sauce.

Sizzling Shrimp Scampi (photo)

Crisp Salmon with Avocado Salad

   Chardonnay Pairings

Off-Dry Riesling

Pairs with sweet & spicy dishes

The slight sweetness of many Rieslings, Gewürztraminers and Vouvrays helps tame the

heat of spicy Asian and Indian dishes.

Thai Green Salad with Duck Cracklings

   Off-Dry Riesling Pairings

Moscato d’Asti

loves fruit desserts

Moderately sweet sparkling wines such as Moscato d’Asti, demi-secChampagne and

Asti Spumante help emphasize the fruit in the dessert, rather than the sugar.

Honeyed Fig Crostatas

   Moscato d’Asti Pairings

Rosé Wines

Rosé Champagne

is great with dinner, not just hors d’oeuvres

Rosé sparkling wines, such as rosé Champagne, cava and sparkling wine from

California, have the depth of flavor and richness to go with a wide range of main

courses.

Beet Risotto

   Rosé Champagne Pairings

Dry Rosé

For rich, cheesy dishes

Some cheeses go better with white wine, some with red; yet almost all pair well with

dry rosé, which has the acidity of white wine and the fruit character of red.

Triple-Decker Baked Italian Cheese Sandwiches

   Dry Rosé Pairings

Red Wines

Pinot Noir

is great for dishes with earthy flavors

Recipes made with ingredients like mushrooms and truffles taste great with reds like

Pinot Noir and Dolcetto, which are light-bodied but full of savory depth.

Leek-and-Pecorino Pizzas (photo)

Shiitake-and-Scallion Lo Mein

   Pinot Noir Pairings

Old World Wines

and Old World dishes are intrinsically good together

The flavors of foods and wines that have grown up together over the centuries—Tuscan

recipes and Tuscan wines, for instance—are almost always a natural fit.

Pappardelle with Veal Ragù (photo)

Smoky Shrimp-and-Chorizo Soup

   Old World Wine Pairings

Malbec

won’t be overshadowed by sweet-spicy barbecue sauces

Malbec, Shiraz and Côtes-du-Rhône are big and bold enough to drink with foods

brushed with heavily spiced barbecue sauces.

Chicken Drumsticks with Asian Barbecue Sauce

   Malbec Pairings

Zinfandel

For pâtés, mousses and terrines

If you can use the same adjectives to describe a wine and a dish, the pairing will often

work. For instance, the words rustic and richdescribe Zinfandel, Italy’s Nero d’Avola

and Spain’s Monastrell as well as chicken-liver mousse.

Creamy Chicken-Liver Mousse

Cabernet Sauvignon

is fabulous with juicy red meat

California Cabernet, Bordeaux and Bordeaux-style blends are terrific with steaks or

chops: Their firm tannins refresh the palate after each bite of meat.

Lamb Chops with Frizzled Herbs (photo)

Korean Sizzling Beef

   Cabernet Sauvignon Pairings

Syrah

Matches with highly spiced dishes

When a meat is heavily seasoned, look for a red wine with lots of spicy notes. Syrah

from Washington, Cabernet Franc from France and Xinomavro from Greece are all

good choices.

Cumin-Spiced Burgers with Harissa Mayo (photo)

Asian-Spiced Pork

   Syrah Pairings

References:

15 Rules for Great Wine and Food Pairings

BY RAY ISLE

http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/15-rules-for-great-wine-and-food-pairings

Retrieved on 10/13/13