7 Great Food and Wine Pairing Ideas You Should Know

The element that sets wine apart from all other forms of alcohol is it’s relationship to food. When done right, the wine and food can elevate each other, re-inforcing or complimenting the already existing flavors on both sides. This is occasionally true for beer, but it doesn’t always compliment the food it is paired with, more often it just doesn’t overpower it.

Being made from a ready-to-eat food in the form of grapes, wine has so many dimensions to it. It is not a negative judgment on anyone if they do not know the specifics of the arrangements, it can sometimes be hard to tell without guidance. 

There is often an archaic, prohibitive approach to wine pairing where you ‘just shouldn’t’ pair certain wines with certain foods. Alongside this mindset, there is also a new openness to experimentation and breaking down these constructs whenever possible. As you can imagine, these philosophies clash regularly.

We will give a little bit of our own personal ideological guidance to suggest a few great wine pairing ideas in this piece. We will purposefully relay both traditional combinations and our own desire to create new flavor profiles that will delight your taste buds!

Balleto Vineyards Syrah

Syrah is one of the fullest-bodied wines available. When you think of pairing wine with food, you often think about heft the viscosity is. In the case of syrah, it certainly leans more towards the fuller side. 

This makes Syrah perfect as a wine food pairing to richer meat dishes. Things like a beef bourginon, chilli, barbecued meat, or tomato-based sauce would work best. Syrah is used commonly in france to accompany some of their classic tomato based dishes, such as ratatouille, bouillabaisse among the more popular ones.

When thinking about what food goes with red wine, we might not want to consider a Syrah. Syrah can really overpower certain lighter, more delicate flavors. Syrah would be an excellent wine food pairing with most deserts however.

Sonoma Cutrer Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

If you are looking for a more versitile wine then have a look at this beautiful bottle. If you are worried about your red wine overshadowing your meal then you simply need a lighter red. What food goes with red wine when the red wine is lighter? We have many answers for you!

Any pasta will really compliment this red. The oil or butter from the pasta dish will blend nicely with the flavor profile of this beauty. The peppery, fruity elements will cut through the starchy and fatty world of the pasta dish, making it a wonderful marriage!

Think about a traditional carbonara, a bruschetta, foir gras, or even chicken wings as a food and wine pairing with this pinot. It holds its own really nicely against spice as well.

Juggernaut Hillside Cabernet Sauvignon

The hills of California bear fruit to these magnificent, durable grapes that produce this beautiful bottle of wine. It has an incredible herbaceousness that makes it a super easy wine to pair with food. 

Think weekend gatherings. Think family lunches. Think outside in the light fall sun with some beautiful lamb wafting throught the air. This bottle of cabernet would pair so wonderfully with a lamb shoulder and roasted potatoes. Don’t forget the mint sauce!

Cabernet sauvignon is also on the heavier side, though it has a bright fruity side to it that is often underutilized.

Chandon Rose Sparkling Wine

If you’ve got a lovely little appetizer on the menu for your dinner then have a think about this as a pairing. This sparkling rose wine has notes of all your favorite fruits including watermelon, strawberry, and stone fruits. This makes it fantastic with an appetizer of some delicious soft cheese like burrata, or a caprese salad.

Why not consider a nice little piece of fish or ceviche with this wine pairing? The fruity elements certainly complement the fatty, oily fish that we know and love!

Delice Du Grand Enclos Graves Blanc

If you are looking for a versatile white wine that has a plethora of applications, then consider this beauty. With delicious floral and spiced oak moments, this bottle works really well paired up with a nice, unxuous entre. Think about chicken kiev, wild pigeon, or even a pork dish to boot!

The divine minerality will support any lovely citrus presence so the more lemon the merrier! Alongside lemon, lime would work really nicely if it were doused over some delicious tacos and served alongside this wine.

Domaine Passy Le Clou Chablis ler Cru Beauroy

Chablis is one of our favorites here at CWS. With a beautiful minerality and precise-tasting acidity, this bottle of white works incredibly well with so many seafood dishes. Raw and cooked alike, you can get the best out of this wine when paired with oysters, seared scallops, or even a lovely vegetable risotto!

An alternative use for this wine would be a spring/summertime picnic. The flavor profile will work really nicely with any dips, sandwiches, meats, and cheeses that your revellers might bring to the occasion.

Joel Gott Chardonnay

Our final selection of wine food pairing ideas is this beautiful chardonnay. With a superbly balanced profile of fruits on the palate, this chardonnay garners a lot of attention when paired with a lovely summer salad. Think grilled chicken, think fresh fruit, think grated parmesan with a beautiful vinaigrette dispersed throughout the crunchy, fresh-tasting meal.