Drinks Wine Wine Pairings 15 Rules for Great Food and Wine Pairing Wine pairing is personal, but this is our official guide to natural, timeless food and wine pairings. By Food & Wine Editors Food & Wine Editors This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 6, 2023 Close Photo: Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Some advice for pairing food and wine can be overly strict. The truth is, you can eat pretty much whatever you want while drinking whichever wine you choose. Are you pairing a green chile cheeseburger with a glass of crisp Chablis? Sounds great. Would it be recommended in most food-pairing guides? Not really, but go for it. Some pairings should generally be avoided, like tannic red wines alongside artichokes or raw asparagus, but those are few and far between. There are, however, a number of time-tested guidelines to help you go through life as an educated lover of wine pairing. It's basically a "you should know the rules before you break them" situation. Here are 15 tips for food and wine pairing. Commit them to memory, practice them — and then break the rules to your heart's desire. 01 of 15 Pinot Noir with earthy flavors Victor Protasio Recipes made with earthy ingredients like mushrooms and lentils taste great with reds like Pinot Noir and Dolcetto, which are light-bodied but full of savory depth. Pinot is also often delicious alongside salmon, proving that red wine and fish can go together brilliantly. Get the Recipe: Wild Mushrooms with Leek-Garlic Puree and Buckwheat Crêpe Crackers 02 of 15 Chardonnay with fatty fish or fish in a rich sauce Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Silky whites — like many Chardonnays from California, Chile, or Australia — are delicious with hearty fish like swordfish or any kind of seafood in a rich sauce. Get the Recipe: Tuna Tartare with Coconut and Jerk Peanuts 03 of 15 Champagne with anything salty Justin Walker Many dry sparkling wines, such as brut Champagne and Spanish cava, actually have a faint touch of fruity sweetness. This makes them extra-refreshing when served with salty foods. They also cut through the richness and oil of fried dishes: Bubbly and a bowl of potato chips is terrific. Get the Recipe: Four-Layer Caviar Dip 04 of 15 Cabrnet Sauvignon with juicy red meat Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen California Cabernet, Bordeaux, and Bordeaux-style blends are terrific with steaks and lamb dishes. The firm tannins in Cab cut through the fat and protein, which in turn smooth out the tannins. It's a perfect symbiotic relationship in each bite. Get the Recipe: Steak Diane 05 of 15 Sauvignon Blanc with tart dressings and sauces Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Tangy foods — like scallops with a grapefruit-onion salad — won't overwhelm zippy wines like Sauvignon Blanc, Vinho Verde from Portugal, and Verdejo from Spain. Sauvignon Blanc also works well alongside vinaigrette, roasted or sautéed fish, and goat cheese. Get the Recipe: Neoclassic Seafood Salad 06 of 15 Dry Rosé with rich, cheesy dishes Greg DuPree Some cheeses go better with white wine and some sing alongside red. Almost all, however, pair well with dry rosé, which has the acidity of white wine and the fruit character of red. Rosé also works well with grilled fish, fresh salad, and even a big plate of charcuterie. Get the Recipe: Cheesy Baked Pasta with Radicchio 07 of 15 Pinot Grigio with light fish dishes Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Light seafood dishes seem to take on more flavor when matched with equally delicate white wines, such as Pinot Grigio or Arneis from Italy, Chablis from France, and Vinho Verde from Portugal. Get the Recipe: Branzino with Mesclun and Tomato–Herbes de Provence Vinaigrette 08 of 15 Malbec with sweet-spicy barbecue sauces Victor Protasio Malbec, Shiraz, and Côtes-du-Rhône are bold enough to drink alongside foods brushed with heavily spiced barbecue sauces — just be careful that the sauce isn't too sugary-sweet, which can throw off the wine's fruit. Get the Recipe 09 of 15 Moscato d'Asti with fruit desserts Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Sweet sparkling wines such as Moscato d'Asti and demi-sec Champagne help emphasize the fruit in the dessert, rather than the sugar. Try it with these Honeyed Fig Crostatas. It's also delicious alongside a simple summer fruit salad or even splashed into it. Get the Recipe: Pear, Honey, and Parmigiano-Reggiano Tart 10 of 15 Syrah with highly spiced dishes Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver When a meat is heavily seasoned, look for a red wine with lots of spicy notes. Syrah from Washington or France's Rhône Valley, Cabernet Franc from the Loire, and Xinomavro from Greece are all good choices. Be careful with spice heat, however: For hot dishes like those, try to avoid high-alcohol wines, which will amplify the sizzle. Get the Recipe: Steak, Potatoes, and Tomatoes with Quick Chimichurri 11 of 15 Grüner Veltliner with fresh herbs and vegetables Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Austrian Grüner Veltliner's citrus-and-clover scent is lovely when there are lots of fresh herbs in a dish. Other go-to grapes include Albariño from Spain and Vermentino from Italy. Get the Recipe: Chile Crisp Shrimp Rolls with Cucumber Salad 12 of 15 Zinfandel with pâtés, mousses, and terrines Diana Chistruga If you can apply the same adjectives to a wine and a dish, pairing them will often work. For instance, the words "rustic," "savory," or "rich" are often used to describe Zinfandel, Italy's Nero d'Avola, and Spain's Monastrell, as well as a creamy liver mousse. Spice- and fruit-driven Zinfandel also has a natural affinity for barbecued or sauce-slathered meats. Get the Recipe: Chicken Liver Pâté 13 of 15 Off-dry Riesling with sweet and spicy dishes Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox The slight sweetness of many Rieslings, Gewürztraminers, and Vouvrays helps tame the heat of spicy dishes and goes toe-to-toe with the lift of more aromatic ingredients. A spicy green salad is a delicious partner for any of those wines. Get the Recipe: Green Curry Deviled Eggs 14 of 15 Rosé Champagne with dinner, not just hors d'oeuvres © Con Poulos Rosé sparkling wines, such as rosé Champagne, Prosecco rosé, and pink sparkling wine from California, have the depth of flavor, richness, and mouthwatering acidity to go with a wide range of main courses. Grilled tuna, lamb chops, salads, and risotto are all phenomenal with it. Get the Recipe: Mustard-Roasted Pork Loin with Squash Polenta 15 of 15 Old World wines with Old World dishes Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell The flavors of foods and wines that have developed together over the centuries — Tuscan recipes and Tuscan wines, for instance — are almost always a natural fit; it's an offshoot of the old wine-pairing advice that if it grows together, it goes together. The classic Italian dish Chicken Cacciatore, traditionally prepared in the woods over a fire, pairs well with an herbal, medium-bodied Chianti, as it has for generations. Get the Recipe: Chicken Cacciatore Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit