A Guide For Your Next Glass
Wine loves company, that much we know. But the company it keeps can make the difference between a sip that sings and one that falls flat, a mouthful that feels like velvet on your palate or one that turns sour before you’ve even swallowed. Food has both the power to elevate wine or to strip it of its charms. So, here’s a walk through twenty foods—ten allies, ten enemies—that can either coax out a bottle’s best qualities or sabotage them completely.
1. Cheese
There’s a reason this classic has survived countless centuries of wine pairings. Hard cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano or aged Gouda enhance a Cabernet, making it feel more focused. Soft cheeses like Brie or Camembert blend seamlessly into a Chardonnay’s buttery notes. Oddly enough, sharp blue cheese and sweet wines like Sauternes and Port taste remarkably good together.
2. Steak
A grilled ribeye with Cabernet Sauvignon isn’t just a pairing—it’s red wine’s most dependable partner. The tannins cut through fat, and the meat’s richness softens the wine’s edge. Experts pretend there are complicated rules here, but really, it’s as simple as char plus fat plus red equals delicious.
3. Oysters
Enjoy a glass of Muscadet or Champagne with your oysters, and suddenly the sea and the vineyard are holding hands. The bubbles in the Champagne dilute the salt, then somehow enhance the briny undertones, making the oysters come alive again.
4. Pizza
This may seem surprising at first, but it starts to make sense when you think about it. What does a pizza consist of? Tomato sauce, fat, herbs, and melted cheese. A simple Chianti turns the fast-food indulgence into a sophisticated weeknight feast.
5. Roast Chicken
Roast chicken doesn’t declare its own importance, but open a white Burgundy, or even a light Pinot Noir, and suddenly you’ve got something lavish on your plate. With its crisp skin and lemony pan juices, the wine adds a level of refined balance to this Sunday comfort meal.
6. Dark Chocolate
This one can backfire depending on the chocolate. A deep, bittersweet chocolate alongside a fruity Zinfandel or Syrah comes together to produce a very velvety mouthfeel. It works because bitterness is softened when it encounters the grape. Milk chocolate, though? That’s just candy duking it out with wine.
7. Mushrooms
When earth meets earth, it’s no surprise that there’s harmony. A Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo, or even an aged Rioja all pair beautifully with the savory, damp-forest quality of mushrooms. A porcini risotto with Barolo makes you feel like you’ve stumbled into an Italian grandmother’s kitchen.
8. Prosciutto
This meat is salted, thin, and seems to melt on the tongue. Prosciutto with Prosecco is about texture as much as taste. The bubbles swirl, dancing across your tongue, subtly enhancing the salt of the meat. Pair prosciutto with melon and you’ll feel like you’re eating the essence of summer.
9. Lamb
Although lamb is less obvious than beef, it’s also in many ways better. Lamb’s gaminess has this strange affinity for Syrah, Grenache, or even Tempranillo. Think lamb rack with rosemary, and suddenly the wine’s herbal notes perk up, like someone straightening their tie.
10. Spaghetti Bolognese
Most comfort foods are a little blasé, but Bolognese uplifts this category of dining. A rustic Chianti or Montepulciano takes the tomatoes and the slow-simmered meat, making it taste fuller than it really is. It’s the kind of meal where you’re sad it’s over, scrape the plate with bread, and pour yourself one more glass.
And now, the villains of wine pairings that make you pucker and look around wildly for the spit bucket.
1. Asparagus
Asparagus is notoriously bad with wine, which is a shame since it pairs so well with red meat. It makes red wines taste metallic and whites oddly vegetal, like someone dropped a penny into your glass. Even the experts struggle to explain this one. Unless you drown it in butter and opt for a Sauvignon Blanc, skip the pairing.
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2. Artichokes
They may make a delicious dip, but they’re downright hostile against your glass of wine. Artichokes contain a compound called cynarin, which messes with your taste buds and makes wine seem bizarrely sweet. The first time it happens, you think the bottle’s gone off.
3. Blueberries
This one surprises people. Fresh blueberries have the potential to make many wines taste dull and sour. Fruit fights fruit and leaves your taste buds confused. When they’re baked into a tart, it’s a passable pairing, but by themselves they put all the brightness out of a Pinot and leave tasting flat.
4. Spicy Curries
Take a bold Shiraz to a vindaloo, and you’ll regret it halfway through the first bite. The spice exaggerates the alcohol until it burns your palate with an unpleasant spiciness. Lighter, off-dry whites sometimes work, but red wine and curry only set off fiery sparks.
5. Vinegar-Based Salads
That balsamic glaze everyone loves overwhelms the subtleties of wine, turning complex notes into plain old sourness. The sad reality is that salad and wine just don’t get along unless you add goat cheese, nuts, or something fatty—defeating the purpose of salad in the first place.
6. Soy Sauce
The salt in soy sauce is relentless and transforms a Merlot into bitter gall. Unsurprisingly, sake handles it fine, but grape wine does not belong next to your stir fry.
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7. Eggs
There’s a reason brunch mimosas lean on orange juice. Eggs coat the mouth in a way that makes most wines taste tinny. It doesn’t seem to matter if your eggs are scrambled, fried, or poached—a glass of wine with eggs ruins both.
8. Mint
That potent minty flavor overwhelms the delicate notes in wine. A lamb chop coated in mint jelly will reduce your Bordeaux to background noise. Think of it like brushing your teeth and then trying to drink orange juice. Unpleasant, right?
9. Blue Cheese—With The Wrong Wine
Yes, blue cheese is on both lists. With Sauternes or Port, it’s a transcendent pairing. With dry reds, it’s a disaster. The clash of salt and tannin makes your mouth pucker, and your face twitch from the unpleasantness.
10. Grapefruit
Grapefruit is an acquired taste as it is, and the acidity kills subtle whites and makes reds seem bitter. Try drinking Sauvignon Blanc after half a grapefruit, and you’ll immediately regret it. Citrus can be playful with certain wines, but grapefruit doesn’t play nice.
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