There’s a lot of stuffy tradition associated with wine and what food to match it with. It stems from the 18th and early 20th century dominance of France and the rest of Europe in winemaking, and the stuffiness of the English.
Plus, before food and wine traditions developed in Europe, roads and the car opened up what were often isolated regions. This meant that the food and wine regions were very localised and both developed to complement each other.
In those days, Burgundy – mainly Pinot Noirs – evolved to match with the food of Burgundy. It was the same for all regions across Europe. And Claret – what the English called Bordeaux wines, which are, in fact, cabernet sauvignons – went well with meat or strong blue or cheddar cheese.
Sydney restaurant and wine bar Fix St James’ Stuart Knox says, “The biggest misnomer is the red-wine-with-cheese thing. Generally, tannins clash with the moulds or the cheese, especially the soft ones.” Instead, try medium-bodied reds, such as pinot noir or fuller bodied whites. Viognier is excellent with washed-rind cheeses.
Sommelier Lok Thornton agrees: “The washed-rind and camembert cheese we eat now are terrible with red wine,” he says. Instead, a washed-rind cheese is better with a medium-bodied riesling. Or goat’s cheese will match well with wines from the France’s Loire Valley, such as Sancerre, which is made with the sauvignon blanc grape.
Scott Wasley of importer The Spanish Acquisition says that Spanish wines are an ideal match to tapas: “One of the things that is particularly good about Spanish wines is that they are good all-rounders.” They’re unsurprisingly brilliant to match with tapas-style nibbles, which comprise mainly cured meats, fried and oily food, chilli and fish, meaning the wine has to go with multiple dishes. “They are delicious, gentle and don’t fill the mouth,” says Wasley. “They are not challenged by lime juice of deep-fried fat.”
Matt Paul, of Italian wine importer Trembath & Taylor, says that despite Italian food and wine being highly regionalised, many match a range of foods because of the lighter, fresher style (such as pinot grigio or soave) that “help the palate along”. “Italian wines race up to the dish and stop at the right moment without crashing into it,” Paul says.
One thing to watch out for is the matching of sparkling wines to food, with the rules which apply to champagne not necessarily working with other sparkling styles. Spanish Cava, Italian (or Australian-made) Prosecco and Italian Sparkling whites come in a variety of different styles.
For instance, Paul says that, generally, Prosecco is softer and rounder than champagne. That means, unlike champagne, it’s not the best match with the saltiness of oysters. But Prosecco is excellent with terrines, seafood risotto or pasta, according to Paul.
Finally, there is dessert. Knox says that most desserts aren’t anything near as sweet as the Botrytis wines (sweetened by mould on the grapes) that are served with them: “Botrytis wines are lovely, but you want a full, rich dessert to match with them.”
Sadly, the days of sticky toffee pudding in restaurants is over, with the desserts we eat out at restaurants and at home a lot less sweet. These go better with late-harvest sweet wines, which are much lighter than their mould-induced cousins.
Difficult and unusual food and drink matches
Artichokes
Artichokes contain a compound called cynarin that makes wine – or almost anything for that matter – taste sweet. Therefore, the ideal match is any wine with a lot of acid, such as a South Australian riesling.
Asparagus
Asparagus contains the molecule methionine (one of the chemicals that skunks spray) that makes many wines taste unpleasantly suphurous, especially Cabernet Sauvignons and Chardonnay. Light, fresh wine are best. Try a Riesling or Pinot Grigio.
Beetroot
Very little will match to beetroot, especially if it is the predominant ingredient of a dish. Try an old-vine Pinot Meunier.
Chilli, spicy food and curries
Beer, especially pale ales and lagers or water, are great matches for spicy food. The trouble with wine matching is that the powerful spices and chilli mask the flavours of many wines, or simply don’t work.
If you really want wine with curry, then sweeter wines work well, such as a Riesling. Gewürztraminer is a spicy wine and is sweet, making it a traditional match with spice. More recently, Viognier, which has low acid and what winemakers call texture, goes very well with spicy. Sauvignon Blanc is good and especially nice in any curry containing coconut milk. Avoid reds apart from cheap Pinot Noir or Gamay. Sometimes a sparking Shiraz works well with curry.
Chinese Food
Choose lighter and medium-bodied wines. Rieslings go well, but Pinot Grigio (or Gris) can be lost. Also try cheap Pinot Noirs, especially with Peking duck. For dishes with chilli, follow the curry rules.
Chocolate
The big myth is that chocolate goes with very sweet wines. In fact, it is excellent with dark stouts, champagne, Muscatel and red wines such as Barolo. With rich chocolate desserts, ice cold spirits such as whisky or Eau de Vie work well.
Duck
One of the great classic matches is duck and Pinot Noir.
Eggs
The problem with eggs is that a runny yolk of a poached or soft-yolk egg coats the palate. Plus, the egg has sulphur flavours that can make a wine taste off and metallic. Try crisp white wines such as Pinot Grigio (or Gris) or Pinot Blanc.
Eye fillet and venison
Try fuller bodied reds Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.
Foie Gras
A classic match is with a sweet Sauternes wine.
Goat’s cheese
Try with a Loire Valley wine with plenty of acid, such as a Sancerre.
Hummingbird cake
Try a Moscato to match with its sweetness.
Ice-cream
Try a dark, sweet sherry like Pedro Ximénez to cut through the cream and cold.
Jaffa cake
A low-alcohol chilled Moscato. Or a cup of tea.
Kim Chi
Fermented, crunchy and sour Kim Chi is a difficult match. Best drink with an ice-cold beer. Try Kirin. Or any Pilsner.
Lemon tart
Good French champagne. Or a Cap Classique.
Macarons
Or macaroons, depending on your political persuasion. Drink with a chilled Moscato.
Noodle soup (such as Pho)
The problem with Asian noodle soups is the herbs and spices that knock out most wines, especially the lemongrass, chilli and Vietnamese mint of a Pho. But it is a great match to New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Or simple have with a cold beer or Chinese tea.
Oysters
With their saltiness and fresh iodine flavours, oysters can be a difficult match. They are best with good French champagne, which does differ from Australian sparkling white in its acid, sugar and fruit levels. That’s not to say other sparkling wines don’t go with oysters. It’s just champagne is better. Also try Muscadet, Manzanilla sherry or a dark stout.
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Try chunks of the cheese with rich sparkling chardonnay in the Blanc-de-Blanc style.
Peppermint biscuits and Fernet-Branca
Crème de menthe and the extreme bitterness of Fernet-Branca are made for each other. Nose-to-tail chef Fergus Henderson reminds us with his hangover cure, the Dr Henderson, that is a 50/50 mix of the two.
Pumpkin soup
Amontillado, Oloroso or Palo Cortado sherry.
Quail
Or anything fowl, from chicken to pheasant or turkey. These are easy wine matches, going equally well with lighter and medium-bodied whites and reds. As with all matches, it really is about the cooking style and the spices used. Pinot Noir is a no-brainer.
Smoked and oily fish
Salmon and mackerel have a lot of oil, which makes wines high in acid best to cut through. Sometimes it’s the combination of smoked and oily that makes champagnes and sparkling whites such a good match to anything with smoked salmon. You could also try Australian Rieslings and any other white with a high level of acid.
Sushi
Fresh, light whites go well with sushi, such as Pinot Grigio. Or an Italian Soave.
Thai food
Big flavours, acid and sweetness and needed to deal with chilli, coconut milk and Thai herbs. It is one of the few foods that matches really well with New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs. or any sauv blanc for that matter.
Toffee pudding
Sticky toffee pudding is getting long in the tooth but is an old favourite. Try it with whisky packed in ice to cut through the rich sweetness.
Tuna
If the tuna is raw in sushi or sashimi, try a light crisp white. These whites will also go with cooked tuna dishes. Otherwise, look for a soft red. Pinot Noir is ideal but also look at Merlots and Gamays.
Umami
This is the savoury flavours of seaweed, olives, salami and tomato. Think pizza toppings. And they can knock out many wines. But they work well with chilled dry sherries such as Amontillado, Manzanilla and Oloroso.
Vinegar and vinaigrettes
Vinegar is always a problem as it is wine that has been oxidised and will make wine taste off. Instead, try a beer, sparkling wine or cider.
Wasabi
With its nose-snorting heat, try beer or saki.
Ximénez
as in Pedro Ximénez
This grape makes dark, very sweet sherry-style wines. Some come from Spain but many now come from Australia too. Avoid cheese but make friends with rich, sweet old-school puddings.
Yabbies
It’s all about the sauce. If it’s a garlicky aioli try a Marsanne. If it’s mayonnaise, try with an un-oaked chardonnay.
Zuppa Inglese
That’s Italian for custard. Try a fortified dessert wine such as Marsala. Or a cream sherry.
Also published on Medium.