Wine and food
pairing
Bring each wine to the right temperature before you start. Put white and rosé in the refrigerator for half an hour, until they reach 8 to 10 degrees; a full-bodied white can be served at 10 to 12. Put red wine somewhere cool for fifteen minutes instead, so it is at 16 to 18 degrees rather than room temperature. Red wine that is too warm mainly smells of alcohol, overpowering every dish.
Set out the glasses before the plates arrive. If two wines are being served, there should be two glasses per guest: the smaller glass for white and the more spacious one for red. That’s not just proper, it’s mainly practical. You don’t have to rinse anything in between, and you can taste the two wines side by side with the same dish.
Pour until the glass is about one-third full. This leaves room to swirl the wine, and with a pairing you want the aroma too, because a large part of what you taste comes in through your nose. It’s better to pour a little twice than fill the glass to the rim once; that way, the wine also stays at the right temperature.
Taste in this order: first a sip of wine, then a bite, then another sip. The second sip is the honest one, because only then do you notice whether the dish flattens the wine or the other way around. If it doesn’t work, look first at the weight and then at the acidity; that’s where things most often go wrong in practice.
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The story
A pairing either works or it does not, and this can largely be reduced to a few forces that cancel each other out or reinforce each other. The acidity in wine cuts through fat and matches the acidity in the dish, so a vinegar dressing does not flatten a fresh wine. Sweetness softens heat, so a wine with a touch of residual sugar helps with a dish containing chili. Tannin binds to fat and protein, making a full-bodied red wine taste softer alongside a piece of meat. Tannin does not bind to salt or fish, leaving a metallic, bitter taste.
The right glass
This page features not one but several glasses on the table, and that is precisely the point. White wine calls for a smaller bowl to keep it cool, red wine needs room for swirling, and bubbles need a tall glass that keeps the fizz in. Choice 01 is the set of eighteen containing all three shapes, six of each, with 30 cl for white, 40 cl for red and a 23 cl flute. Choice 02 applies the same idea on a smaller scale: six glasses in the same three shapes. A separate glass for each grape variety is unnecessary; three shapes cover almost everything. Individual sizes can be found under wine glasses.
Arcoroc Vina Juliette Wine Glass Set 18-Piece (White, Red & Champagne)
Zwiesel Glas Pure Wine Glass Set 6-Piece (White, Red & Champagne)
Both sets together € 148,90.
The right tools
For an evening with wine and food, besides the glass, you mainly need a corkscrew and, if several bottles are opened, a wine stopper for each bottle. If you want to let a young red wine breathe before the food arrives, a decanter helps. The bar tools below only come into play when an aperitif is added: a bar spoon for stirring and a jigger for measuring. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Stirs a jug of sangria or a spritz without creating foam
Glassware set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 98,85.
Which wine goes with this?
A pairing starts with the style, not the brand. These are the types you can choose from, from a glass of prosecco with pre-dinner snacks to a moscato with dessert. On each drink page, you'll find the alcohol percentage, how it tastes, which cocktails it works with and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
The classics are classics because they rely on those same principles. Oysters with a sharp white wine work because the acidity cuts through the saltiness and creaminess. A full-bodied red wine with lamb works because the tannins bind to the fat, making them taste softer. A sweet wine with blue cheese works because sweet and salty balance each other instead of fighting. Sparkling wine with fried snacks works because carbonation and acidity cut through the fat together. And a sweet wine with apple pie only works as long as the wine is at least as sweet as the pastry. Want to read more? View all drinks and brands.
Serving tip
Bring the wines to the right temperature before the first courses arrive and pour one-third of a glass, so you can top up during the meal without anything becoming lukewarm. If you're unsure about a dish, choose a wine from the same region: local food and local wine almost always work, because they have evolved alongside each other. An Italian pasta with tomato calls for an Italian red wine with acidity, a Spanish platter with ham for a Spanish wine, and that way you can work it out even without a pairing list.
Good to know
Pair by weight, not by color
The rule of white with fish and red with meat is often accidentally correct, because fish is usually lighter than meat. What really matters is weight: a light wine with a light dish, a full-bodied wine with a full-bodied dish. Grilled tuna is heavier than poached chicken, so a light red wine may work better with that tuna than a white. Also consider the preparation, because steamed, baked, and grilled versions of the same ingredient have three different weights.
Acidity against acidity and fat
Acidity is the strongest tool you have. Acidity in the wine cuts through fat and cleanses your mouth, keeping a creamy or fried dish from becoming cloying. Acidity in the dish also calls for at least as much acidity in the wine: put a soft, round wine next to a dish with lemon or vinegar, and the wine suddenly tastes flat and bland. At least equally acidic is the rule of thumb.
Sweetness against spice
Spicy food is not a taste but a sensation, and alcohol intensifies that sensation. With a dish containing chili or ginger, a wine with a touch of residual sugar and low alcohol therefore works better than a dry, full-bodied wine. The sweetness dampens the burning sensation and gives the spices themselves room again. A high level of tannin does exactly the opposite and makes it sharper.
Tannin against fat and protein, not salt or fish
Tannin is the astringent substance from the skin and seeds, and it binds to fat and protein. That is why a full-bodied red wine becomes softer alongside a piece of meat or a hard cheese: the tannin has something to hold on to. Alongside a salty dish, the opposite happens and the wine becomes more astringent, while with fish, tannin combined with fish oil can give a metallic aftertaste. A full-bodied red wine with salmon is therefore a gamble, and with anchovies it is almost always a mistake.
The dessert should never be sweeter than the wine
Sweetness in the dish draws the sweetness out of the wine. Put a semi-sweet wine next to a tart or mousse, and the wine suddenly tastes sour and thin. The rule is simple: the wine must be at least as sweet as the dessert, and preferably a little sweeter. That is why true dessert wines work with pastries, while a dry sparkling wine does not, no matter how festive it looks.
What is really difficult: artichoke, asparagus, vinegar, egg, and chocolate
Artichoke contains a compound that makes everything that follows taste sweeter, causing a dry wine to seem watery. Asparagus has a grassy, slightly sulfurous note that makes many wines taste metallic. Vinegar in a dressing is often sharper than the acidity in any wine, making the wine disappear beneath it. Eggs leave a fatty film on your tongue that masks the wine's flavor. And chocolate is sweet, bitter, and fatty at the same time, a combination that almost every dry wine struggles with. If it works at all, it is usually with a very sweet or fortified wine, or by adjusting the dish instead of the wine.
Frequently asked questions
Does white wine go with fish and red wine with meat?
Not necessarily. That rule is often accidentally true, because fish is usually lighter than meat. What really matters is weight: light with light and full-bodied with full-bodied. A light red wine can work perfectly well with grilled tuna or a hearty fish stew, and with poached chicken, a full-bodied white wine is often better than red.
Which dishes are difficult to pair with wine?
Artichoke, asparagus, a dressing with lots of vinegar, eggs, and chocolate. Artichoke makes everything that follows taste sweeter, asparagus makes many wines taste metallic, vinegar is sharper than the acidity in the wine, eggs mask the flavor, and chocolate is sweet, bitter, and fatty all at once. If it works at all, it is usually with a very sweet or fortified wine.
Which wine should you choose with a spicy dish?
A wine with some residual sugar and not too much alcohol. Heat is a sensation, not a flavor, and alcohol intensifies that sensation while sweetness softens it. A dry, robust red wine with lots of tannin makes a spicy dish taste even sharper. Serve the wine well chilled, because cold softens it too.
Which wine goes with dessert?
A wine that is at least as sweet as the dessert itself, and preferably a little sweeter. If the wine is less sweet, it tastes sour and thin alongside the dish. That is why dessert wines work with pastries, while a dry sparkling wine does not, even if it looks festive on the table.
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