- Match the wine to the intensity of the dish: a light dish calls for a light wine, a rich dish for a wine that can stand up to it.
- For grilled beef, a structured red; for poultry and pork in sauce, a light red.
- With fish, the sauce decides: a crisp white for grilled fish, a fuller white for butter or cream sauces.
- With dessert, the wine should be at least as sweet as the dish.
Contents
- Food and wine pairing guide: balance of flavours comes first
- Choosing the wine style: red, white, rosé or sparkling
- Fat, sweetness, chilli: how each flavour changes the wine
- Meat, poultry and vegetarian dishes: which wine for each plate
- Fish, cheese and asparagus: the trickiest pairings to get right
- Regional pairings: when the dish and the wine share a terroir
- A summary table to find every pairing at a glance
- Frequently asked questions
The same dish can taste genuinely different depending on the wine you serve with it.
When it is time to sit down to eat, many of us hesitate between red, white and rosé, and end up guessing.
This article first sets out the principles behind the choice, then gives a pairing for each family of dishes.
Food and wine pairing guide: balance of flavours comes first
Start with intensity: a light dish calls for a light wine. A wine that is too powerful masks the food, and a wine that is too light disappears next to a rich dish.
Next, either echo an aroma from the dish or contrast it. A white with citrus notes goes well with lemony fish.
Look at the sauce and the spices too. For a barbecue, start with this pairing guide. For a spicy dish, our Lebanese food pairings will help.
When in doubt, a wine that is slightly too light is better than one that overwhelms the dish.
Choosing the wine style: red, white, rosé or sparkling
Red: tannins and structure
Grilled beef wants a tannic, structured red, served at 16 to 18 °C.
Pork in sauce and roast poultry go with a light red, served at 12 to 14 °C. For a pot-au-feu, see the wines that suit it.
White: freshness and roundness
With fish, the sauce decides. A dry, crisp white goes with grilled fish, oysters and shellfish.
A fuller white suits fish in butter or cream sauces. Serve it at 12 °C, the top of the range.
Rosé: the middle path
Rosé replaces an overly heavy red with light grilled food and Mediterranean dishes. Served chilled, at 8 to 10 °C, it holds up well through summer meals.
With fish grilled with garlic, a lean white fades against the oil: an Œil-de-Perdrix from Neuchâtel is the one to go for.
Sparkling: bubbles and freshness
For savoury nibbles and fried food alike, brut bubbles are the answer.
| Criterion | Savoury aperitif | Fried food |
|---|---|---|
| Bubbles | Brut | Brut |
| Example | Crémant de Loire or brut Champagne | Crémant de Loire or brut Champagne |
| Serving | 4 to 6 °C | 4 to 6 °C |
Fat, sweetness, chilli: how each flavour changes the wine
Salt and umami
Salt heightens the perception of tannins, and the umami of mushrooms or slow-cooked meats makes them taste bitter. With a salty, aged cheese, choose a supple, low-tannin red. It is a classic trap.
Acidity
A very acidic dish, such as a lemon vinaigrette, needs a wine with enough freshness not to taste flat. A wine already dominated by its acidity is a poor choice, and you notice it straight away.
Fat
For fatty meat, see our duck breast pairing:
- Fried food: acidity cuts through the fat.
- A butter sauce: acidity makes it feel lighter.
- A rich dish: a crisp wine restores the balance.
Sweetness
The wine must be at least as sweet as the dessert, otherwise it tastes sour and flat. With chocolate, a Banyuls or a Rasteau does the job beautifully.
Spice
With a hot curry, a Gewurztraminer or an off-dry Vouvray works well. Chilli accentuates alcohol and bitterness, so very tannic, high-alcohol reds are best avoided. An off-dry white remains the safe choice.
Meat, poultry and vegetarian dishes: which wine for each plate
Grilled and slow-cooked red meat
For grilled meat, pick a structured red such as a Cahors or a Haut-Médoc. Its tannins, that drying sensation in the mouth, work well with the charred flavours.
A long-simmered dish needs more body. Bring out a Madiran, a powerful red with a little age. Serving a light red with a daube would be a mistake.
Poultry and white meat
For roast chicken, choose a supple red such as a Chinon, or a fuller white such as a Saint-Véran.
With a cream sauce, white is the obvious choice: a full-bodied Chardonnay stands up to cream, whereas a light red gets lost. To go further, the simplest option is to read which wine to serve with roast chicken.
Vegetarian dishes and roasted vegetables
For a meat-free dish, start with the sauce and the cooking method. With sautéed mushrooms, try a Pinot Noir from Graubünden: its aromas echo the earthy notes. With tomato pasta, go for a Merlot from Ticino.
With an acidic preparation, a crisp wine is a must. Pinot Noir remains the safest bet with mushrooms.
Fish, cheese and asparagus: the trickiest pairings to get right
Fish and shellfish
Steamed or poached fish is the easiest to pair. It needs a fresh, acidic white that stays lively on the palate.
With fish in butter, change tack. A rounder white with more body holds up better against the sauce. Nothing complicated, but worth remembering.
Cheese
With cheese, the easiest approach is to start from the cheese family, because each family has its own wine:
- Comté: a Chardonnay from the Côtes du Jura.
- Hard cooked cheese: a Vin Jaune from the Jura.
- Roquefort or another blue cheese: a sweet wine, such as Sauternes or a Maury vin doux naturel.
Asparagus and Asian food
With asparagus, a crisp, unoaked white is a must, such as a Sancerre. Oak overwhelms their green flavour.
For curry, a Petite Arvine from Valais calms the chilli. For raw Japanese dishes, Mediterranean wines with sushi open up other options. For a meal that mixes both, Arvine remains the safest choice.
Regional pairings: when the dish and the wine share a terroir
The simplest approach is to start from the terroir. Tomato pasta goes well with a Chianti Classico or a Barbera d'Asti, and Comté pairs with a Chardonnay from the Côtes du Jura.
If that wine is not to hand, replace it by colour and power: a bright, light red for a red-sauce dish, a white of similar body for a pale dish.
For roast chicken, choose from creamy whites and light reds. A wine from the same terroir remains the safest choice.
A summary table to find every pairing at a glance
To find a pairing at a glance, read the dish across the top, then the recommended wine and its colour.
For foie gras, it is worth reviewing the pitfalls to avoid with this dish before choosing.
| Criterion | Grilled meat | Slow-cooked dish | Simply cooked fish | Fish in butter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recommended wine | Structured red | Full-bodied red | Crisp white | Full-bodied white |
| Colour | Red | Red | White | White |
| Intensity | High | Medium to high | Light | Medium |
A good pairing depends on the intensity of the dish, its sauce and its dominant flavours. The colour of the wine comes afterwards, as a simple guide.
At your next meal, start from the dish, identify its family, then choose the wine that matches it.
Frequently asked questions
Should you always choose red wine with meat?
No. With roast chicken, a fuller white such as Saint-Véran works very well. With pork in a creamy sauce, a Chardonnay from Valais is also a good match.
What matters is the sauce and the intensity of the dish, not the colour of the meat.
Can you serve red wine with fish?
Yes, a red can accompany grilled fish, as long as it is light, low in tannins and slightly chilled.
White remains more common, but red is not off limits. A red loaded with tannins, that drying sensation in the mouth, would overwhelm the delicate flesh of the fish.
Which wine goes with a very spicy dish?
For a very spicy dish, choose an aromatic off-dry white, such as a Gewurztraminer or an off-dry Vouvray. A lower-alcohol wine limits the burning sensation in the mouth, which matters a great deal with chilli.
Can Champagne work for the whole meal?
No. A brut Champagne suits savoury aperitifs and fried dishes, but not the whole meal.
For the rest, choose the wine according to the sauce, the intensity and the flavours of the dish. Champagne is therefore not a default choice.
