Food & Wine
Principles of food and wine pairing
McWilliam’s wine educator, Michael Quirk, gives Over60 a rundown on what wine varieties work well with certain foods. Michael explains that “the generally accepted rule of ‘like with like’ can assist”. For instance, sweet wine with sweet food, acidic wines with sour foods and red wine with red meat.
When planning your next meal here’s your cheat-sheet for pairing a matching wine:
Michael says, “These work beautifully together”…
- Champagne/premium sparkling is perfect with anything salty like fresh oysters
- Rosé champagne is great with dinner (think salmon), not just hors d'oeuvres.
- Sauvignon blanc goes with tart dressings and sauces and especially asparagus.
- Albariño/verdelho is perfect when a dish has lots of fresh herbs. For instance, fish and crustaceans
- Pinot grigio/gris pairs with light fish dishes and dried meats like parma ham and melon
- Chardonnay goes well with fatty fish (like salmon or tuna) or fish in a rich sauce.
- Riesling or semillon pairs great with sushi or sashimi
- Off-dry riesling pairs with sweet and spicy dishes like Asian cuisine – Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese
- Moscato loves fresh tropical fruit, pavolas and fruit-based desserts
- Botrytis semillon/riesling is amazing with foie gras, pâté and terrines
- Dry rosé works well with rich, cheesy dishes and spicy Mexican style. For example tacos or Vietnamese rolls
- Pinot noir/Nebbiolo is great for dishes with earthy flavours
- Old world wines (many European ones) and old world dishes are intrinsically good together.
- Tempranillo/grenache won't be overshadowed by sweet and spicy barbecue sauces
- Merlot for pâtés, mousses and terrines. Merlot also goes well with pizza!
- Cabernet sauvignon is fabulous with juicy red meat especially game
- Syrah/shiraz matches with highly spiced dishes
- Liqueur muscat perfect match is Christmas pudding
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