Wine and Food Pairing Suggestions

One of the things my friends have the hardest time with is which wine to pair with which food.  As a general rule you don’t want either the food or the wine to overpower the other, or when combined bring out the best in each other.  Everyone is different, if you enjoy it don't worry about what anyone else says. That said what follows is how I generally choose a wine to pair a variety of foods. The wine in bold is my primary choice, the following are choices that work also work well. There are always exceptions, and a lot depends on seasonings and sauces but if you follow the suggestions below you should be pleased:

Beef
Filet Mignon/Tenderloin:  Petite Sirah, Right Bank (Merlot Dominant) Bordeaux Blend, Merlot
Grilled Steak: Cabernet Sauvignon, Left Bank (Cabernet dominant) Bordeaux Blend, Zinfandel
Non Grilled Beef: Merlot, Syrah/Shiraz, Right Bank (Merlot dominant) Bordeaux Blend.
Hamburgers: Syrah/Shiraz, Zinfandel, Merlot
Corned Beef: Cabernet Franc, Grenache, Beaujolais, Pinot Noir

Pork
BBQ Spare Ribs: Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Left Bank Bordeaux Blend
Pork Chops/Pork Tenderloin: Pinot Noir. Cabernet Franc, Merlot
Ham:  Pinot Noir, Reisling

Chicken/Turkey
BBQ: Malbec, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay
Grilled: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Dry Rose
Baked: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio
Thanksgiving Turkey: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay

Sea Food
Salmon: Dry Rose, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
Mild Flavored Fish: Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Chardonnay
Strong Flavored Fish: Sauvignon Blanc, most Italian whites other the Pinot Grigio
Crab: Dry Rose, Sparkling Wine, Chardonnay, Moscato
Lobster: Chardonnay, Sparkling Wine, Moscato, Pinot Grigio
Shrimp:  Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay
Oysters/Clams: Sparkling Wine, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio
Scallops: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Sparkling Wine

Pizza
Red Sauce/No Meat: Barbara, Nero d’ Avola, Pinot Noir
Red Sauce/Meat: Chianti, Montepulciano, Primitivo, Sangiovese
White Sauce: Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc
Anchovies: Primitivo, Sangiovese, Zinfandel
Hawaiian: Riesling, Moscato, Sparkling

Pasta
Marinara Sauce: Chianti, Sangovese, Montepulciano
Meat Sauce: Primitivo, Nero d’ Avola, Super Tuscan
White Sauce/Pesto: Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Riesling
Seafood: Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Vognier

Other
Thai Seafood/Pork/Chicken/Noodles: Gewurztraminer, Moscato, Riesling
Thai Beef: Pinot Noir, Riesling, Zinfandel
Chinese Seafood/Pork/Chicken/Noodles:  Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer
Chinese Beef:  Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir
Mexican: Zinfandel, Malbec, Tempranillo

Let me know if you have any thoughts or questions.


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