Food and Wine Pairing Tips for the Holidays

Are you wondering how to pair wine with your special holiday meal? Pairing wine with food intimidates some people so they don't even try. Instead, they tend to reach for their favorites whenever they have a meal. There's nothing wrong with this approach.

However they're really missing out. If you want to get the most out of the wines you enjoy, it is really worth your while to learn how to pair wine with food. Thankfully, it's easy to learn and will become second nature once you get the hang of it.

Food and Wine Pairing with Meat and Poultry

When pairing wine with meat, the goal is to balance the flavors. For example, lamb is slightly oily and has a strong flavor. A wine like pinot noir goes well with that meat because the wine is light and slightly acidic while the meat is heavy with a strong flavor. White wines like chardonnay pair well with chicken and turkey.

Steak and Shiraz compliment each other well especially if the steak was grilled or even seared. The smoky undertones of the Shiraz blend well with the meat. Merlot also pairs well with steak. Cabernet sauvignon goes well with pork and poultry because both meats are fairly light.

The wine is on the lighter side as well which compliments the meat in this case. As a side note, Guwurztraminer, Riesling, and Red Zinfandel pair well with Thanksgiving dinner because they're both spicy and go well with the flavorful sides of the meal.

Wine That Goes With Seafood

People think that seafood should be paired with white wine. If that's what you prefer, by all means drink the wine you like. However, red wine can work too. Red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon or even Pinot Noir seems to pair well with salmon and other types of fish that are oily.

Shellfish tends to pair with Chardonnay, especially those with buttery and oak notes. Sometimes the seasoning will dictate which wine goes best. If the seafood is grilled, Shiraz is a good choice. If it is rubbed with something that has a lot of sweet spices such as nutmeg, Riesling is a nice compliment.

Other Typical Pairings

There are a few other basic food and wine pairings to keep in mind. Chianti or the California equivalent (Sangiovese) is a typical and effective choice for pasta dishes. For pasta with cream sauce, pinot grigio or chardonnays are good choices. Vegetable dishes go well with lighter reds such as Cabarnet Sauvignon.

Desserts go well with port, sherry, or ice wine. Lighter desserts such as parfaits and fruit cups pair well with Riesling or German Gewurtztraminer (California Gewurtztraminer is a little brighter and sweeter).

This is an excellent guide to start you off with food and wine pairing and you'll impress your holiday guests. However, these aren't hard and fast rules - you also need to take into account personal preference.