A guide to pairing meat and wine.  Don’t get confused on what wine to pair with what food. Use our handy guide below.

Pairing Meat and Wine Choosing The Perfect Type of Wine to Go With Your Dishes

You’re having a dinner party. Or…you get asked to a dinner party, and want to take the hostess a bottle of wine. But you are in a quandary- what wine do you serve? What wine do you take? How do you serve it? What wine to service with beef? What wine to serve with chicken?

Most people serve white wines too cold and red wines too warm. Ursula Hermacinski, the former Christie’s wine auctioneer, offers this advice when it comes to knowing what temperature at which to serve a wine: “Twenty minutes before dinner, take the white wine out of the fridge, and put the red wine in. White wines too warm will taste too much like alcohol, while white wines too cold will be refreshing but nearly tasteless. As for reds, keep them too warm and they will taste alcoholic and even vinegary. Too cold and they will have an overly tannic bite and much less flavor”.

 

Here are some suggestions for pairing food with wine. Feel free to experiment and mix things up. Let us know if you have a particular favorite! Enjoy!

What wine to pair with:

BEEF  – Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet, Zinfandel, Shiraz
PORK  – Pinot Noir, Chardonnay
CHICKEN – Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Dry Riesling, Pinot Grigio
FISH –  Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Dry Riesling
SHRIMP, LOBSTER, CRAB – Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer
HAM – Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Dry Riesling
VEAL – Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Dry Riesling
LAMB – Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
GOOSE OR DUCK – Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer
OYSTERS AND CLAMS – Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc
SEAFOOD WITH CREAM SAUCE – Chardonnay
THANKSGIVING ROASTED TURKEY – Sparkling Wine, Riesling, Chardonnay, Rose, Red Zin
PASTA WITH RED SAUCE – Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet, Zinfandel
PASTA WITH CREAM SAUCE – Sauvignon Blanc
QUICHE – Sauvignon Blanc, Champagne
CHEESE APPETIZERS – Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet, Zinfandel, Port, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio
MIXED APPETIZERS – Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio

What Wine to Pair With Beef Stroganoff

• Red Burgundy – The earthy and fruity notes of Pinot Noir work well with the mushrooms and the creamy sauce in Beef Stroganoff. Its acidity can cut through the richness of the dish.
• Merlot  – A soft and fruity Merlot can be a great match for Beef Stroganoff, especially if you’re looking for a red wine that’s not too heavy.
• Chardonnay – If you prefer white wine, a full-bodied Chardonnay can work nicely with the creamy sauce. Look for one with balanced acidity to complement the richness.
• Chianti  – The acidity and red fruit flavors of Chianti can pair well with Beef Stroganoff, particularly if it has a tomato-based sauce or a touch of tomato paste.

What Wine to Pair with Brisket

• Red Zinfandel – The fruitiness and spiciness of a good Zinfandel can complement the smoky and savory flavors of brisket, particularly if it’s prepared with a barbecue-style sauce.
• Malbec – A Malbec with its ripe dark fruit flavors and a touch of smokiness can pair nicely with brisket.
• Cabernet Sauvignon – The full-bodied, tannic structure of Cabernet Sauvignon can work well with brisket, especially if the brisket is prepared with a rich, savory sauce.
• Merlot – Merlot offers a softer and fruitier option that pairs well with brisket, especially if it’s not heavily seasoned or smoked.
• Pinot Noir – For a lighter and more delicate choice, a Pinot Noir can work if the brisket has a milder preparation. It’s especially suitable if the dish has a tomato-based sauce.

Best Wine to Pair With Pork Tenderloin

We love pork tenderloin and one of our favorite pork meals to serve.

• Zinfandel – The fruity and spicy character of Zinfandel pairs well with pork tenderloin, especially if it’s prepared with barbecue-style sauces or spices.
• Syrah/Shiraz – A Syrah or Shiraz offers bold, dark fruit notes and can pair nicely with pork tenderloin prepared with robust, savory flavors.
• Chianti – The acidity and red fruit notes of Chianti make it a classic choice, especially if the pork tenderloin has a tomato-based sauce.
• Red Bordeaux – Bordeaux blends, with their structure and elegance, are a fine choice for pork tenderloin dishes with rich, savory components.

WINE TIPS:

Champagne and other sparkling wines should start out totally chilled. Put them in the refrigerator for about an hour and half before serving. For more high-end champagnes, however, you should let the bottle then warm up a bit- it brings out the hidden flavors better. Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, white Zinfandel, and other white wines should be chilled in the refrigerator for about an hour and a half before serving. Put chardonnay in the refrigerator for an hour and half before serving, but remove about 20 minutes early to bring out the flavor. Almost all red wines can be put in the refrigerator, but only for about 20 minutes before serving.

COOKING WITH WINE:

What if a recipe calls for cooking with wine? What type of wine do you use? Well, if a recipe calls for a specific wine, try to use that wine. If they don’t specify, then use a merlot or a pinot noir for light dishes with beef. If you are cooking a pasta dish you should use a heavier wine, like a chianti or a cabernet. For cooking with white wine, use a pinot grigio or a chardonnay. Whatever you do, don’t use the cooking wines they sell in the grocery store. They are poor-quality “wines” that are full of sulfites and taste awful! When making chicken dishes like “Chicken Marsala” it is more than worth the investment in a decent bottle of Marsala wine from the liquor store.

What about Sparkling Wine

Sparkling wine is associated with celebrations, such as weddings, New Year’s Eve, and other special events. It’s enjoyed with various dishes, including seafood, appetizers, cheese trays and most desserts.

Best Wine to Pair with Beef and Chicken

Part of the excitement and enthusiasm behind the world of wine is getting the opportunity to try new kinds of wine, new varieties of grape, new vintages, and different wine pairings that allow you to really improve the overall aspects of all components of a meal with a glass of wine that perfectly complements the main and side dishes.

Here are a few great choices you can’t go wrong with that will pair well with both beef and chicken:

Chardonnay – Chardonnay is a white wine that can be a great choice because it offers a range of styles. A lightly oaked Chardonnay with a touch of creaminess can work well with chicken, while also having enough body to pair with beef.

Red wine blends, like Bordeaux or Rhône-style blends, often include a mix of grape varieties that can provide a harmonious pairing for both meats.

Sparkling Wine – A sparkling wine like Champagne, Prosecco, or Cava can be a delightful option. The bubbles and acidity cleanse the palate, making it suitable for a variety of meat dishes.

Rosé – A dry Rosé can be an excellent compromise, offering the refreshing qualities of white wine and the fruitiness of red wine. It’s a good choice for mixed meat dishes in the summer.

Thankfully though, armed with the tips and tricks we include below, you should have no trouble whatsoever pairing wine with beef and chicken (two of the most popular “entrée types” you’re likely to serve while entertaining).

Wine options you’ll want to consider Pairing with Beef Dishes

When beef is going to be the center of the main dish that you are going to be with your guests, you’re going to want to make sure that you choose the right wine to stand up to the heavy and upfront (not to mention bold) flavors that beef inherently brings to the table.

We are usually talking about a bigger bodied red wine here, loading up on full-bodied Cabernets, Merlot, and even Malbecs from Argentina. Full flavored red wine like Zinfandel can also be taken advantage of when you’re talking about beef that is prepared on the grill, as the flavors in these wine options are going to accentuate the smoky flavors of steaks that have been seared barbecue better than most any other option out there.

A Bordeaux can work well with heavier beef dishes, and if you are going to be serving a beef stew you might want to think about using a burgundy from France. It’ll likely take the flavors of your dish right over the top!

Wine options you’ll want to consider Pairing with Chicken Dishes

Because we are talking about chicken, which is inherently a “lighter” and more delicately flavored entrée than beef, you want to make sure that you are choosing a wine pairing that is going to accentuate and heighten the flavors of poultry rather than hide or muddle them the way that some of the bigger bodied wine options on the market today can.

While some people are under the impression that this means you have to reach for a bottle of white wine every time you are serving poultry, it ends up that nothing could be further from the truth. Light reds and rosé wine can go fantastically with poultry when they are appropriately selected.

For your money, a beautifully oak Chardonnay, a Sauvignon Blanc, and a Riesling wine pairing is likely to go best with the poultry that you’ve chosen – especially if you’re going for a white wine selection. Rose is another fantastic choice, and you can even get away with light bodied Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and St. Laurent wine options as well.

At the end of the day, you’re going to want to mix and match different pairings with different food choices according to your own tastes, your own interests, and your own palette. There’s no reason whatsoever to serve a Bordeaux with beef if you don’t enjoy Bordeaux on its own – and there’s no absolute law that says you have to serve one particular style of wine with a dish, either.

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