A wine for every dish: choose like an expert

Is choosing wine for a dish difficult? At Cabesota, we explain which wines pair best with a wide variety of foods, helping create a perfect pairing for your dinners or events.

Learning to harmonise food and wine can be challenging at first. Food and wine harmony is an adventure in which a sommelier can use their knowledge to suggest classic, innovative or adventurous combinations.

Although innovation is popular, each dish still has general guidelines for choosing wine. Here are wines to pair with:

Appetisers

Appetisers generally suit dry whites, fortified wines, brut sparkling wines or young reds.

Fresh Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, fresh Chardonnay, Chablis or white Bordeaux can work well.

Cheese

Wine and cheese pairings depend on the milk used, whether cow’s, goat’s or sheep’s, as well as production methods and maturation.

Blue cheeses suit robust, structured reds that are not too tannic, or sweet and fortified wines such as Sauternes, late-harvest wines, PX, Port, Banyuls or Maury.

Goat’s cheeses pair with dry, fruity whites. Soft, mould-ripened cheeses suit structured whites with some acidity or light, fresh young reds. Pressed-curd cheeses suit light aged reds, while cooked-curd cheeses pair with aromatic, mild whites or light, low-acidity reds.

Ham, cured meats and foie gras

A classic: Iberian ham pairs perfectly with Fino or Manzanilla, or lighter aged reds such as Rioja.

Most cured meats suit aged reds. Light, partly aged Tempranillo or Cencibel works well with more mature cured meats such as lomo, morcón or cecina.

Meat and game pâtés suit structured reds, while foie gras pairs with sweet wines such as Sauternes, late-harvest wines or Port.

Vegetables and salads

For salads, vinegar is wine’s main enemy, along with spicy sauces, watercress, asparagus, artichokes and eggs, which affect and distort its flavour.

For salads containing these ingredients or plenty of vinegar, choose water or Manzanilla or Fino from the Jerez region.

Broths and soups

Consider the main ingredient that flavours or perfumes the soup. If a soup or consommé contains a particular wine, serving that same wine is advisable.

Shellfish

Shellfish generally harmonises with the saline notes of Fino, Manzanilla and young, dry, fresh whites with some acidity.

Lobster, simply prepared or with butter-based sauces, suits barrel-fermented Chardonnay. Oysters pair with dry sparkling wines or excellent Galician whites.

Sweet-fleshed crustaceans such as spider crab pair well with Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Verdejo or whites from Alella.

Fish

Contrary to popular belief, fish does not always require white wine.

Fried fish suits Palomino wines, while simply prepared sole or turbot goes with fruity, aromatic whites such as Albariño or Sauvignon Blanc.

For butter-based sauces, choose barrel-fermented Chardonnay, Verdejo or Viura. Fish prepared with lemon or orange suits Riesling or dry Muscat.

Salmon, bonito, tuna and cod pair well with young reds, including carbonic-maceration wines. Simply prepared hake suits Albariño, Godello or Verdejo.

For red mullet, choose young reds or a fuller Merlot rosé. Smoked fish pairs with barrel-fermented Chardonnay, a good rosé or a young red.

Pasta and rice

The ingredients served with pasta or rice matter. Dishes with vegetables, tomato sauces and aromatic herbs usually suit rosés or light reds. Seafood paellas, rice and pasta call for light, aromatic, fruity whites such as Macabeo or Sauvignon Blanc.

Fresh egg pasta with a creamy sauce made with cream and Parmesan suits a refreshing young white with some body, such as Chardonnay.

Mixed paellas can go with anything from structured whites to moderately aged reds.

Poultry

For roast chicken or turkey, the garnish determines the wine. A simple accompaniment suits a light, polished red; a richer one can take a more structured, fleshy wine. Chicken seasoned with lemon juice and herbs such as thyme suits young Chardonnay for freshness and acidity.

Duck calls for fresh, full-bodied whites that balance its rich flavour, such as Rueda or Riesling. Duck breast with red-fruit sauces goes well with Pinot Noir or Merlot.

For sweet-and-sour sauces, such as plum sauce, consider rancio wines or a Monastrell red.

Game birds, such as partridge or squab, suit reds that are not too powerful, including Merlot, Tempranillo or Pinot Noir.

White meats

Roast veal can pair with powerful whites such as Chardonnay, including barrel-fermented styles, light young reds or aged reds with very polished tannins.

Cream-based sauces favour full-bodied dry whites with acidity, while dark sauces call for soft but intense reds. Tomato sauces suit rosés and high-alcohol Garnacha or Monastrell reds.

Pork needs some acidity: Rioja Viura, Riesling or young reds such as Galician Mencía are options.

Red meat and game

Meat stews suit Garnacha, Cariñena or Monastrell reds. Simpler grilled or roasted dishes pair with lighter wines with some ageing.

Meat-juice and mushroom sauces work best with Cabernet Sauvignon reds. These and Tempranillo can also accompany roast lamb.

Large game, such as wild boar, roe deer or venison, calls for full-bodied aged reds. Mediterranean reds are an even better match for rabbit or hare.

Desserts

The key is to match the sweetness of the dessert and wine, while considering the warmth or freshness of the dish. This depends on the preparation, such as ice cream or chilled desserts, and ingredients such as acidic fruit. Aim to contrast the dish’s freshness with the wine’s warmth.

Riesling or Asti suits light desserts based on buttercream or custard with a pronounced vanilla flavour. Pedro Ximénez can also be interesting. For fruit and cinnamon, prefer Sauternes or rosé Champagne.

When chocolate takes centre stage, Pinot Noir, Australian Shiraz or Port are good choices.

Hungarian Tokaji is ideal with desserts made with dates, nuts or figs.

Versatile sparkling wines such as Champagne, Cava, Prosecco and Moscato offer a solution for any dessert, from fresh fruit to elaborate cakes.