Welcome to Drink & Pair where I write articles about food and wine pairings. Most of my content is directed to those new at drinking wine and thus I try to keep my pairings simple, while still going into enough detail as to why that food and wine pairing works.
The beautiful thing about Food and Wine Pairing is that it can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. With Drink & Pair, my goal has always been to keep it simple, while dropping enough hints to allow you to get more in-depth with your pairings if you wish. I do this by writing blogs that explain the more advanced nuances of Food and Wine Pairings, yet I offer tables with Food and Wine scores to keep it easy for those of you in a rush.
My blogs are from a North American view, with my most popular wine pairings being ham, chicken alfredo, filet mignon, turkey and roast beef.
I refuse to embrace Artificial Intelligence, and I assure you, all of my pairings do not use AI like I am seeing many other newer wine pairing websites use. This site and wine pairing database have been around in one form or anther since 2010 and has been built slowly over the years. Pairings have either been tried out by myself, with others in a restaurant/gathering, or heavily researched by consulting other sommeliers. (certain food allergies prevent me from trying every dish)
The food and wine pairing database above is a great tool to find an excellent wine pairing match. A 3.5 star match means the pairing is good, and your guests will enjoy it. Also at a 3.5, either the wine or food will taste better (or taste enhanced) in the company of one another, but not both. For example, at a 3.5 your burger loaded with ketchup and Dijon mustard might taste better with a Rioja Reserva, however, the wine’s flavour will not improve with this pairing.
A rating of 4 means we are starting to see the food and wine influence one another, and you’ll taste notable improvements for both when they are paired together
A 5 star ranking means the pairing is a Holy Grail and you are in for a meal you will never forget.
The matching tool does not specifically use branded wines, so you need to type in the type of wine (Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Chianti, Shiraz, Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc). You can also use the filters at the bottom of the tool to narrow down your searches.
Latest Food & Wine Pairings
Vermentino & Food Pairing
Vermentino is a quiet but moderate white wine that pairs best with seafood, pesto sauce, pork tenderloin, fish, salads and pasta dishes featuring vegetables. Commonly a dry wine, Vermentino features aromas of herbs, lemon, [...]
Halibut & Wine Pairing
Chablis, Vermentino, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Gris are the best wine pairings with Halibut as they will not crush the delicate flavours of the fish. For red wine, lighter reds like Pinot Noir, Beaujolais-Villages [...]
Lamb Shanks & Wine Pairing
Braised Lamb Shanks are very wine friendly and pairs well with rich red wines such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a Northern Rhône Syrah, Amarone, Bordeaux and Shiraz. Lamb Shank has a more robust gamey flavour than lamb [...]
Asparagus & Wine Pairing
Asparagus pairs best with crisp and dry unoaked white wines, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat, Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Grigio and Vermentino. Keep all red wines and rosés away from Asparagus as the red fruit [...]
Perogies & Wine Pairing
Crisp white wines that cut through the filling, sour cream and cheese such as Riesling, Viognier or Sauvignon Blanc pair best with classic Potato and Cheese Perogies. Meanwhile, if your Perogies are topped with lots [...]
Salisbury Steak & Wine Pairing
Salisbury Steak pairs best with medium-bodied red wines such as Malbec, Shiraz, Pinotage, and Cabernet Sauvignon. If your Salisbury Steak is in a mushroom gravy, Pinot Noir makes for an exceptional pairing. Salisbury Steak [...]
Sea Bass & Wine Pairing
Crisp and zesty unoaked white whites, such as Pinot Gris, Albariño, Chablis, and Vinho Verde pair best with the lean and mild flavours of Sea Bass. For red wine drinkers, Pinot Noir or a Beaujolais [...]
Veal Marsala & Wine Pairings
Veal Marsala pairs best with light and earthy red wines such as Pinot Noir, Beaujolais Villages, Dolcetto and Chianti. A toasty Chardonnay with some nuttiness and vanilla flavours is also excellent with Veal Marsala. [...]
Biltong & Wine Pairing
Biltong is savoury and salty, requiring quaffable red wines such as Pinotage, Pinot Noir, Beaujolais Villages or Ribera del Duero to be paired with it. Acidity is a must with your red wine, as [...]
Cauliflower Soup & Wine Pairing
Smooth and medium-bodied white wines, such as Chablis, Chenin Blanc, Soave, Pinot Gris, and Gavi have just the right amount of weight to pair up with a warm bowl of Cauliflower Soup. While there [...]
Best Wine with Spaghetti & Meatballs
The best wines to pair with Spaghetti & Meatballs are medium-bodied Italian red wines such as Chianti Classico, Barbera, Primitivo, Valpolicella and Montepulciano. Italian red wines have ample acidity to deal with the tomato sauce [...]
Chicken Kiev & Wine Pairing
White wines that aren't overly fruity and have plenty of acidity to cut through the breading, such as Chenin Blanc, Chablis and Pinot Grigio Pair best with Chicken Kiev. A Pinot Noir or Beaujolais [...]