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
Chicken Adobo & Wine Pairings
Filipino Chicken Adobo pairs best with lighter but medium-bodied red wines that have plenty of acidity, such as, Pinot Noir, Beaujolais Villages, Chianti, Barbera and Dolcetto. Acidity is a must as Chicken Adobo is marinated [...]
Pesto Sauce & Wine Pairing
The best wines to pair with Pesto Sauce include Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis, Albariño, Grüner Veltliner, and Pinot Gris. You'll want to look for white wines that aren't overly ripe and have a green quality o [...]
Lemon Chicken & Wine Pairing
The best wine to pair with Lemon Chicken are neutral white wines such as Pinot Grigio, Albariño, and Godello. Chardonnay that leans more towards apple and pear flavours, is another excellent choice with Lemon [...]
Montefalco Rosso & Food Pairing
Montefalco Rosso is a Sangiovese (60%-70-%) and Sagrantino (10%) blend that pairs best with braised beef, sausage, veal chops, wild boar, and spaghettie alla carbonara. Montefalco Rosso must contain a minimum of 10% Sagrantino, [...]
Amarone & Food Pairing
Rich, syrupy and dry, Amarone pairs best with duck, lamb, venison, beef short ribs, liver and onions, braised beef, hearty stews and rich pasta like beef stroganoff. Loaded with rich flavours of bitter chocolate, [...]
Caesar Salad & Wine Pairing
Crisp white wines with a hint of citrus pair best with Caesar Salad, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Albariño, Pinot Grigio, and Chablis. For red wine and Caesar Salad pairings, Beaujolais and Pinot Noir [...]
Swedish Meatballs & Wine Pairing
Swedish Meatballs are served in a creamy brown sauce and pair best with light reds such as Beaujolais, Dolcetto, Pinot Noir, and Barbera. For white wine, stick to a sparkling wine, however, if you [...]
Albariño & Food Pairing
Albariño is a white wine that pairs best with shellfish, tilapia, pho bo, sushi, tapas, Caesar Salad, and Chinese food takeout. With its round body and citrus, apple, mineral, peach and melon flavours, Spanish [...]
Potato Salad & Wine Pairing
Potato Salad is often a side dish for picnics, banquets, or backyard barbecues, thus, Potato Salad pairs best with versatile wines such as Albariño, Riesling, Rosé, Beaujolais Villages and Pinot Noir. Potato Salad recipes [...]
Escargot & Wine Pairing
Escargot in a rich butter, parsley and garlic sauce (Escargot de Bourgogne) calls for a either a red or white Burgundy or a dry Rosé. For Escargot cooked in a chicken stock, a crisp [...]
Pho Bo & Wine Pairing
Phở Bò is a Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup that pairs best with crisp white wines such as Chablis, bone-dry Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio or Soave. These dry white wines have plenty of zip [...]
Grüner Veltliner & Food Pairings
Grüner Veltliner is the perfect white wine for grilled sausages loaded with sauerkraut & onions, BLT sandwiches smothered in mayo, pork schnitzel, smoked salmon, pasta tossed in pesto sauce, steamed asparagus, and potato leek [...]