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

Beef Brisket & Wine Pairing

November 14, 2021|

Beef Brisket pairs best with red wines featuring soft tannin, high acidity and a kiss of smokiness such as Montepulciano, Ribera del Duero, Syrah, and Rosso Conero. While beef brisket is meaty, wines with [...]

Beef Stew & Wine Pairing

November 13, 2021|

For intensely flavoured stews with a rich, thick meat sauce sauce, the best red wine to pair up with your beef stew are Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux or Shiraz..   These red wines will be able [...]

Vinsobres & Food Pairing

November 9, 2021|

A full-bodied Vinsobres pairs well with beef ribs, lamb chops, and venison stew, while a medium-bodied Vinsobres pairs with chicken parmesan and tomato-based pasta dishes like spaghetti and meatballs. Best Food with Vinsobres [...]

Sausage & Wine Pairing

November 7, 2021|

Crisp and dry white wines like Riesling, Grüner Veltliner and Chablis work fantastic with grilled sausages loaded with condiments as the acidity of the wines can handle the acidic condiments while still cutting through [...]

Pork Chops & Wine Pairing

October 31, 2021|

The best wines to pair with Pork Chops are light and fruity wines, such as, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Torrontés, Beaujolais Villages and Chardonnay.  Pork Chops are neutral in flavour and taste slightly sweet and savoury.  [...]

Ham & Wine Pairing

October 30, 2021|

Ham is a sweet, salty, and rich cured meat that pairs best lively and acidic wines like Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Beaujolais, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir. The fruity flavours of the wine are complemented by the [...]

Chicken Teriyaki & Wine Pairing

October 24, 2021|

Teriyaki sauce adds a lot flavour and sweetness to chicken which makes light but fruit-forward red wines like Lambrusco, Schiava and Beaujolais the best pairings with Chicken Teriayaki. White wines are acceptable as well, [...]

Butter Chicken & Wine Pairing

October 23, 2021|

Mild Butter Chicken pairs best with rich white wines such as Chardonnay, Soave or Grenache Blanc.  If your Butter Chicken is spicy, you'll want sweeter wines, such as an off-dry Riesling or Gewurztraminer.  For [...]

Best Wine with Chocolate Cheesecake

October 17, 2021|

Fruity and fortified red wines with lots of cherry and berry flavours, such as Recioto della Valpolicella, Tawny Port, Oloroso Sherry, Marsala, and Bual Madeira, are the best wines to pair with Chocolate Cheesecake.  [...]

Beef Fajita Pairing & Wine Pairing

October 16, 2021|

Beef Fajitas savoury flavours require a laid-back and fruity red wine with just enough boldness to hold up to the beefy flavours such as Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, or a Côtes du Rhône.  [...]

Lamb Chops & Wine Pairing

October 11, 2021|

Medium-bodied reds like Merlot, Malbec, Syrah, Bordeaux, Chianti Classico or Tempranillo pair best with Lamb Chops, as you need a red wine that is powerful enough to handle the gamey flavour of this meat.  [...]

Brie Cheese & Wine Pairing

October 9, 2021|

Crisp white wines like Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Champagne, along with lighter reds such as Beaujolais and Pinot Noir, pair best with Brie Cheese.  However, nearly any wine will go along just fine with [...]