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
Goulash & Wine Pairing
Spicy and savoury, traditional Hungarian Goulash pairs best with rich red wines with high acidity, such as Pinot Noir, Zweigelt, Côtes du Rhône, Gamay Noir, or Blaufränkisch. For extra spicy Goulash with some fire to [...]
Apple Pie & Wine Pairing
Apple Pie pairs best with sweeter wines like Marsala, Late Harvest Riesling, Sauternes, Moscato d'Asti or Tawny Port. When pairing wine with dessert like apple pie, the wine must always be sweeter than the [...]
Potato Leek Soup & Wine Pairing
An earthy but slightly sweet and creamy bowl of Potato Leek Soup pairs best with white wines such as Chardonnay, Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc. I'm not a huge fan of red [...]
Spaghetti alle Vongole Wine Pairings
Spaghetti Alle Vongole pairs best with unoaked white wines such as Soave, Pinot Grigio, Chablis, or Frascati. Spaghetti Alle Vongole translates to Spaghetti with Clams and is a classic Italian dish of spaghetti with [...]
Mussels & Wine Pairings
For Steamed Mussels, crisp and steely wines like Muscadet, Chablis, Vermentino, or Sauvignon Blanc pair up best as the neutral flavours of these wines will not overpower the subtly sweet and salty mussel flavours. [...]
Chicken Pot Pie & Wine Pairing
Chicken Pot Pie pairs best with medium to full-bodied white wines like Chardonnay, Viognier, Pinot Gris and Grüner Veltliner. You want more of a full-bodied white wine with a buttery texture, as Chicken Pot Pie [...]
Kielbasa & Wine Pairing
Kielbasa pairs best with smoky and fruity red wines like Merlot, Chianti and Malbec, along with bubbly sparkling wines like Cava, Prosecco or Sekt. Kielbasa is a lightly smoked Polish Sausage that has flavours [...]
Sea Scallops & Wine Pairing
Scallops pair best with a full-bodied Chardonnay, a dry Champagne, a briny Albariño, or a tart and crisp Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc. Wine to try with scallops: Scallop Ceviche: Riesling, Albariño, Sauvignon [...]
Best Merlot & Food Pairings
Merlot, when made in a medium-bodied style, pairs best with duck, meatloaf, pepperoni pizza, beef fajitas, pulled pork, osso bucco, kielbasa and lasagna. Plush with juicy flavours of plum and cherries, Merlot also features notes [...]
Salade Niçoise & Wine Pairings
Salade Niçoise is a French salad that pairs best with Rosé, sparkling wine, light reds low in tannin, like Pinot Noir or Beaujolais, as well as refreshing whites like Gavi, Arneis, Albariño and Chenin Blanc. [...]
Best Viognier & Food Pairings
Fruity and bold, Viognier is wonderful with lighter fare with a touch of weight, such as potato soup, cornbread, chicken pot pie, Pad Thai, Lobster, New England clam chowder, crab cakes and Salmon. The [...]
Best Paella & Wine Pairings
Seafood Paella and Mixed Paella pair best with rich white wines, such as Roussanne, Chardonnay and Viognier. Meanwhile, Lighter red wines such as Garnacha, Tempranillo, Pinot Noir and Rioja Crianza are excellent with Paella [...]