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
Focaccia & Wine Pairing
Focaccia pair best with white wines such as Gavi, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Champagne. Light Red Wines, such as Beaujolais, Pinot Noir and Lambrusco, are also wonderful with Focaccia but offer a contrasting experience [...]
Chicken Parmigiana & Wine Pairing
Chicken Parmesan pairs best with fruity but herbal reds like Chianti Classico, Barbera, Dolcetto, Primitivo, and Pinot Noir. When it comes to red wine, acidity is a must, as wines that are balanced heavier [...]
Gavi & Food Pairing
Gavi pairs best with Sushi, Seafood Risotto, Grilled Fish in a lemon sauce, Salade Niçoise, Spaghetti and Clams, Shellfish, Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese, Focaccia and light Chicken dishes. Gavi is a white wine from [...]
Cottage Pie & Food Pairings
Cottage Pie pairs best with medium-bodied red wines with plenty of acidity and earthy, smoky, or peppery notes, such as, Pinot Noir, Chianti Classico, Rioja Crianza, Côtes-du-Rhône, Shiraz and Beaujolais-Villages. For white wine, an [...]
Barbaresco Wine & Food Pairing
Barbaresco pairs best with rich and meaty dishes that feature earthy and smoky flavours such as braised short ribs, prime rib roast, veal chops, duck in a mushroom sauce, venison stew, hearty pasta, and Osso [...]
Blue Cheese & Wine Pairing – Roquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola
Blue Cheese pairs best with sweet wines with a hint of nuttiness such as Sauternes, Tawny Port, Sherry, Tokaji, and Moscato d'Asti. Prosecco, Zinfandel, Amarone, and late harvest or dessert wines are also excellent with [...]
Port & Food Pairing
What is Port Wine? Port is a fortified wine and sweet wine from Portugal with hints of nuts, caramel, raspberry and chocolate. Fortified means another spirit has been added, and with Port, this spirit [...]
Tiramisu & Wine Pairing
Tiramisu pairs best with sweet and dessert-style wines such as Port, Ice Wine, Moscato Rosa, Marsala, Vin Santo and Cream Sherry. For the wine to work best, it always needs to taste sweeter, otherwise, [...]
Cassoulet & Wine Pairing
Cassoulet pairs best with savoury medium-bodied red wines with ample tannin and crisp acidity such as Cahors, Syrah, Bandol, Irouléguy, Côte-Rôtie and Corbières. Cassoulet is a slow-cooked dish consisting of white beans, duck, garlic [...]
Carménère & Food Pairing
Carménère is a red wine that pairs best with lean but meaty dishes such as Lamb with Mushrooms, Pork Tacos, Turkey, Beef Stew, Pasta with Meat Sauce, Tuna Steak or grilled chicken. Herbal, smoky, [...]
Grouper & Wine Pairing
Grouper is a mild fish that pairs best with white wines like Chardonnay, Chablis, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Roussanne. Grouper doesn't grill up very nice as it is not oily enough like salmon, but [...]
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo & Food Pairings
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo pairs best with hearty meat and pasta dishes such as lamb kebabs, lasagna, hamburgers loaded with mushrooms, baked Ziti, beef Bolognese, and pasta carbonara. Montepulciano is lower in acidity and medium in [...]