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
Prosecco & Food Pairing
Prosecco is an Italian sparkling wine that pairs well with Hawaiian Pizza, Jalapeno Poppers, Corn Dogs, Salad, Eggs, Cured Meats, and Crab Cakes. If the food is high in fat, deep-fried, nutty, or full [...]
Verdejo & Food Pairing
Verdejo is a Spanish White Wine that pairs best with Fish Tacos, Green Salads, Red Gazpacho, Shrimp Scampi, Tomato Soup and Tapas. Herbaceous, crisp, acidic, and boasting flavours of lime, peach, mineral, and grapefruit, [...]
Best Wine with Tomato Soup
The best wines to pair with Tomato Soup are light and acidic red wines such as Barbera, Dolcetto, Valpolicella Classico and Beaujolais Villages. Crisp and herbal whites such as Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo are [...]
Cioppino & Wine Pairing
The best wines to pair with Cioppino are crisp white wines like Sancerre, Chablis and Albariño and acidic red wines like Dolcetto & Chianti. If your Cioppino is tomato-based, choose acidic red wines like Dolcetto, [...]
Sauternes & Food Pairing
Sauternes pairs best with Blue Cheese, Foie Gras, Lobster Bisque, Fruit-based desserts, and Spicy Asian and Thai dishes. Sauternes is one of the world's most unique and unforgettable wines, with a rich and decadent [...]
Sancerre & Food Pairing
Sancerre pairs best with Goat Cheese, Shrimp Scampi, Roast Turkey, Asparagus, Ceviche, Cioppino and Crab Cakes. Light meats, seafood, and green vegetables are all delicious with a crisp and cold glass of Sancerre. Sancerre [...]
Best Wine and Cheese Pairings
Wine and Cheese work so well together as the fats and proteins in Cheese hide the flaws in your glass of wine. For example, if you have a young glass of red wine that [...]
Thai Beef Salad & Wine Pairing
Thai Beef Salad pairs best with crisp white wines like Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Rosé, along with low-tannin red wines like Pinot Noir and Zinfandel. Thai Beef Salad or Yum Nua is a mix [...]
Roast Chicken & Wine Pairing
The best white wine with Roast Chicken is an oaked Chardonnay or a rich Viognier. For red wine, a light and fruity Pinot Noir or Beaujolais Villages are excellent with Chicken. If you are craving [...]
Rosé & Food Pairing
Rosé wine pairs well with Tuna Steak, Ham, Garden Salads, Sushi, Hot Dogs and Salmon Sandwiches. Rosé will pair well with nearly any food as it is incredibly versatile and refreshing. With crisp flavours [...]
Grenache & Food Pairings
Grenache is a fruity and full-bodied red wine that pairs best with grilled hamburgers, Duck with cherries, roasted rack of Lamb, pork chops and pub fare. Rich with cherry, raspberry and strawberry notes, Grenache [...]
Best Wine with Salmon
The best wines to pair with Salmon are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc and Beaujolais Cru. It may seem odd pairing a red wine with fish, however, Salmon is a meaty fish with lots [...]