Choosing the perfect wine to accompany your dinner can be a difficult task. We are therefore going to give you our best advice for perfectly pairing your wines and food.
Before we delve further into the discussion of wine and food pairings, it is essential to understand a fundamental rule regarding the order in which wines should be served during a meal. This rule, called vertical pairing, involves presenting the bottles of wine progressively: the quality of the wine will increase as the meal progresses, allowing you to fully savor the aromas of each vintage.
White wines will be served before red wines, and light wines will precede full-bodied wines. For example, you will start by tasting a light white wine, then move on to a red wine from Languedoc or Burgundy, and finally conclude with a grand cru.
Which wines accompany meat dishes?
Your choice of wine will largely depend on the color of the meat you are serving.
If you are preparing red meat, such as beef, mutton or game, it is best to opt for full-bodied red wines. For example, you can choose one of our Rhone red wines (Cotes du Rhone or Chateauneuf du Pape) to accompany your red meat.
As for white meats, they generally go well with white wines, such as the 100% Roussanne VO available on our site. However, if the meat is pan-fried, you can also pair it with a light red wine, such as Pinot Noir for example. If the meat is spicy, it may be wise to accompany it with a more intense red wine to balance the flavors like the Domaine de Belleviste Rouge 2017.
Which wine to pair with seafood?
To highlight seafood products, such as fish and shellfish, it is recommended to favor dry, low-sweet white wines. These wines allow you to fully savor the marine flavors. You can, for example, opt for a bottle of Chablis or Chardonnay, but also a Rose wine like our 508 Winery Provençale, a Coteaux d'Aix en Provence Rosé very fruity and fresh, it will perfectly accompany your fruit platter seafood or your grilled fish.
What wines pair with cheeses?
When it comes to pairing wine with cheeses, it's important to note that contrary to preconceived notions, red wine is not the only option. The choice of wine depends mainly on the type of cheese you are serving. A white wine goes perfectly with certain cheeses, such as Chèvre, Comté or Camembert, while red wine is ideal to accompany cheeses such as Mimolette, Gouda or Morbier.
If you're making a mixed cheese platter, it's usually safer to opt for a white wine, as red wine can be more complex to pair. A bottle of Riesling from Alsace or Chablis, for example, would be perfect for harmonizing the aromas of different cheeses.
The association between wine and desserts
It all depends on the type of dessert you are serving. Here are some suggestions:
- Dark chocolate desserts: These desserts pair well with sweet red wines or sweet white wines so as not to compete with the bitterness of cocoa. For example, a jurançon can be an excellent choice.
- White or milk chocolate desserts: Being sweeter than dark chocolate, they pair best with dry white wines, such as Riesling.
- Fruity desserts: The choice of wine will depend on the fruit present in the dessert. It is recommended to choose a wine whose aromas correspond to the fruit. A sweet white wine may be the right choice to accompany fruity desserts.
In general, keep in mind that the sweeter the dessert, the less sweet the wine should be for a good balance of flavors.
Here is a quick guide to the best food and wine pairings, if you like, we will do other articles in more detail by dishes, flavors, wines in order to be more precise when organizing your dinners.