Food Pairing 101: Red vs White
Let's start this by saying – drink whatever you like. If you prefer white wine or you only drink red wine, please do not feel like you need to switch to the other one because it’s said to go better with the food you’re eating.
First, let’s list some general rules for knowing which wine to pair with what food:
- Heavy dishes go with heavy wines, light dishes go with light wines.
- White meat – white wine, red meat – red wine.
- White sauce – white wine, red sauce – red wine.
- Don’t forget to think about sauces, since they heavily affect the taste of the dish, so they also affect the decision about which wine to pair with that dish.
- Spicy food goes with off-dry, fruity wines.
- Wine should be sweeter than the food, especially with desserts.
- Fatty dishes go with acidic wines because acid cuts through fat.
- High acid white wines go with anything you’d squeeze lemon on, or put butter on. Spicy red wines go with anything you’d put BBQ sauce on, high acid red wines are perfect with tomato sauces.
- Wines go well with foods that come from the same place as the grapes.
Which Foods Pair With White Wine?
- Salads
- Fish and seafood
- Cream sauces
- White meat such as chicken (unless it’s heavily coated in a red sauce)
- Lemony dishes
- Buttery dishes (with oak aged white wines)
I highly suggest this: Lucien Crochet Sancerre 2020
Which Foods Pair With Red Wine?
You should pair red wine with:
- Steak
- Lamb
- Red meat
- Red sauces (tomato sauce),
- BBQ sauce
- White meat that’s heavily coated in a red sauce
I recommend this: Georges Vigouroux Cahors 'Gouleyant' Malbec 2019