Picking the Perfect Wine for Your Meal

Pairing wine with food can be a daunting task for the inexperienced. But with a few simple rules, you’ll be off to a great start and you can build on your knowledge as you get to know different types of wine.

At a restaurant, it’s a good idea to wait until you know what you want to eat before you order a glass of wine. Servers usually take drink orders first, but hold onto that wine list until you know what food is coming. And feel free to ask for suggestions; restaurants that know their wine will happily guide you in selecting a great pairing.

In general, white wines pair best with lighter meals, like seafood, chicken and light pork dishes. Red wine is best with heavier meals like red sauce Italian and red meat. Wine Folly has a handy chart for pairing the various flavors in wine with specific foods. Kendall Jackson has some additional rules of thumb in matching complementing flavors.

From there, it’s important to become familiar with the flavors typical of each grape variety. Pinot Grigio goes well with light fish dishes; a slightly sweet Reisling will help cut spicy dishes. For more rules, check out this thorough article from Food and Wine.