Pairing food with wine - Part 2

Pairing Food with Wine - Part 2

Let's start with vegetables and fish. It's good to think about matching the weight and depth of flavour on the plate with what you choose to have in the glass.

Pairing with Vegetables

FOOD — WHAT IT NEEDS — RECOMMENDATION

Asparagus — Fresh & zingy white wine — Sauvignon Blanc

Aubergine & tomatoes — Fruity red with a little tannin — Tuscan red such as Chianti

Herby salad — Light and fresh with a little fruit — Rosé

Vinegar dressing — Similarly pungent, bright and zesty — Manzanilla or Fino sherry

Mushrooms — Lighter red with a little tannin — Pinot Noir or Nebbiolo

Pairing with Fish

FOOD — WHAT IT NEEDS — RECOMMENDATION

Sole or skate — Light and crisp white — Picpoul or Albarino

Salmon or tuna — Weightier whites, rosé, or light red — New World Pinot Noir

Fish pie — Comforting, riper and sunnier whites — Chardonnay or Viognier

Sushi — Fresh and bright with lemon and lime — Sparkling wine or Riesling

Pink shellfish — Really crisp and fresh — Provence rosé

White shellfish — Crisp and lemony — Chablis or sparkling wine

Mussels — Weightier white with richness — Australian Chardonnay

Lobster — Decadent and rich — White Burgundy

Your Assignment

Hold a little tasting at home so that you can experience different food and wine pairings for yourself. Prepare a dish, and taste it alongside the recommendation above as well as something that's on the opposite side of the flavour spectrum. This will help you better understand why certain wines work and others don't.

For example, you could make a simple herby salad, and eat it alongside light and fresh rosé such as The Hidden Sea Rosé and then also with an oaky red such as Cap Royal Bordeaux Rouge, and observe the influence the wine has on the flavours of your food.