Which wine goes well with which food?

Finding the right wine to go with your meal is sometimes not that easy. While there are some rules of thumb to follow, the devil is often in the details. Here you will find general recommendations and also very specific tips for wine with various dishes.

Wine with red meat

Red meat includes beef, pork, lamb, mutton, and rabbit. There is a basic taste theme that leads to a simple rule when pairing with wine: Combine red meat with red wine . The following applies: the stronger the meat taste, the more intense the red wine can taste.

Steaks, grilled meat and stews with their roasted aromas go particularly well with full-bodied red wines, for example from the French Bordelais (Bordeaux) or from the Italian growing region Chianti Classico. If you can clearly taste fat in the dish, you can choose a red wine with pronounced tannins, for example a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Shiraz or a Cabernet Franc.

The tannins create a slightly furry mouthfeel that is often described as "dry". Strictly speaking, this is not a taste, but an astringent effect. Astringency is spoken of in technical jargon. The fat in turn covers the taste buds like a film and softens the astringency. This is how the body of the wine comes into its own.

Wine with white meat

Poultry is often uniformly referred to as white meat. However, when it comes to pairing with wine, the general rule that white meat goes better with white wine cannot be derived from this. This recommendation makes sense for chicken and turkey, which go well with fruity white wines such as Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc. With a roast goose or duck, however, you are better off with a red wine that has a fine acid structure. For example, choose a Pinot Noir here.

On the other hand, tender veal should be treated more like white poultry than beef when choosing a wine. The best example is the Wiener Schnitzel. It is not served with red wine, but with white wine. Do the same with this classic Austrian and choose a Grüner Veltliner with the Wiener Schnitzel.

Wine with game

In the case of game meat, you should distinguish dishes with an intense game taste such as wild boar ragout or roast venison from dishes with a delicate taste such as saddle of venison. A more intense game flavor goes well with red wines that have matured in barriques and that have an opulent body.

Try a Merlot or a Malbec, for example. You can always use the same wine that you are serving to refine the sauce. With a tender saddle of venison, the fruitiness of the red wine is decisive for perfect enjoyment. You won't go wrong with a Pinot Noir.

Wine with cheese

Wine and cheese harmonize best when both have about the same intense taste. Otherwise, however, the following applies: opposites attract. The strong saltiness of the cheese goes well with the pronounced fruitiness of the wine and the more acidic the cheese, the sweeter the wine can be. Combine, for example, Appenzeller with Pinot Noir, Camembert with Chardonnay, Gorgonzola with Barolo and Gouda with Gewürztraminer.

Wine with fish

White wines or rosé wines are recommended to accompany fish dishes. Even light red wines would mask the fine aroma structure of fish too much. Lean fish such as sole or haddock go well with white wines with a fresh and subtly spicy character such as Riesling or Grüner Veltliner. For fish with a slightly higher fat content such as perch or trout, you are spot on with a Sauvignon Blanc. Tuna and salmon with their meat-like consistency go well with a full-bodied Viognier.

Wine with spicy dishes

With spicy dishes from the Asian cuisine, you should serve a wine with residual sugar, fruitiness and a not too high alcohol content. This combination of properties is best suited to harmoniously disguise the intense character of the spices. For example, try a muscatel or a pinot gris.

Wine for dessert

For dessert, the wine should play the role of the gallant companion. It should support the characteristic taste notes of the dessert without over-trumping them. A fruity Riesling Spätlese goes very well with fruit bowls and a sour sorbet with Silvaner. You can serve a Beerenauslese with a flour-based dessert, while a chocolate-flavored dessert goes well with a Pinot Noir.