Welcome to the exciting and sometimes highly personal subject of matching food and wine. Wines of Interest are often asked for advice on this, so let's get you started:
Key Points for matching
1) Order food and wine you expect to enjoy on their own
While each can improve the other, there are limits, if you don't like any particular flavours. Stick up for your preferences and within these there are likely to be some cracking combinations of food and wine you can select
2) Match the wine to the main element(s) of the dish
Red meat with a rub and strong sauce? Choose which will be dominant and start from there. Our tasting notes will identify choices sympathetic to this first, but also compatibility with the rest of the dish
3) Balance is important
Hearty meals suit hearty wines (e.g. bold flavours, higher alcohol, prominent tannins) while delicate meals with subtle flavours respond to similar wines. Neither food not wine should overpower the other
There will be longer article which discusses food and wine pairing [link to Home Page] in more detail is on our Home page. This might help refine your choices once you've used this page.
Specific Food and Dominant Ingredients
The headings below generate links to a selection of suitable wines in our range. Each wine has full tasting notes if you click through, and these can be used to fine-tune your selections. We may well have more than are shown, but these will start your planning.
If you are preparing a special menu and want wine recommendations, please pop into the shop, phone for a chat, or send us an email with details!
Red Meats - richer flavoursome meats usually pair with red wines but consider the nature of any sauce or accompaniment as well. Red Meat generally compliments wines that are higher in alcohol and a degree of tannin helps with balance.
White and Lighter Meats - gentler flavours here though again any sauce and/or accompaniment points to wines that are a little lighter. Reds or whites may be appropriate depending on the details of the dish.
Cured Meats & Delicatessen - We're thinking here of a roasted ham, gammon steak as well as casual light meals or picnics where there could be some pate or salami available to have with a hunk of bread.
Feathered Game - Grouse, pheasant, partridge, quail. We've listed duck separately as this is likely to be the most searched for of this group. Sauce and accompaniments should always be factored in.
Fish & Seafood - This can be tricky but we've done our best. You probably should be thinking white or pink with this section since the flavours are more delicate. Shellfish is often complicated; you will need to read the tasting notes of our recommendations.
Vegetarian Dishes - So much here depends on the rest of the ingredients as the inclusion of herbs and spices will steer you towards more flavoursome wines.
Pasta, Pizza & Rice - A dish from a certain part of the world may be successfully paired with a wine from the same region.
Salads - Is there a dominant ingredient, flavour or dressing?
Asian Dishes - Will the spices or ingredients dominate? Are they hot or creamy?
Middle Eastern Dishes - Consider spicing and main ingredients.
Cheese - So much is written on these pairings! It may help to get tasting notes for the cheese first, or if you already have a selection of wines, check what cheeses they suit before buying.
Desserts - A sweet dish often deserves a sweet wine, but chocolate and fruit may also affect your choice.
