How to Pair Wine with Meals

Written by Lee Wyatt (last updated August 29, 2022)

Many people believe that there are all kinds of drawn out, and sometimes complicated, rules that deal with how to pair wine with meals. While basically this is true, there are four simple guidelines that you can use to help you learn the basics. Using these four guidelines will help you ensure a respectable pairing of wine to meals, and will help you to truly impress your friends and family the next time you get together for a formal meal.

  • Balance the flavors. The main goal, or idea, of leaning how to pair wine with meals is balance. There should be a balance between the flavors of the wine, and the meal itself. Simply put, the flavor of the wine should never overpower the flavor of the food, and the converse of this rule is true as well. The tastes of the food and wine should compliment each other, and improve upon each other.
  • Quality with quality. It isn't always easy to figure out the type of wine that should go with a particular meal. When trying to decide on which wine to take to a particular meal, keep in mind that quality should go with quality. What this means is that you should never serve a wine that you may eat with some burgers when you are having a three course French meal. Remember, like goes with like.
  • Start light and work up. If you will be having a meal that has several courses, and where several wines may be served, start with the lighter tastes and work your way up. Think of this as building a foundation for a building or a house. Simply put, you want a light wine with light food, and heavier wine with heavier foods. For example, during your salad or soup course you will want to have a light wine, whereas with the main dish you will want to have a richer, heartier, heavier wine.
  • How is the food made? The way that the food is prepared can actually play a role in what wine you should choose to serve. For example, when serving a delicately prepared food (such as poached salmon) then you want to pair it with a delicate flavored wine. When serving foods that are prepared by brasing, grilling, or roasting methods, then you want to use a wine that has a fuller and more flavorful taste. In cases such as this, you should try to pair the flavor of the wine to the main ingredient or taste of the dish.

Author Bio

Lee Wyatt

Contributor of numerous Tips.Net articles, Lee Wyatt is quickly becoming a regular "Jack of all trades." He is currently an independent contractor specializing in writing and editing. Contact him today for all of your writing and editing needs! Click here to contact. ...

MORE FROM LEE

Dust Prevention

No one really likes dust, and since it seems to get everywhere, it only stands to reason that a few preventative measures ...

Discover More

Entertainment for Parties

Whether you are throwing a birthday party for your children, or you are having a social gathering of your friends and ...

Discover More

Cleaning Burn Stains While Cooking

Even if you are the best chef in the world, there is the chance that you will be faced with a burn stain at least once in ...

Discover More
More Cooking Tips

California Wine

California is widely known for its wine-making. The state produces hundreds of different kinds of grapes and is home to ...

Discover More

Pinot Noir Wine

If you are looking for a wine that is fruity and full-bodied, then your best choice is a Pinot Noir. Be prepared to pay a ...

Discover More

Storing Wine

Like many things in the culinary world, the way that you store your wine can greatly affect its overall taste. If you ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 2 + 8?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)