Pairing a wine with a particular food is quite a skill, but once your palate develops, all you need is practice, the task will become easier. Food pairing tips from the experts are a great place to start and familiarize yourself with wine tasting terminology. An accurate description of a wine will make it much easier to pair it with a meal.

1. Try to match the wine to the dominant flavor of the dish to find a good balance between the two. Here are some combination suggestions:
   • Foods naturally higher in acid, including many fruits and cheeses, often pair well with younger wines that are higher in acidity, such as Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or Zinfandel. These wines will also complement foods such as fish, chicken or salads, which are usually flavored with lemon or vinegar.
   • Heavily seasoned dishes flavored with salt or spices will pair well with low-alcohol, fruity wines like Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, a dry rosé, or Pinot Noir rather than anything highly tannic.
   • Delicately flavored and cooked foods, such as steamed, smoked, or poached dishes, will require a delicate combination. Again, try Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, or Gewürztraminer.
   • Rich, hearty dishes call for fuller-bodied wines such as Merlot, Syrah/Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, or Chardonnay.
   • Sweeter savory dishes, like honey roasted ham or pork with a syrup glaze, will suit a semi-sweet or semi-dry wine style like Riesling or Chenin Blanc.
   • Desserts and puddings will only pair successfully with well-rounded sweet or dessert wines. The wine should taste sweeter than the dish it hopes to complement. Serving anything else leaves the wine in danger of tasting sour, try Muscat, Vespaiola, Frontignac or a Port.
2. Experiment with food and wine pairings.
   • Opposites often attract, so you can choose sweet wines to complement salty cheeses and spicy Asian food.
   • Know your geography and you’ll be able to match food and wine by place of origin, as regional pairings, which have developed together naturally, are often well suited.

   Important! When drinking very fine wine, remember to only serve it together with neutral dishes that are lightly seasoned. You don’t want to overpower the finesse of the wine.

3. If you find that the combination of your food and wine is not perfect, please adjust the taste of your food. With careful use of the right seasoning or cooking method, an unsuitable dish can be cleverly altered to better suit the wine, if you find it feels too dry or too bitter.
   • Lemon juice or vinegar will enhance the flavor of a dish and make it more compatible with an acid wine. The wine, in turn, will taste richer and smoother.
   • The salt will suppress unwanted bitterness in the wine. It will also make sweet wines taste sweeter.
   • Fresh Pepper – Grind over raw steak to add texture and juiciness and make a highly tannic wine taste less tannic.
   • Undercooked meat will add texture and juices to the meal and can often make up for lackluster wine.
   • Sweetness in a dish will increase the awareness of bitterness in the wine, making it appear stronger and drier.
4. Use a ‘forkful’ for cooking! Wine can be an exceptional ingredient for marinades and sauces, but if you choose to add wine in food preparation, make sure it is of a good quality; don’t take shortcuts just because you’re cooking with it. Try to use the same variety of wine that you are going to serve with the dish and, if possible, the same wine.
5. For formal dining, follow etiquette and serve:
   • Lighter wines before wines with more body.
   • Wines that are drier rather than sweet (unless there is a particularly sweet early dish).
   • Low alcohol content wines before high alcohol content wines.