One of the most frequent questions I get from friends and family has to do with pairing wines with certain dishes. My usual response is “drink what you like!” I often pair my go-to white Chablis with most anything, even steaks.
However, I can tell you from recent experience, Chablis is not a good pairing with everything. While celebrating my birthday with friends at the Santa Fe Opera House, we enjoyed a bottle of William Fevre Champs Royaux Chablis with a picnic dinner of sausages and sauerkraut. The crisp, high acid Chablis paired great with the fatty sausages, but was not-so-pleasant with the sauerkraut. There’s a reason Germans pair sauerkraut with beer!
Here are some of my tried-and-true pairing suggestions that make both the wine and food come alive when served together. I recently worked with Chef Carlos Crusco to pair wines for a private 60th birthday dinner and selected these wines for his menu.
Off-dry wines with spicy foods: I selected a sparkling Gamay with a hint of sweetness to pair with the passed appetizer Patatas Bravas with a spicy Pimenton dipping sauce. NV Patrick Bottex Bugey-Cerdon La Cueille
High acid whites with fatty foods: Champagne or another dry sparkling wine is a good choice for Chef’s Mozzarella Croquettes because the high acidity in the bubbles cuts through the creamy cheese. NV Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve
Creamy wines with creamy dishes: for a Porcini Mushroom Bisque, I immediately went to Burgundy and the fine folks at the Austin Wine Merchant steered me toward a lovely premier cru from Chassagne-Montrachet that stood up to the rich mushrooms. 2020 Guy Amiot et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet Les Vergers Premier Cru
Similar tasting profiles go together: Vegetables like asparagus, squash, zucchini and herbs like basil have green notes that can be hard to pair so for a Summer Squash Pasta, I leaned toward a white with some subtle green notes like Sauvignon Blanc or Gruner Veltliner. 2021 Laurenz V Singing Gruner Veltliner
Match the wine with the sauce vs the meat: the Sweet and Heat Quail was my toughest pick because I could have gone with a lighter red like a Beaujolais but with the smoky ancho citrus glaze, I selected a hearty rosé that had some weight and texture but also bright fruit and orange citrus notes that complemented the glaze. 2022 La Bastide Blanche Rosé
Big and bold foods need big and bold wines: for the main course of Braised Short Ribs and Polenta, I went with one of the world’s greatest red wines: Brunello di Montalcino. The ribs’ tomato-red wine sauce complemented the red cherry, currant, forest floor, leather and anise notes of the wine. 2016 Castello Tricerchi Brunello di Montalcino
Sweet with sweet: the Citron Tart screamed Sauternes and it did not disappoint. The honeyed, lemon, ginger and marzipan notes of the wine sang with the sweet dessert. 2010 Chateau Suduiraut Premier Cru Classé Sauternes
Cheers!
Denise Clarke is an avid wine enthusiast who loves sharing and teaching people about wine. She is a Certified Wine Educator, Certified Sommelier, WSET Advanced graduate and an expert on Texas wine. Owner of Denise Clarke PR, she currently represents Texas Fine Wine and the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Wine Marketing Program. She has lived in Austin for more than 30 years and when she is not swirling and sipping wine, she can be found on her bike, climbing every hill she can find.
Follow Denise on IG at @deniseclarkeTX for more wine recommendations.
