11 Wines to Pair with Food

How to Pair Wine with Food? 11 Wines to Pair with Food is easier than you may think. Here are 11 ways to pair wine with food and some great tips and recipes to help you choose fabulous wines to go with your meals!

11 Wines to Pair with Food

Food pairing is not difficult, even for beginners. But it is a good idea to remember the three “P’s” when deciding on wines: Preference, Price, and Pairing. There are 6 whites and 5 reds most popular wines to choose from:

Most Popular White Wines…

There are so many wines from different countries and origins, but we narrowed it down to the most familiar and well known wines. Here are the six most popular white wines. As far as popularity, these are not in any particular order.

1. Pinot Grigio

With its light, fruity flavor, pinot grigio is best paired with all seafood dishes, like our Little Neck Clams with Wine and Garlic. Besides seafood, it goes well with cheeses and “light sauces” like Creamy Asparagus Risotto, and Cacio e Pepe Recipe.

It’s perfect with light salads too like our Easy Chicken Salad.

2. Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is a semi-dry white wine with lovely citrus undertones, containing a combination of passion fruit and melon flavors. It’s a white wine that pairs well with many seafood dishes, cheeses, and charcuterie boards, along with savory quiches and tarts.

Sauvignon Blanc goes great with all these recipes:

• Spicy Shrimp Recipe (10 Minutes!)
• Best Shrimp and Scallop Kabobs
• Italian Savory Eggplant Tart (+video)
• Five Easy Quiche Recipes
• Grilled Jumbo Shrimp
• Bake or Roast Branzino with Lemon

3. Chardonnay

A Chardonnay is a buttery, smooth white wine with notes of fruit. Great with all fish dishes, earthy mushrooms, and creamy dishes like our chicken smothered with marsala, easy shrimp bisque, and spinach ravioli with asparagus cream sauce.

Chardonnay also pairs well with these dishes:

• Mom’s Best Chicken Piccata (+video)
• Date-Night Creamy Ravioli with Peas
• Easy Baked Swordfish (+video)
• Easy Shrimp Dinner (+video)
• Classic Pork Chop Marsala

4. Riesling

Riesling white wine is a semi-dry sweet wine, and it is food-friendly. The sweetness depends on the country of origin. Its wide range of styles makes it very versatile and it goes well with dishes from sushi to spicy foods, like our Quick Mussels Fra Diavolo and Spicy Shrimp Recipe (10 Minutes!).

Also, for the holidays, a Riesling white wine pairs well with our 2 Steps Best Spiral Glazed Ham or with Roasted Boneless Turkey Breast.

5. Rose’

A Rose’ wine is a lovely pale pink, light-bodied dry wine that goes well with practically everything. Most popular wine among the ladies, because you can add ice in the glass and it won’t change its flavor. It is a fabulous wine to enjoy leisurely with appetizers and hors d’oeuvres before dinner.

• Sausage Bites with Sweet & Sour Dipping Sauce!
• Baked Artichoke and Spinach Dip (Houston’s Copycat)
• Goat Cheese Pistachio and Walnut Ball
• Gluten-Free Stuffed Mushrooms

6. Moscato D’Asti

Moscato D’Asti is a sparkling sweet dessert wine, served with all desserts. Made from muscat grapes, which give this wine its sweet flavor. It pairs perfectly with all desserts and especially with rich chocolate desserts, like our:

• Easiest Flourless Chocolate Cake
• Silky Chocolate Cream Pie
• Best Tiramisu

Most Popular Red Wines…

Here are the 5 most popular red wines to choose from. These red wines are in no particular order. As we mentioned earlier, it’s all a matter of preference (and price) when pairing with food.

1. Chianti

Chianti is a light classic dry red wine from Tuscany and it goes well with all meat dishes, like our Perfect Filet Mignon Roast, and sliced London Broil Steak. It also pairs well with rich tomato sauces, and several pasta dishes like our Rigatoni alla Matriciana, and our Best Pork Ragu Recipe.

Plus, it goes well with vegetarian portabella burgers too.

It’s available in 3 different varieties and price ranges. It’s sold as regular 1.Chianti… 2.Chianti Classico… and 3.Chianti Classico Riserva.

These wines also go well with a Baked Spiral Ham, or Roasted Boneless Turkey Breast.

2. Cabernet Sauvignon

A Cabernet is a hearty, robust red wine that pairs well with all grilled steaks, lamb, and even venison because of its high-alcohol content. Pairs great with our Filet Mignon with Peppercorn Sauce, and Grilled Lamb Chops.

3. Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is a light, delicate fruity-aromatics wine that pairs well with comfort foods like stews, pork, roasted duck and poultry dishes. Some of our favorites are:

• Chicken Cacciatore Recipe (the photo above)
• Baked Stuffed Pork Chops
• Beef Stew in half the time!
• Traditional Hungarian Goulash

4. Malbec

Malbec is a fruity, hearty wine with hints of berries, usually from Argentina and France. It pairs well with grilled steaks and a rack of ribs like our Roasted Baby Back Ribs.

5. Merlot

Merlot wine is a trendy wine simply because it goes well with poultry, beef, duck, lamb, and pork. It is a very light red wine, and quality and prices vary on the country of production. Merlot will also pair well with some of these recipes and dishes:

• Beef Tenderloin Roast Recipe
• Turkey Burgers
• Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Strawberries
• Sicilian Sausage and Peppers
• Roasted Boneless Turkey Breast

What temperatures to serve wine?

Red wines are best served at room temperature while all white wines are served chilled. The general guidelines are as follows:

• For White Wines: about 35 to 40 degrees for all sparkling wines, whites, and roses`.

• For Red Wines: about 48 to 55 degrees for all reds.

Quick Tip about Red Wines…

Most red wines should be opened at least 30 minutes before pouring them into wine glasses. This is to allow the wine to breathe a little and air-out the alcohol before sipping.

Additional Favorite Recipes…

• Five Easy Quiche Recipes
• 20 Easy Shrimp Recipes
• 11 Easy Chicken Skillet Recipes
• Most Popular Eggplant Recipes
• 14 Easy Ground Beef Recipes for Dinner
• 28 Best Summer Salad Recipes

If you enjoyed our 11 Wines to Pair with Food along with some great tips and recipes, let us know and leave a comment!

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Happy and Healthy Life! 🙂

Thanks for stopping by!

xo anna and liz