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The holiday season is the perfect time to elevate your meals with carefully chosen wines. A great food and wine pairing brings balance and harmony to the table. Discover how to create successful food and wine pairings that will impress your guests.
A successful pairing enhances both the wine and the dish. It brings the flavors into focus and creates a truly unique tasting experience. A poorly thought-out food and wine pairing can, on the other hand, throw the meal off balance.
How do you choose the right wine for each dish?
Take the dish’s structure into account: richness, acidity, and flavor intensity. Lighter wines suit delicate dishes, while fuller-bodied wines stand up to richer fare.
Classic pairings for seafood
Seafood, with its briny character, pairs beautifully with fresh, light white wines.
What wine goes with oysters?
Go for a Muscadet or a Chablis. Their minerality highlights the freshness of the oysters. These wines also complement shellfish.
What wine goes with scallops?
An unoaked Chardonnay or a Viognier brings out the sweetness of scallops. Their roundness balances the buttery flavors.
Food and wine pairings for festive poultry
Poultry like turkey or capon is a holiday staple.
Roast turkey and light red wine
A Pinot Noir or a Beaujolais pairs perfectly with turkey. These wines balance the tenderness of the meat and its side dishes.
Stuffed capon and rich white wine
A white wine such as a Meursault or a Gewurztraminer is ideal with stuffed capon. These wines support the dish’s complex flavors.
Red meat and full-bodied wines for festive meals
Red meats call for powerful wines to balance their intensity.
Beef tenderloin and Bordeaux
A structured Bordeaux pairs beautifully with a beef tenderloin. It highlights the meat’s melt-in-the-mouth texture.
Game and robust wines
A wine from the Rhône Valley or a Cahors pairs wonderfully with game such as venison or wild boar.
Pairings for festive vegetarian dishes
Vegetarian dishes can also offer refined pairings.
Roasted vegetables and dry white wine
A Sancerre or a Pouilly-Fumé highlights the caramelized sweetness of roasted vegetables.
Mushroom risotto and light red wine
A Pinot Noir brings out the earthy, delicate aromas of mushroom risotto.
Cheese and wine for the perfect finish to a meal
Cheeses are varied and complex, so each type calls for the right match.
Hard cheeses and red wines
Comté or Parmesan pair well with a fruity red wine such as a Gamay.
Blue cheeses and sweet wines
Roquefort with a Sauternes creates an unforgettable sweet-and-salty contrast.
Desserts and sweet wines to end on a high note
Holiday desserts call for sweet, luscious wines.
Yule log cake and off-dry wine
A Loire Valley wine such as a Coteaux-du-Layon pairs wonderfully with a fruit-based or chocolate Yule log.
Fruit tart and Champagne
A demi-sec or brut Champagne pairs well with a fresh fruit tart.
Practical tips for successful food and wine pairings
- Serve the wines in order, from lightest to fullest-bodied.
- Offer a single versatile wine if you’re serving several courses.
- Respect the serving temperature for each type of wine.
If you enjoyed this article, don't hesitate to read the next one, "Which wine should you choose with cassoulet?", which might also interest you!
