The festive season is the perfect occasion to enhance your meals with well-chosen wines. A good match between food and wine brings balance and harmony to the table. Find out how to successfully match wine and food to impress your guests.
A successful pairing enhances both the wine and the dish. It enhances flavors and creates a unique taste experience. A poorly thought-out wine and food pairing can, on the contrary, unbalance the meal.
How do you choose the right wine for each dish?
Take into account the structure of the dish: richness, acidity and intensity of flavors. Light wines accompany delicate dishes, while full-bodied wines support rich dishes.
Classic seafood pairings
Seafood, with its iodized taste, goes well with fresh, light white wines.
Which wine goes with oysters?
Opt for a Muscadet or Chablis. Their minerality enhances the freshness of oysters. These wines also complement shellfish.
Which wine goes with scallops?
An unoaked Chardonnay or Viognier sublimates the sweetness of the scallops. Their roundness balances the buttery flavors.
Food and wine pairings for festive poultry
Poultry such as turkey and capon are holiday staples.
Roast turkey and light red wine
A Pinot Noir or Beaujolais is the perfect accompaniment to turkey. These wines balance the tenderness of the meat and its accompaniments.
Stuffed capon and rich white wine
A white wine like a Meursault or Gewurztraminer is ideal for a stuffed capon. These wines support the complex flavors.
Red meats and full-bodied wines for festive meals
Red meats require powerful wines to balance their intensity.
Beef tenderloin and Bordeaux
A well-structured Bordeaux is the perfect match for fillet of beef. It enhances the meat's melt-in-the-mouth texture.
Game and robust wines
A Rhône Valley wine or a Cahors is the perfect accompaniment to game such as venison or wild boar.
Vegetarian dishes for the holidays
Vegetarian dishes can also offer refined pairings.
Roasted vegetables and dry white wine
A Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé brings out the caramelized sweetness of roasted vegetables.
Risotto with mushrooms and light red wine
A Pinot Noir reveals the delicate, earthy aromas of a mushroom risotto.
Cheese and wine for the perfect end to a meal
Cheeses are varied and complex, and require specific choices for each type.
Hard cheeses and red wines
Comté or Parmesan go well with a fruity red wine like a Gamay.
Blue cheeses and sweet wines
A Roquefort paired with a Sauternes offers an unforgettable sweet-savory contrast.
Desserts and sweet wines to finish on a high note
Holiday desserts call for sweet, mellow wines.
Yule log and sweet wine
A Loire wine like a Coteaux-du-Layon is the perfect accompaniment to a fruity or chocolate log.
Fruit tart with Champagne
A demi-sec or brut Champagne goes well with a fresh fruit tart.
Practical tips for successful wine and food pairing
- Serve wines in order, from lightest to fullest-bodied.
- Offer a single versatile wine if you're serving several courses.
- Respect the serving temperatures for each type of wine.
If you enjoyed this article, don't hesitate to read the following article "Which wine to choose with cassoulet?", which might also interest you!
