Food Style Matches

These are examples of food styles that match well with Chardonnay.

Sauces

With characters of vanilla, butterscotch, toffee, tropical fruits, and high oak flavors, Chardonnay pairs well with rich foods, but does not lend itself to salty, spicy, or smoky foods. Buerre blanc (citrus and butter), cream sauces, mushroom sauces, tropical fruit salsas, cooked fruit sauces.

Seafood

Lobster, crab, fresh Dungeness crab with lemon, scallops, fish stew with saffron and lemon, grilled salmon.

Meats

Chicken breast with a mushroom sauce, veal piccata, roast chicken, grilled pork chops.

Food Style Matches

These are examples of food styles that match well with Chenin Blanc.

Sauces

Slight residual sugar, crisp acidity, and notes of grapefruit make this wine pair well with soy-based sauces, fruit-based sauces, light cream sauces, citrus flavored sauces for fish and poultry.

Asian

Thai, Chinese, Southeast Asian, Curries, Indian, Malaysian.

Flavorful

BBQ, strong cheeses, beef stews, cassoulet, Tex Mex, Chinese.

Food Style Matches

These are examples of food styles that match well with Dessert Wine.

Appetizers

Ironically, dessert wines, with their lush, syrupy flavors and notes of dried fruits, lend themselves very well to salty appetizers. Foie Gras, salty cheeses like stilton or blue cheese, cured meats like prosciutto, olives.

Desserts

Bread pudding, fruit crepes, custards, apple, pear, or peach dishes. Avoid serving with overly sweet deserts like chocolate or fresh fruits.

Food Style Matches

These are examples of food styles that match well with Dry Riesling.

Salty

The fruit and floral notes, and crisp finish of this wine make it a good pair with briny oysters, smoked salmon, soy-based Chinese dishes, smoked and cured meats.

Spicy

Thai dishes, Indian curries, Creole dishes, and Chinese dishes — especially pork, fish, and duck.

Intensely Flavored Condiments

Curries, chutneys, dried fruits, chilies, salsas.

Food Style Matches

These are examples of food styles that match well with Gewürztraminer.

Salty

The pronounced spice notes and slight residual sugars of this wine make it a good match with soy and fish-sauce based Asian dishes, Thai and Chinese dishes, Southeast Asian and Indian curries, and cured meats.

Spicy

Szechuan Chinese dishes, Thai dishes, spicy curries from India and Southeast Asia.

Fruit and Citrus

Tropical fruit salsas for Asian foods and Mexican dishes, fruit-flavored sauces for pork and seafood, curries with lime or vinegars, salsa with lime or lemon, Chinese dishes with rice vinegar, Coastal Mexican dishes with lime.

Food Style Matches

These are examples of food styles that match well with Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio.

Mediterranean

With a medium to light body and fresh acidity, this wine lends itself to grilled fish, pastas, cured meats like prosciutto or salami, alfredo sauce, salty cheeses like parmesan or Fontana, and Ciopinno seafood stew.

Asian and Tex Mex

Mildly spiced Asian foods and Tex Mex dishes.

Seafood with Citrus Sauces

Mexican seafood dishes, ceviche, Mediterranean seafood stew, lemongrass soups or pastas.

Food Style Matches

These are examples of food styles that match well with Riesling.

Spicy

The slight residual sugar and crisp acidity of Riesling lends itself to spicy, smokey, salty flavored, or high fat foods. Thai, Chinese, Southeast Asian, Curries, Indian, Malaysian, Cajun.

Rich

Braised meats, charcuterie such as liverwurst or sausages, Alsatian and German dishes, smoked fish.

Acidic

This wine balances out the acidity for foods flavored with citrus and rice wine vinegar. Thai, Ceviche, Chinese, BBQ.

Food Style Matches

These are examples of food styles that match well with Sauvignon Blanc.

Seafood

With intense flavors, high acidity, and notes of grapefruit, this wine balances smokey or salty foods. Smoked fish, raw oysters, shellfish, curried seafood dishes, sushi and sashimi, grilled salmon, halibut, tuna.

Rich

Fried foods, cream or butter-based sauces, Mexican foods.

Asian

Indian or Malaysian dishes with their more acidic curries, Vietnamese or Thai dishes with clean flavors and moderate to high spice.

Food Style Matches

These are examples of food styles that match well with Viognier.

Rich flavors

With a highly floral bouquet, lighter body, less crisp finish, this wine pairs excellently with cream-based chicken, lobster, scallops, and Asian seafood noodle dishes or pork.

Non-Complementary Foods

The characteristics of this wine does not make it a good match for cured meats, smoked fish, or highly spicy dishes.