For someone who doesn’t drink (me) choosing wine pairings with food is quite annoying. I’m basically guessing people. But luckily I don’t have to guess any more. Drizzly has taken the guess work out for me and for you! Here’s a handy quick guide on how to pick the right wine to go with your food. A good rule to remember is if the wine goes well with your food to drink, the same logic can apply to your cooking (red with beef, white with chicken or fish)
1) Start in your comfort zone. Don’t go crazy researching popular wine and food pairings, start by choosing one of your favorite wines that you love to drink on its own. Think about why you like it. If you can pinpoint a couple of specific flavor notes you’ll be able to conjure up a food that you’ll like to eat with it. (The bonus to this approach, if you don’t LOVE the pairing, you are still left with a bottle you know you like.)
Here are some wines we recommend based on your preferences:
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French Rosé from Provence – tastes like fresh fruit – pair with cheese, crackers, and strawberries.
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Argentinian Malbec – smokey, earthy flavor – pair with barbecue like spicy ribs and baked beans.
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Spanish Albariño – Crisp, dry on the palette with notes of citrus – pair with seafood like shrimp cocktail or crab cakes.
2) Let the wine shine. When pairing, find foods that will complement (not necessarily match) the main flavor profiles of wine. If you have a bitter wine, pair with a fatty food. If you have a sweet wine, pair with a less sweet food. If you have a more acidic wine, find a food with less acidity to let that aspect of the wine come through stronger. A solid food pairing will enhance the flavor of the wine and bring out aromas and flavors you may not have noticed before. An overpowering food could mask those flavors and overwhelm your palette.
3) A wine’s region or origin can help guide a pairing. Think about wear the wine comes from to help decide on a food pairing. Bold red wines from Italy (try Brunello, Barolo, Barbera) were meant to go with hearty pasta dishes and delicious red sauces. A dry or acidic white wine from Austria like Grüner Veltliner which is becoming very popular, was meant to help cut through fatty meats like pork and sausage. A red blend from California (Stags’ Leap, Hess, and Smoking Loon all make great bottles) matches well with spicy and flavorful foods as you would expect from this foodie region. A little research can go a long way, famous wine regions have developed their flavor profiles over decades or even centuries to complement their local food culture.
Drizly is the technology company powering a superior shopping experience for beer, wine and liquor. Combining the best selection and price, content-rich and personalized shopping experiences, and the speed and convenience of on-demand delivery, Drizly delivers “The Joy of Drinking” to legal-age drinkers across the United States. Backed by a world-class group of angel and institutional investors, the company has raised $17.8 million to become a superior place to shop for beer, wine and liquor in Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Hoboken/Jersey City, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New Orleans, New York City, Providence, Seattle, St. Louis, and Washington D.C.
