Easy Guide to Red Wine Pairings
Fat in food makes high tannin wines taste smoother and Shiraz (aka Syrah) is a fuller bodied wine perfect for balanced pairing. Pour a glass over some BBQ, braised beef dishes, grilled duck, and roasted veggies. All the umami flavors will match the intensity of the wine.
2. Tempranillo
Depending on the style of your Pinot Noir, there’s a wide range of dishes your wine can accompany. Frutier Pinot Noir matches great with salmon, roasted chicken, and dense pasta dishes. While more tannic Pinot Noir matches best with game birds (like duck), casseroles, beef stew, and hotpot.
4. Merlot
Merlot wines usually have medium tannins (chemical that causes bitterness and triggers your mouth to water more) and aren’t too high in acidity. This in-the-middle wine goes well with seared Italian sausages with grilled veggies, a blue cheese burger, lamb chops, and anything with mushrooms.
5. Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon has plenty of tannins and higher acidity than Merlot, for example. However, this is a nice wine for red meat entrées like steak & lamb, vegeratian dishes with portobella mushrooms and certain aged cheeses. Seasonings like garlic, rosemary and mint also enhance Cab Sauv elements.
6. Grenache (Garnacha)
Grenache pairs perfectly with with grilled, stewed and braised meats like beef, veal, pork, chicken and of course game. Grenache holds up well to hearty dishes like cassoulet and it’s a good match for less spicy styles of Asian cooking.