White Wine Pairing 101: How to Match Your Favorite Foods

If you have been led to believe a steak tartare and white wine can’t match – think again.

Some wine matches are about contrast, a steak tartare match works because a dry high acid white wine contrasts the fatty, richness of the raw meat, also piercing the richness of the accompanying egg yolk. Another simple example is the pairing of a high acid white wine with residual sugar (like a German Riesling) harmoniously contrasts with Cajun spiced crab cakes.

“If it’s smoked – bring on the oak” is a classic phrase which highlights how a white wine with barrel fermentation or barrel-aged characters can work well with smoked, charred, seared, burned, caramelised foods. An oaky wine becomes less assertive, smoother, sweeter, and more integrated. Smoked eel or mussels and oak-aged Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc or char-grilled pork and Hawkes Bay Chardonnay.

Caesar salad and Sauvignon Blanc work well together because red wine vinegar, parmesan cheese and lemon juice are high impact ingredients, so Sauvignon Blanc is a good match as it too has higher acidity and impact.

Sweetcorn fritters with crème fraiche can be great with Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer or Chardonnay. Change the topping - change the wine. Sweetcorn fritters with tomato chutney require a wine with more weight and sugar, or a fruity core to contrast the spice and acidity of chutney. Gewürztraminer can be the perfect wine for this pairing. Hot and sour soups and sweet wine are great pairing, as are classic Indian and Thai foods – or a rich duck liver pate.