The Thyme Savor - Wine Paring Guide

Wine and Food Pairings

Wine and food pairings is an individual choice. Every person's sense of taste is different. In general, each person should decide for him or herself what combinations of wine and food taste good - don't worry about what anyone else says should work. However, I understand this is difficult when a wine drinker is just starting out. Hence, this listing.

Red Wine

White Wine

Champagne

Remember - these are only guidelines!! You will figure out quite quickly that your own tongue has its own idea of what goes well with what. Trust your own judgement, and eat and drink what you enjoy! Have a question regarding wine pairing? Ask Chef Pamela!

Red Wine and Food Pairings

Typically, you want to drink light-to-dark, just as when you plan a meal you start with delicate tastes and work towards heavier tastes. For this reason, you normally don't serve a red wine with appetizers or opening courses in a meal. Red wines do go very nicely with heavier foods - beef, red pasta, and so on.

	Beaujolais	Pinot Noir	Merlot	Cabernet	Zinfandel	Port
Mild Cheese	-	-	-	-	-	-
Strong Cheese
Appetizers		-	-	-	-	-
All Seafood	-	-	-	-	-	-
Pasta, cream sauce	-	-	-	-	-	-
Pasta, red sauce						-
Asian food	-	-	-	-	-	-
Poultry		-	-	-	-	-
Pork			-	-	-	-
Beef	-					-
Fruit/Dessert	-	-	-	-	-	-
Chocolate	-	-			-

White Wine and Food Pairings

Typically, you want to drink light-to-dark, just as when you plan a meal you start with delicate tastes and work towards heavier tastes. For this reason, you tend to serve a white wine with appetizers or opening courses in a meal. White wines also go well with most lighter dishes - salads, fish, poultry, and so on.

	Chenin Blanc	Gewurz traminer	Dry Riesling	Sauv. Blanc	Chardonnay	White Riesling
Mild Cheese					-
Strong Cheese		-				-
Appetizers						-
Oysters	-	-	-			-
Shrimp, crab, lobster		-			-	-
Shellfish		-	-		-	-
Seafood w/lite sauce	-	-				-
Seafood w/cream sauce	-	-	-	-		-
Grilled Fish	-	-				-
Pasta w/cream sauce	-	-	-		-	-
Pasta w/red sauce	-	-	-	-	-	-
Asian food				-	-	-
Poultry						-
Pork	-			-		-
Beef	-	-	-	-	-	-
Chocolate	-	-	-	-	-

Champagne and Food Pairings

Typically, you want to drink light-to-dark, just as when you plan a meal you start with delicate tastes and work towards heavier tastes. For this reason, Champagne tends to go very well with appetizers or opening courses in a meal. It also goes well with sushi and very light meals, and of course as an after-dinner celebration!

	Extra Dry	Brut	Blanc de Blanc	Blanc de Noir
Mild Cheese				-
Strong Cheese
Appetizers
Shrimp, crab, lobster	-
Shellfish	-
Seafood w/lite sauce	-
Seafood w/cream sauce	-	-	-	-
Grilled fish	-	-	-	-
Pasta w/cream sauce	-	-	-	-
Pasta w/red sauce	-	-	-	-
Asian food				-
Poultry
Pork	-	-	-	-
Beef	-	-	-	-
Fruit/Dessert
Chocolate	-	-	-	-

Cheese Pairing Guide

Mention a wine party to someone, and the first thing that tends to come to mind is "and cheese". Wine and cheese both have an extremely long history - both were mentioned in the Odyssey! Both wine and cheese are natural products, created using a standard process but with a myriad of results. Both tend to age well.
Wine and cheese combinations, much like all other aspects of wine, are a purely personal decision. That said, there are some combinations that are naturally pleasing to the vast majority of consumers. Usually one drinks red wine with hard cheese, and white wine with soft cheeses. These charts below are just a guideline - be sure to keep an open mind and find out what is best suited to your own palate!

Cheese Type	Wine	Wine Suggestions
Baby Swiss		Asti Spumanti
Bleu		Tawny Port, Madeira, Sherry
Boursin		Gewurztraminer
Brie, Vintage		Champagne, Sweet Sherry
Brie, US		Cabernet, Beaujolais
Camembert		Cabernet, Chenin Blanc
Caraway		Gewurztraminer
Cheddar, Mild		Champagne, Chardonnay
Cheddar, Strong		Cabernet, Rioja, Sauvignon Blanc
Cheshire		Riesling
Chevre		Gewurztraminer, Champagne
Colby		Riesling, Champagne
Cream Cheese		White Zinfandel
Danish Blue		Cabernet
Edam		Riesling, Dry Champagne
Feta		Beaujolais
Goat Cheese		Sancerre, Vouvray
Gorgonzola		Sauternes - Bordeaux
Gouda		Riesling, Champagne
Gruyere		Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Port
Havarti		Bordeaux, Rioja
Monterey Jack		Riesling
Muenster		Beaujolais, Zinfandel
Provolone		Chardonnay
Roquefort		Tawny Port
Stilton		Port
Swiss		Gewurztraminer