When it comes to pairing food and wine, it's important to think of it as more of an art than an exact science. The food and wine matching ‘rules’ aren’t hard and fast, but there are some general guidelines that will provide you with a good foundation to riff off and find with your own idiosyncratic approach.
It might seem simple to say, but the best wine pairings are the ones that you enjoy. So if that means washing down a steak with sauvignon blanc, lobster with pinot noir, or a block of chocolate with a bottle of rosé, then that’s perfectly okay.
All of that said, if you want to get technical about food and wine pairing, you can. Sommeliers have the skills to guide you in restaurants, and with this list of quick tips, you can bring that expert know-how home.
But remember, the key is to have fun – pairing food with wine doesn’t have to be a head spin. Do you love the combination you’ve come up with? Does the food taste good and the wine have you reaching for more? If you answered ‘yes’ to either of those questions, then you’re on the right track. Here are our four guiding rules when it comes to matching food and wine.
Choose wines lower in alcohol
For many experts, alcohol content is the most important factor in determining a great food-friendly wine. Often, food exacerbates tannins, acidity and alcohol, so many argue that a wine with a lower alcohol content of around 11.5 to 13 per cent is going to work better with food than a wine that sits around that 15 to 16 per cent mark.
Opt for more balanced wines
In the same token, it isn't recommended to pair wines that are out of balance – overly acidic, tannic, dry or sweet – for they don’t tend to complement food as well as those that are balanced, open and not dominated by overly strong flavours.
And it is important to note that the grape varieties themselves don’t really matter in this regard – it’s about finding the right weight and style within that varietal. A rich, oaky chardonnay might overpower a piece of fish, but a crisp, lean example would work beautifully.
Match like with like
Another consideration is whether a wine’s flavours and structural components (acid, alcohol, sweetness, tannin, body and so on) will work together with the food. For those looking to pair acid with acid, consider the wonderful combination of a Chianti Classico with a tomato-based pasta sauce – this wine and food pairing is a classic for a reason.
When you start out matching flavour, we suggest simply focusing on one component. If you’re looking to match slow-roasted lamb shoulder seasoned with rosemary, lemon and green olives, the herbaceous notes found in grenache or cabernet sauvignon will harmoniously match the rosemary.
Then consider whether the wine will pair with the rest of the dish. In this case, the bright plushness of grenache will do a good job of standing up against the richness of the lamb.
Play opposites
Instead of matching like with like, you can choose to cut, contrast or balance components against each other.
For example, fat can be cut by either tannin or sugar – think cabernet paired with steak, or foie gras and sauternes. Richness and body can be cut by acid – caviar and sparkling wine, or lobster and dry riesling. And saltiness can be cut with alcohol – think olives and sherry, or blue cheese and port.
With dishes heavy with chilli and spice, we’d recommend aromatic whites such as riesling, grüner veltliner, silvaner and vermentino, or lighter, more delicate reds like pinot noir, pinot meunier, gamay, cabernet franc and blaufränkisch.
Bold flavours will particularly exacerbate alcohol, tannin and acid, so you’ve got to be mindful of choosing a wine that’s more savoury and fruit-forward – this will balance them out.
Below are some of James Halliday's favourite food and wine pairings.
How to match food and wine
by James Halliday| Spring | |
|---|---|
| Sparkling Oysters, cold crustacea, tapas, any cold hors d'oeuvres |
Rosé Caesar salad, trout mousse |
| Young riesling Cold salads, sashimi |
Young pinot noir Seared kangaroo fillet, grilled quail |
| Gewürztraminer Asian |
Merlot Pastrami, warm smoked chicken |
| Young semillon Antipasto, vegetable terrine |
Young medium-bodied cabernet sauvignon Rack of baby lamb |
| Pinot gris, colombard Crab cakes, whitebait |
Light- To medium-bodied cool-climate shiraz Rare eye fillet of beef |
| Verdelho, chenin blanc Cold smoked chicken, gravlax |
Young botrytised wines Fresh fruits, cake |
| Mature chardonnay Grilled chicken, chicken pasta, turkey, pheasant |
|
| Summer | |
|---|---|
| Chilled fino Cold consommé |
Young light-bodied pinot noir Grilled salmon |
| 2–3-year-old semillon Gazpacho |
Aged pinot noir (5+ years) Coq au vin, wild duck |
| 2–3-year-old riesling Seared tuna |
Young grenache/sangiovese Osso bucco |
| Young barrel-fermented semillon sauvignon blanc Seafood or vegetable tempura |
Mature chardonnay (5+ Years) Braised rabbit |
| Young off-dry riesling Prosciutto & melon/pear |
Hunter Valley shiraz (5–10 years) Beef spare ribs |
| Cool-climate chardonnay Abalone, lobster, Chinese-style prawns |
Merlot Saltimbocca, roast pheasant |
| 10-year-old semillon or riesling Braised pork neck |
Medium-bodied cabernet sauvignon (5 years) Barbecued butterfly leg of lamb |
| Mature chardonnay Smoked eel, smoked roe |
All wines Parmagiana |
| Off-dry rosé Chilled fresh fruit |
|
| Autumn | |
|---|---|
| Amontillado Warm consomme |
Aged pinot noir Grilled calf's liver, roast kid, lamb or pig's kidneys |
| Barrel-fermented mature whites Smoked roe, bouillabaisse |
Mature Margaret River cabernet merlot Lamb fillet, roast leg of lamb with garlic and herbs |
| Complex mature chardonnay Sweetbreads, brains |
Cool-climate merlot Lamb loin chops |
| Fully aged riesling Chargrilled eggplant, stuffed capsicum |
Mature Grenache/rhone Blends Moroccan lamb |
| Aged marsanne Seafood risotto, Lebanese |
Rich, full-bodied Heathcote shiraz Beef casserole |
| Southern Victorian pinot noir Peking duck |
Young muscat Plum pudding |
| Winter | |
|---|---|
| Dry oloroso sherry Full-flavoured hors d'oeuvres |
Mature pinot noir Mushroom ragout, ravioli |
| Sparkling Burgundy Borscht |
Mature merlot Pot au feu |
| Viognier Pea and ham soup |
10-year-old Heathcote shiraz Char-grilled rump steak |
| Aged (10+ Years) semillon Vichysoisse (hot) |
15–20-year-old full-bodied Barossa shiraz Venison, kangaroo fillet |
| Sauvignon blanc Coquilles St Jacques, pan-fried scallops |
Coonawarra cabernet sauvignon Braised lamb shanks/shoulder |
| Mature chardonnay Quiche Lorraine |
Muscat (Old) Chocolate-based desserts |
| Chardonnay (10+ Years) Cassoulet |
Tokay (Old) Creme brûlée |
| Mature semillon sauvignon blanc Seafood pasta |
Vintage port Dried fruits, salty cheese |
| Young Tasmanian pinot noir Squab, duck breast |
|
Next steps on your wine journey
If after reading this, you’re wanting more wine knowledge, you can always take one of our online or in-person Halliday Wine Academy courses.
Halliday Wine Academy: Fundamentals of Wine in-person education courseJoin Jane Faulkner in Melbourne this May 2025 for our Fundamentals of Wine in-person course. Across one two-hour session each week for four weeks, Jane will guide you through course materials and a selection of highly rated wines. Find out more.
Halliday Wine Academy: Introduction to Wine online education course
Across eight modules, Halliday Wine Academy's Introduction to Wine course offers a detailed look at the Australian wine landscape. Learn about wine varietals, Australian wine regions, how wine is made, how to taste and describe wine, how to approach food and wine matches, along with handy tips that address common wine questions. Find out more.
Once you've mastered the basics, enrol in Halliday Wine Academy's Wines of the World. Europe will guide you through the key regions, wine styles and grape varieties, labelling laws and appellations, and more, of France, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Austria and Germany. Europe and Beyond will cover Italy, Greece, the Americas, South Africa and New Zealand. Purchase both courses as a bundle and save. Find out more.
Image credit: Wine Australia/Ewen Bell.
