Pairing wine is always a scary topic! Add onto it the idea of pairing NATURAL wines and it seems like the conversation should become even more complex. Never fear, we're here to help you navigate what to drink with your next meal and simplify it so you don't feel like you have to memorize regions or obscure wine classifications again!
Before we get into what wines go with what (we'll link below to each wine type from a special series we’re running) below is our cheat sheet to flavor profiles and meals that we use to classify our own wines and that you can use to more easily match your meal to your food! So for example, if we say something pairs well with shellfish, we're thinking things like Shrimp, Lobster, or Crab. Dairy would include soft cheese and hard cheese, etc.
| Wine By Flavor Profile | |||
|
Meat
|
Red Meat
|
Beef |  |
| Lamb |  |
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|
Cured Meat
|
Salami |  |
|
| Bacon |  |
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| Pork |  |
||
|
Poultry
|
Chicken |  |
|
| Duck |  |
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| Turkey |  |
||
|
Mollusk
|
Oyster |  |
|
| Mussel |  |
||
|
Fish
|
Tuna |  |
|
| Salmon |  |
||
| Crudo |  |
||
|
Shellfish
|
Shrimp |  |
|
| Crab |  |
||
| Lobster |  |
||
|
Preparation
|
Grilled or Barbecued |  |
|
| Sautéed & Fried |  |
||
| Roasted |  |
||
| Poached & Steamed |  |
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|
Dairy
|
Soft Cheese and Cream |  |
|
| Hard Cheese |  |
||
|
Veggies
|
Onion & Garlic |  |
|
| Green Veggies |  |
||
| Root Veggies |  |
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| Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplant |  |
||
| Mushrooms |  |
||
| Nuts & Seeds |  |
||
|
Herb & Spices
|
Beans & Peas |  |
|
| Black Pepper |  |
||
| Red Pepper |  |
||
| Hot & Spicy |  |
||
| Herbs |  |
||
| Baking Spices |  |
||
| Exotic and Aromatic Spices |  |
||
|
Starch
|
White Starches |  |
|
| Whole Wheat Grains |  |
||
| Sweet Starchy Veggies |  |
||
| Potato |  |
||
|
Sweet
|
Fruit & Berries |  |
|
| Vanilla & Caramel |  |
||
| Chocolate & Coffee |  |
||
| Wine By Meal Type | |||
|
Meals
|
Tacos |  |
|
| Pasta |  |
||
| Sushi |  |
||
| Stew |  |
||
| Risotto |  |
||
| Sandwich |  |
||
| Steaks |  |
||
| Salad |  |
||
| Thai/Korean |  |
||
| Pizza |  |
||
| Burger |  |
||
| Indian |  |
||
| Brunch |  |
||
Check out each section to understand more about each type of natural wine and the best pairings for them!
Red Wine
White Wine
Orange Wine
Rosé Wine
Sparkling Wine
Holly Berrigan is the Founder of MYSA Natural Wine. She has a WSET Level 3 certification with Distinction, is a member and writer for the Porto Protocol and Slow Food USA, and is a student in Sustainable Agriculture at the University of Massachusetts Stockbridge.
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