pairing natural wine and food

An Introduction to Pairing Natural Wine and Food

Posted by Holly Berrigan on

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 Beef
Lamb Lamb
Cured Meat
Salami Salami
Bacon Bacon
Pork   Pork
Poultry
Chicken Chicken
Duck Duck
Turkey Turkey
Mollusk
Oyster Oyster
Mussel Mussel
Fish
Tuna Tuna
Salmon Salmon
Crudo Crudo
Shellfish
Shrimp Shrimp
Crab Crab
Lobster Lobster
Preparation
Grilled or Barbecued   Grilled
Sautéed & Fried   Sauteed
Roasted   Roasted
Poached & Steamed   Steamed
Dairy
Soft Cheese and Cream   Soft Cheese
Hard Cheese   Hard Cheese
Veggies
Onion & Garlic   Garlic
Green Veggies   Cabbage
Root Veggies   Pumpkin
Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplant   Tomatoe
Mushrooms   Mushroom
Nuts & Seeds   Almonds
Herb & Spices
Beans & Peas   Peas
Black Pepper   Pepper
Red Pepper   Chili Pepper
Hot & Spicy   Spicey
Herbs   Basil
Baking Spices   Baking Spice
Exotic and Aromatic Spices   Ginger
Starch
White Starches   Flour
Whole Wheat Grains   Grain
Sweet Starchy Veggies   Sweet Potato
Potato   Potato
Sweet
Fruit & Berries   Blueberries
Vanilla & Caramel   Cake
Chocolate & Coffee   Chocolate
Wine By Meal Type
Meals
Tacos   Taco
Pasta   Pasta
Sushi   Sushi
Stew   Stew
Risotto   Risotto
Sandwich   Sandwich
Steaks   Steak
Salad   Salad
Thai/Korean   Korean Food
Pizza   Pizza
Burger   Burger
Indian   Curry
Brunch   Pancakes


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.

AN INTRODUCTION TO PAIRING NATURAL WINE AND FOOD

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