How to Pair Wine With Dinner

Most pairing advice is a list of rules to memorize. You need only three ideas: match weight to weight, match acidity to acidity, and use tannin against fat.

Weight to weight

Light food, light wine; heavy food, heavy wine. A delicate piece of white fish is overwhelmed by a big Cabernet and flattered by a crisp Sauvignon Blanc; a braised short rib disappears behind a Pinot Grigio and comes alive next to Malbec. Every product page shows a Body score so you can match it to the plate.

Acid to acid

Tomato sauce, vinaigrette, citrus and goat cheese are all high in acid, and a soft, low-acid wine will taste flat beside them. Reach for wines with bright acidity: Italian reds with pasta, Sauvignon Blanc with salads, sparkling wine with almost anything fried or salty.

Tannin against fat

The drying grip of a tannic red — Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Nebbiolo — softens against protein and fat, which is why steak and Cabernet is the pairing everyone knows. Keep tannic reds away from spicy food, where the tannin amplifies the heat; off-dry Riesling or a fruity rosé is the answer there.

If you remember nothing else: sparkling wine and dry rosé are the two bottles that go with nearly everything.