Chefs and sommeliers work together to create amazing meals with delicious pairings. Food and wines can work together in perfect harmony, complement each other, or challenge each other and create unexpected flavor combinations. Here are some tips to elevate your meals at home!
Generally speaking, you can't go wrong by pairing like with like - light dishes need a light body wine & rich creamy dishes need a heavier wine. Look for common denominators of flavor or texture. Pepper crusted meat with peppery red Zinfandel; buttery lobster with California Chardonnay; a rich Filet Minon with a rich velvety Merlot.
Make sure the flavors work together: Salty & sour flavors bring out the positive characteristics of flavor; Sweet & bitter bring out the negative.
Think of the book Salt, Acid, Fat, Heat. All of these are components of a delicious meal, and they work best in balance.
Some rules of thumb as you experiment:
But don't just take our word for it! Take notes and follow along with our tasting guide to start picking out details of the wines you love. Or come in to chat with our sommeliers at any Louie's Wine Dive restaurant.
Pick up at your convenience at the Louie's Wine Dive location of your choice. No shipping means we're putting more of your dollars toward what matters: sourcing and purchasing top quality wine.
Unlike most wine clubs, our team is not pigeonholed in having to use wine of a select brand or region, but rather is procuring wine focused on your enjoyment and building knowledge.
Keep up to date on the latest wine releases, events, and news.
Our Privacy Policy is simple. We use your email address to provide you information we think you will value — news about Wine Club wines, Wine Club events and promotions, and general wine education. We don't share your details with outside parties.