Have you tried New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with brussel sprouts? No? Thank goddess! Don’t! That would be a terrible pairing! This blog post is about all those times when you took a bite of your favorite dish, followed it with the wine you chose, only to have your mouth pucker up like a baby trying pickles for the first time! Yeekh! But what went wrong and how can you make it go right next time? Take a breath, we’ve (mostly) got you!

Foolproof ways to make your pairing harmonious! 

You might think that wine pairing is about matching flavors, but in fact there is a SCIENCE to the process. You must know and understand the essential components of wine and food. This is more than we can teach in a blog post but look out for upcoming wine + food pairing classes you can attend virtually or in person. In the meantime, here are some great rules of thumb from The Couch, on what to avoid!

• Avoid pairing greens with reds. Of course there are exceptions, but generally speaking, tannins in red wines don’t pair well with leafy greens or green vegetables. This rule does not apply to green herbs such as rosemary which pairs well with Zinfandel. 

• Desserts and dry wines don’t work. There’s a reason dessert wines exist. Port, Sherry, Sauternes…pick any of these over a dry wine. A red or white wine may seem sweet, but chances are it’s just ripe because it was grown in a warm climate. There won’t be enough actual sugar in the wine to handle dessert. 

• Oily fish and red wines. These end up tasting metallic.

• High alcohol wines and spicy food. Alcohol burns, so if you’ve got high alcohol AND spice, it’s going to be unpleasant. Look for a wine with some residual sugar to pair with your spicy food. You cannot go wrong with a semi-dry Riesling. Also avoid sparkling wines with spicy.

• Fat and warm climates. Fatty foods need acid to cut the fat and keep palate fatigue from setting in immediately. Go for a low ABV (single digit) wine with fatty foods.

Bookmark this quick guide to avoid some of the classic pairing faux pas. And feel free to let us know the worst pairing you’ve had in the comments or on social media!