The Wine Pairing Library
The Wine Pairing Library
The pairings we get asked about most — with bottles you can actually buy tonight.
Pick what you are eating. I will tell you what to pour.
No theory, no scores, no lecture. Each chart below is a food on the left and the wine I would open on the right, plus whatever we have in stock today to go with it.
Some of our best food and wine pairings
Wine & Dip Pairings
Candy & Wine Halloween Pairings
Wine & Donuts
Burgers & Wine
Bacon & Wine
Salads & Wine
Pumpkin & Wine
Thanksgiving Wine Pairings
Dessert Beyond Chocolate
What to Pair with Sancerre
Wine & Dip Pairings
Party dips are salt, fat and heat. Almost every one of them wants a cold white with some acid, not a big red.
- Buffalo chicken dipOff-dry Riesling
- Spinach-artichoke dipSauvignon Blanc
- QuesoCava
- GuacamoleAlbariño
- French onion dipChardonnay
- SalsaDry rosé
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Candy & Wine Halloween Pairings
Sugar beats tannin every time. Go sweet or go fortified, or the candy will make your wine taste like a mistake.
- Starburst, SkittlesSweet Riesling
- Reese's, SnickersTawny Port
- Kit Kat, M&M'sRuby Port
- Candy corn, gummy bearsMoscato
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Wine & Donuts
I know how it sounds. Then you try a maple bar with tawny Port and stop arguing.
- Maple barTawny Port
- Glazed twistLate-harvest Riesling
- French crullerDemi-sec Champagne
- Jelly-filledBrachetto d'Acqui
- Strawberry frostedMoscato d'Asti
- Boston creamRuby Port
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Burgers & Wine
Beer is the easy answer. Wine is the better one, and the toppings decide which bottle.
- Classic burgerCabernet Sauvignon
- Bacon burgerSyrah
- Mushroom Swiss burgerPinot Noir
- BBQ burgerZinfandel
- Jalapeño burgerOff-dry Riesling
- Blue cheese burgerMalbec
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Bacon & Wine
Smoke, salt and fat. That's a bubbles problem and a Zinfandel problem, depending on how it's cooked.
- Crispy baconChampagne
- Glazed baconOff-dry Riesling
- Smoky bacon burgerZinfandel
- Bacon wrapped steakPinot Noir
- Carbonara, creamy baconChablis
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Salads & Wine
Nobody plans a wine around salad. But the dressing is the pairing, and vinaigrette will flatten the wrong bottle.
- CaesarChardonnay
- GreekAssyrtiko
- CapreseVermentino
- CobbPinot Noir
- Beet & goat cheeseSauvignon Blanc
- NiçoiseDry rosé
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Pumpkin & Wine
Pumpkin is sweet, earthy and soft. It wants a white with some weight, not a tannic red.
- Pumpkin soupChardonnay
- Pumpkin risottoPinot Noir
- Pumpkin ravioliViognier
- Roasted pumpkinChenin Blanc
- Pumpkin pieTawny Port
- Pumpkin cheesecakeLate-harvest Riesling
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Thanksgiving Wine Pairings
One table, fifteen dishes, none of them agreeing. You don't need one perfect bottle. You need three that cover the spread.
- Welcome pourChampagne
- TurkeyPinot Noir
- Buttery sidesChardonnay
- Sweet potatoes, cranberryZinfandel
- Dark meat, gravy, stuffingCabernet Sauvignon
- Pumpkin pieDessert wine
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Dessert Beyond Chocolate
Everyone reaches for Port the second dessert lands. Fruit and cream want something lighter and colder.
- Lemon tartMoscato d'Asti
- Apple pieLate-harvest Riesling
- CheesecakeSauternes
- Berry pavlovaBrachetto d'Acqui
- TiramisuVin Santo
- Peach cobblerLate-harvest Chenin Blanc
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What to Pair with Sancerre
Sancerre is the bottle I open when I don't know what we're eating. It covers more ground than people give it credit for.
- Crottin de ChavignolThe regional classic
- Oysters and raw shellfishAcid does the work
- Herb-forward dishesDill, tarragon, chives
- Fried foodYes, even fish and chips
- Sushi and cevicheClean, cold, high-acid
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Pairing questions I get constantly
What is the one rule that covers most pairings?
Match the weight. Light food, light wine. Rich food, rich wine. Get that right and you are most of the way there.
Why does wine taste bad with dessert?
Because the dessert is sweeter than the wine. Sugar strips a dry wine down to acid and alcohol. Pour something sweeter than the plate.
What wine works with spicy food?
Something with a little sugar and not much tannin. Off-dry Riesling is the safe call. Big tannic reds make heat burn hotter.
What about salty and fried food?
Bubbles. Acid and carbonation scrub fat off your palate so the next bite tastes like the first. Champagne, Cava and Prosecco all do it.
If I only open one bottle for a mixed table, what is it?
Dry rosé. It handles salty, fruity and spicy better than anything else. If you want bubbles instead, go Brut.
How cold should I serve these?
Sparkling coldest, around 40–45°F. Whites and rosé 45–50°F. Reds a little cooler than room temperature, which fifteen minutes in the fridge will do.
Does the pairing have to be perfect?
No. A good bottle with the wrong food is still a good bottle. These charts are a shortcut, not a rulebook.
Keep going
Why Any of This WorksPairing rules and grape-by-grape guides on the food and wine blog.
Where the Bottles Come FromInsider travel guides to the regions we buy from.
The Final HammerOur lowest price guarantee, until the last bottle goes.
Charts are a shortcut. The only wrong move is leaving the bottle closed.
Must be 21+ to purchase. Please enjoy responsibly.