Marrying Food & Wine

There are rules to food-and-wine matching – most for good reason, some broken every now and then with successful results. Essentially it's about avoiding flavours that clash, or one overpowering the other - having a wine in your glass that compliments the food on your plate, or vice versa, making for a more enjoyable meal. What can make matters tricky are the sauces, seasoning etc that are added to or included in the dish - in many instances, it's these tastes or the combination thereof rather than just the main ingredient that should be borne in mind when considering a suitable wine partner. It doesn't help that wines can differ in style or character even within the same category.

What follows then are some basic guidelines, spiced up with a few suggestions for those willing to experiment - and cross-referenced in part for user-friendliness. When it comes to adventurous eating, or innovative cooking, the 'perfect' match is arrived at through trial and error. Forget about colour coordinating; balancing the weight, body and power/delicacy can be more important in considering what will make for a good marriage.

Aged Red . . . is best served with simple food that won't overwhelm the wine.

Anchovies . . . with a salty tang points to dry whites, though on pizza a red can work well.

Artichokes and Asparagus . . . usually call for Sauvignon Blanc, especially if the wine has an asparagus nose.

Beef . . . appreciates Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cab Franc or Bordeaux-style blends. (Go easy on the mint sauce/jelly)

Bobotie . . . calls for fruity Pinotage, or off-dry Chenin.

Bolognaise sauces . . . need full-bodied reds.

Bordeaux-style red blends . . . go well with most types of red meat, hot or cold, roasted or grilled.

Buttery sauces . . . on fish, chicken or vegetables prompts going for Chardonnay.

Cabernet Franc . . . best with spicy meat dishes, pork, veal, ham and quail - and with fish in red-wine sauce.

Cabernet Sauvignon . . . and Cab-dominated blends seem tailor-made for red meat - steaks, roasts, casseroles, stews, venison. The heavier the sauce, the more full-bodied the wine should be.

Chardonnay . . . matches shellfish and most other fish, avocado Ritz, buttery dishes, Hollandaise, creamy sauces, tripe.

Cheese . . . matches recommended separately on following pages.

Chenin Blanc . . . that's medium-bodied, with seafood, spring rolls and salads; full-bodied versions, with chicken, and spicy dishes.

Chicken Livers . . . can welcome Merlot.

Chicken . . . try Pinot Noir if the poultry is roasted, Shiraz if it's barbecued, or play it safe with Chenin and Chardonnay.

Chilli . . . well-chilled, quaffable white blends can do the trick.

Chocolate . . . with sweet dessert wine, or port - or very occasionally a red with chocolate echoed on the palate. (Dark chocolate, that is - milk and wine don't go)

Colombar . . . with light salads or fish, if the wine's dry, crisp and fresh.

Crayfish . . . with medium-bodied Chardonnay or Chardonnay blends.

Creamy sauces . . . usually take Chardonnay or Chardonnay blends.

Cumin and Coriander . . . with lamb, for instance, calls for a spicy wine, like Shiraz.

Curry . . . can be matched with the aromatic varieties Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc. And try a fruity Pinotage! Though very hot and the curry prefers beer.

Dessert wines . . . should be as sweet or sweeter than the dessert dish it's served with.

Foie gras . . . with botrytised dessert wine of course. Noble Late Harvest. Or Vin de Paille (Straw Wine). And Riesling can work too.

Fusion . . . Semillon's usually a good bet. Or a good Chenin, good Riesling.

Game . . . from guinea fowl to warthog, with smoky Shiraz or fruity Pinotage.

Gewürztraminer . . . can go well with smoked meats and curries - Thai/Indonesian dishes.

Indian . . . cuisine needs a wine to offset the heat and spices - Gewürztraminer, Riesling or fruity Chenin might pull it off. Try Pinotage with the vindaloo.

Kidneys . . . can be matched with a light, fruity Pinot Noir - or a Merlot, if the jus/gravy is reduced.

Lamb . . . is great with medium-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Roast rack of lamb tends to prefer a full-bodied Bordeaux red variety or blend.

Merlot . . . is nice with rack of lamb, quail, cold meats, carpaccio.

Mushrooms . . . come in so many guises; try Pinot Noir or a medium-bodied Merlot.

Oysters . . . raw, with dry sparkling wine, though some prefer crisp Sauvignon Blanc, or rich Chardonnay. Not too much Tabasco, mind.

Pinot Noir . . . is a truly food-friendly wine, particularly with light meals: salmon, tuna, duck, chicken, ham, veal, risotto, pasta - a richly flavoured wine can even accompany a hearty soup.

Pinotage . . . suits game, bobotie, certain curries, spare ribs, pepper steak, boerewors. It can go with snoek and grape jam, too.

Pork . . . can be suited to a dry Blanc de Noir or Rosé, or Semillon - fruity Chenin works well with apple sauce.

Port . . . goes well with nuts, walnut tart or fruity Christmas cake, and chocolate.

Quail . . . goes well with Pinot Noir, or Shiraz if the sauce is reduced or spicy.

Relish . . . addicts swear by Shiraz.

Riesling . . . with foie gras or pâté, pork and bobotie, smoked snoek, curries, Thai and Chinese food.

Rosé and Blanc de Noir . . . on the dry side can substitute for crisp, dry white wines, such as with ham and pork, Mediterranean salads. The off-dry style can compliment mild curries and lightly-spiced food.

Salads . . . tend to marry well with lemony Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin or Semillon.

Salmon . . . and bubbly, why not! Or a medium-bodied Chardonnay.

Sardines . . . and other oily fish warrant crisp whites with good acidity.

Sauvignon Blanc . . . that's crisp and fresh cuts the richness of oily or buttery dishes, stands up to many salads, and goes well with most fish dishes, especially delicately flavoured food. Good with asparagus spears, too.

Seafood sauces . . . need a dry white.

Semillon . . . with flavoursome chicken and pork dishes, Thai, salads. Very good with most seafood, and usually a match for creamy pasta sauces.

Shellfish . . . wants to party with a good Chardonnay, or a top Chenin - and certain Sauvignon Blancs.

Shiraz . . . is a good match for venison, oxtail, goulash, bredies. Some even pair it with curry, such is the variety's suitability with red meat having spicy (or sweet) overtones.

Shrimps . . . with light, quaffing white wine - or a dry bubbly.

Snails . . . with garlic and wine that's uncomplicated, inexpensive.

Snoek . . . off the braai, with jam? Think Pinotage. Or Riesling with smoked snoek.

Soup . . . of the thick and hearty kind could call for a richly-flavoured Pinot Noir. Butternut soup and wooded Chardonnay is a good match.

Spare Ribs . . . could call for a spicy Shiraz.

Sparkling . . . Brut with oysters, smoked salmon, shrimp, sushi . . .

Spicy and Sour . . . noodle-based dishes call for Riesling or Chenin.

Steak . . . Cabernet Sauvignon, or Cab-based blends.

Sushi . . . pairs well with Sauvignon Blanc.

Sweet Dessert Wines . . . such as Noble Late Harvest, Natural Sweet or Straw Wine can be marvellous with foie gras, or desserts such as Malva pudding, Cape brandy tart, sticky toffee pudding.

Sweet Fruit, or Honey Glazing . . . try Riesling.

Thai . . . food can be married to Semillon, Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewürztraminer or Chenin Blanc.

Tuna and Yellowtail . . . and other 'meaty' fish can go nicely with medium-bodied reds, especially Pinot Noir.

Turkey . . . with rich stuffing and cranberry sauce? Go for a fruity red, a full-bodied Shiraz. Otherwise Chardonnay.

Viognier . . . can compliment chicken and fish dishes, and creamy, reduced sauces.