Sélections Mets et vins

More about food and wine pairing

A good pairing is not about finding an ideal wine, it is about balance. The wine should match the weight of the dish, answer its richness with freshness and let its flavours come through. Our selections are arranged by dish: simply start from what you are serving.

The main pairing families

Red meat and game

Red meat calls for a wine with firm tannins, which soften against the proteins: see our selection wines and red meat. Game, more powerful, likes spicy, slightly mature reds.

White meat and poultry

Roast poultry or roast pork pairs with a round white or a light, low-tannin red such as Pinot Noir or Gamay. You will find these pairings in the selection wines and white meat.

Fish and seafood

Crisp, dry whites lead the way, because their acidity answers the brininess and the salt. The selection wines for seafood brings them together, and one page is devoted to mussels.

Cheese and charcuterie

Contrary to habit, a white often pairs better than a red with cheese, especially goat's cheese and soft cheeses. Charcuterie, on the other hand, likes young, fruity reds.

Aperitifs and world cuisines

For the aperitif, bubbles and crisp whites whet the appetite. Spices and sweet-and-savoury dishes call for aromatic, low-tannin wines: see our ideas for Asian cuisine, North African and Middle Eastern dishes or Italian dishes.

What grows together goes together

Regional pairings are often the safest, because they were born at the same table. Muscadet and oysters in the Pays nantais, Savoie wines with raclette or fondue, Riesling and choucroute in Alsace, a South West red with cassoulet: the dish and the wine grew up together.

How to choose a wine for the meal?

For a meal with several courses, build up in power: a crisp white with the aperitif and starter, a more structured red with the meat, a sweet wine to finish. A single wine for the whole meal, on the other hand, must stay versatile: a supple, fruity red or a slightly fuller dry white.

Think about temperature too. A white served too cold loses its aromas, a red served too warm feels heavy. Allow 8 to 12 °C for whites and rosés, 14 to 18 °C for reds depending on their structure.

Why choose your wine direct from the grower?

Growers know the dishes of their region and the wines that go with them. On Avenue des Vins, every bottle ships from the estate that made it, with no middleman, and usually reaches you within a few days.

Food and wine pairing: your questions

How do you pair wines with dishes?

To pair wines with dishes, look for a balance of flavours: a delicate dish calls for a light wine, a rich dish or one in sauce for a more structured wine. Regional pairings often work well, such as a Burgundy red with a beef bourguignon.

Which wine to serve with fish?

With fish, serve a crisp, dry white wine whose liveliness respects the delicate flesh. Fish in sauce takes a rounder white, grilled fish a rosé or a light red. Find our ideas in the selection wines for fish.

Which wine to serve with red meat?

With red meat, choose a red wine with firm tannins, such as a Bordeaux, a Cahors or a Madiran, which stands up to the meat juices. For a slow-cooked dish, prefer a rounder red from the Rhône Valley. Our selection red wines and red meats brings these pairings together.

Which wine to serve with dessert?

With dessert, serve a sweet or luscious wine, or a Champagne. A fruit dessert calls for a fresh sweet wine, a richer dessert for a luscious one. Find our ideas in the selection wines for desserts.

Where can you buy wines to pair with your dishes direct from the grower?

On Avenue des Vins, you buy wines to pair with your dishes direct from the grower. Every bottle is shipped by the estate that made it, with no middleman, and delivered to your door.

Explore also: Our selections - Award-winning wines - Red wines and cheese