Versatile Wine Pairings

Earthy ingredients like mushrooms and nuts pair well with similarly earthy wines.

Wine Pairings:

• 2006 Fontanafredda Briccotondo Barbera
• 1988 Lopez de Heredia Viña Tondonia Blanco
• 2004 Coume del Mas Schistes

Pair spicy chorizo with a fruity red or a full-bodied white.

Wine Pairings:

• 2004 Haggipavlu Nemea
• 2005 Le Meurger Bourgogne Chardonnay
• 2006 Artadi Orobio Rioja Blanco

Pair cheesy pizzas with moderately tannic reds, or, if they aren’t covered in tomato sauce—which tends to overwhelm white wines—a crisp white.

Wine Pairings:

• 2005 Banfi Chianti Classico
• 2006 Umani Ronchi Casal di Serra Verdicchio
• 2005 Terre dei Re Vultur Aglianico del Vulture

Luxurious ingredients like lobster (and rich ones like mayonnaise) pair best either with a moderately tannic red or a racy white.

Wine Pairings:

• 2006 Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir
• 2006 Pierre Sparr Riesling Réserve from Alsace
• 2006 Château de Pizay Morgon

Meat loaf that isn’t heavily seasoned can pair with almost any full-bodied red.

Wine Pairings:

• 2005 Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley
• 2004 Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Crianza
• 2003 Pio Cesare Barolo

Fried foods go best with crisp, dry white wines like a Riesling or Chablis.

Wine Pairings:

• 2006 Seven Hills Columbia Valley
• 2006 Joseph Drouhin Premier Cru Chablis
• 2007 Loimer Lois Grüner Veltliner