Consider the whole plate
Lemon chicken and chicken in a rich mushroom sauce call for different wines. The first is led by acidity; the second by creaminess and earthy flavours. Choose your wine around the most noticeable part of the bite.
Match the intensity
Lighter dishes generally suit lighter wines. A long-simmered stew can handle a fuller red, while a fresh salad may be overwhelmed by a powerful bottle. Treat this as a starting point for tasting, not a rigid rule: personal preference matters.
Acidity, sweetness and heat
Tomato or lemon-based dishes often suit a fresh wine. A sweet dessert can make a dry wine seem sharper, so choose a sweeter wine for dessert. Strong chilli and high alcohol can create an unpleasant impression of heat; start with a gentler wine or an alcohol-free drink for spicy dishes.
Taste before deciding
Take a bite, then a sip, and compare it with the wine on its own. Does it seem fresher, more bitter or flatter? A single comparison can teach you more than memorising ten rules. Our recipe pairings are starting points, not records of tastings we have held.
Wine is optional
Every dish on the site also has an alcohol-free suggestion. A good meal does not require wine, and you do not need an expensive bottle to find out whether you enjoy a pairing.