There are two methods to making sweet wines. Those that are naturally sweet (like late harvest chardonnays) and those that are fortified (like port & sherry) to make them sweeter. They are fragrant, syrupy and have an array of complex flavors. Balanced with a lively acidity they are a good end to any meal.

Examples of sweet wines are made the world over. Sauternes from Francs, Vin Santo from Italy, late harvest Chardonnays from California and Port from Portugal are but a few examples. Some of the best come from grapes that are left on the vines past their typical harvest time so that they may ripen even further concentrating their flavor and sweetness. In some instances, when conditions are just right, noble rot occurs when a beneficial mold further intensifies the flavors and adds a muskiness to the wine. These wines are often high in alcohol and pair well with strong cheeses and as a companion to dessert.

With late harvest wines, when the grapes are picked anywhere from a few days past normal harvest to a few weeks past, the sugar in the grapes concentrates and the grapes may appear as if they are drying out. During wine making the fermentation of these wines is stopped so that all the sugar does not convert to alcohol leaving the wine tasting sweet. When Port is made a small amount of brandy is typically added to the wine killing the yeast and effectively stopping fermentation. Often the best sweet wines come from cooler climates where noble rot is more likely to occur.

In sweet wines you will find such nuances as caramel (oak aged dessert wines like Tawny Port), pineapple (late harvest Sauvignon Blanc and Gewürtztraminer), fig, chocolate (oak aged Ports), hazelnut (fortified wines and Vin Santo), floral, dried apricot, prune, pear and honey.

When pairing a sweet wine with food take your hints from the wine itself. A peachy scented wine will pair well with desserts featuring nuts, caramel or honey. An almond or orange scented wine will pair well with desserts featuring apples (tarte tatin) or pears. Sweet wines with a berry or nutty aroma will pair well with desserts featuring chocolate. Just make sure that the wine is as sweet as the dessert for the best pairing.

Sweet wines will also pair well with rich foods like foie gras. Desserts that pair well with sweet wines come in all flavors and textures. For instance Panna cotta with kiwi essence pairs well with Moscato DAsti, wine poached pears (match the wine used for poaching with the wine to accompany the dessert) and warm chocolate lava cake with raspberry sauce paired with a late harvest zinfandel.

For a more general guide pair sweet wines with chocolate, custards, cakes, berries, tree fruits, puff & filo pastry, foie gras and strong cheeses. Add in butter, cream, caramel, dried fruit, honey, nuts, sugar and/or sweet spices. The range of flavors can be intriguing. Play around a little and see what works best for you.

Part 1 - Pairing Food With Champagne & Sparkling Wine
Part 2 - Pairing Food With White Wine (Crisp Whites)
Part 3 - Pairing Food With White Wine (Soft Whites)
Part 4 - Pairing Food With White Wine (Rich Whites)
Part 5 - Pairing Food With Rosé Wine
Part 6 - Pairing Food With Red Wine (Juicy Reds)
Part 7 - Pairing Food With Red Wine (Smooth Reds)
Part 8 - Pairing Food with Red Wine (Bold Reds)
Part 9 - Pairing Food With Sweet Wines

Bold reds are intense, strong and satisfying with a reputation for audacious flavors. A bold red wine needs to be paired with as bold a dish. Their big, hearty almost meaty flavors are rich and gratifying. The dense, tannic structure and full bodied texture of cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel are perhaps the best known bold reds in the United States, however, all the worlds wine growing regions feature their own bold reds (sangiovese, syrah and petit sirah for a few). These wines are often less available and often have a cult following vineyard to vineyard with some of the best only bought direct from the vineyard through their mailing list that has a two year wait to get on.

The best examples of bold red wines come from hot climates where the grapes can reach their peak of ripeness leading to a wine with high alcohol and a rich, full body. Maturing in oak barrels provides more complexity, structure and potential for prolonged aging. The concentrated, ripe flavors with a tannic backbone lead bold reds to pair well with rich foods like a prime grade, well marbled NY strip steak and lamb chops.

Some of these bold red wines may even be so bold that alone they seem unappealing but paired with the right food are heaven on earth. It is common practice for vineyards to blend in other grapes such as merlot or malbec to round out the wines flavors. You will find some of the most unique flavors in bold reds with people perceiving flavors of lead pencil, saddle, barnyard, tar, cigar box and many more that seem odd but do make the wine pair well with strong meats and wild game. Bold reds fair well with slow cooked meats (stews and braises) as well as with simpler grilled and sautéed meats.

In Northern Italy bold reds are served with rich egg pasta topped with meat sauce. Bold reds with more fruit will work well BBQ and other mildly spiced dishes. Wines that have more oak to them or a smokiness will match grilled food wonderfully. Just remember meat cuts that are highly marbled or well fatted are the best for a bold red wine.

In a bold red wine you will find flavors ranging from blackberry, black currants, dried cherry, plum, green bell pepper, toast (from the oak barrels), cinnamon, black pepper (syrah, zinfandel and petit sirah mostly), cloves, cedar, cigar, truffle (not the chocolate kind but the earthy one from the mushroom family).

Some examples of meals that would work well with bold reds are; grilled NY steak with herbed-garlic butter and grilled vegetables, braised BBQ short ribs, tamari marinated grilled flank steak, dijon-herb crusted rack of lamb with minted demi-glace, lamb kebabs, grilled duck breast with black currant brown sauce and lamb tangine. As you can see bold food for bold wine.

As a general rule pair bold red wines with rich, marbled meats, dark meat poultry (duck), game birds, game meats (black bear, wild boar) along with accompanying ingredients like berries, plums, fresh ground black pepper, green peppercorns, butter, cream, garlic, mushrooms, truffles, mustard, and woody herbs (rosemary, thyme). Aged hard cheeses and blue cheeses also pair well with a bold red wine. So, while a pan seared filet mignon might be best with a smooth red wine, a blue cheese stuffed, bacon wrapped filet mignon with sauce au poivre would do well with a bold red.

Part 1 - Pairing Food With Champagne & Sparkling Wine
Part 2 - Pairing Food With White Wine (Crisp Whites)
Part 3 - Pairing Food With White Wine (Soft Whites)
Part 4 - Pairing Food With White Wine (Rich Whites)
Part 5 - Pairing Food With Rosé Wine
Part 6 - Pairing Food With Red Wine (Juicy Reds)
Part 7 - Pairing Food With Red Wine (Smooth Reds)
Part 8 - Pairing Food with Red Wine (Bold Reds)
Part 9 - Pairing Food With Sweet Wines

Smooth red wines are spicy and earthy with a nice blend of fruit flavors. They have good balance and often hints of smokiness, herbs or vanilla essence are found to enhance the fruit of the wine.

Merlot, which has become a very popular wine in the United States is a good example of a smooth red but is not the only wine that would be characterized as a smooth red. You will also find that a California Pinot Noir, Chianti "Classico", Malbec (especially from the Mendoza Region in Argentina) and Barbera wines to be smooth red wines.

These fairly young, smooth red wines that boast prolific berry flavors hinted with herbs and sweet spices are being produced worldwide. Smooth red wines are versatile and pair well with many foods from poultry to red meats making them an ideal selection for a dinner party or cocktail party where you have a group of people that have different wine preferences.

The smooth red wine is set off from other wines by its taste elements; acidity, sweetness and bitterness which are all in balance with one another. With a smooth red wine you will notice a soft texture to the wine, a medium body and a velvety feel in the mouth. This almost delicateness of balance and the berry-cherry fruit flavors with hints of an herbal earthiness make these wines a pleasure to drink.

In a smooth red flavor profile you will find; blackberry (especially in merlot, pinot noir and barbera wines), cinnamon, green bell pepper (this will tell you the wine is a merlot or a blend with merlot in it), black pepper, dried cherry (warmer climate smooth reds),
plum (merlot especially), star anise, raspberry (cooler climate smooth reds), chocolate (comes from the oak aging) and lavender.

Smooth red wines have more pronounced, soft tannins than the wines from the previous entries which makes their qualities more remarkable when paired with food. Being that a smooth red wine is a versatile food companion it will pair equally as well with an herb rubbed roasted Cornish hen or pan seared filet mignon with a mushroom sauce. You will find smooth reds do not work well with fatty red meats or dishes with bold, ethnic spices as the heavy fat content and excessive spice could deluge the wine. Simple roasts, braised meats (osso bucco) and dishes you would consider well flavored but not over powering work best with a smooth red wine.

Some simple guidelines to follow are, incorporating cooking methods that involve browning the meat (sautéing, braising and roasting), adding fresh herbs to the meal (especially for smooth reds with an herbal note), adding mushrooms or truffles (for those smooth red wines with a more pronounced earthiness), using sauces or stuffings that incorporate the fruit found in the wine and for those smooth red wines with a little extra oakiness to them try grilling the food.

Some of my favorite food pairings with smooth red wines are; pappardelle with veal ragu (Italian meat sauce made with veal instead of ground beef), sautéed fresh salmon with a shiitake mushroom, wine sauce, roasted pork chops with apricot-hazelnut stuffing and pan jus, pan roasted guinea hen with black cherry sauce, grilled veal chop with morel mushroom demi-glace, roast pheasant with apricot-date stuffing, osso bucco, a typical American pot roast and even meatloaf with gravy will fair well.

As a general rule pair smooth red wines with meaty fish (salmon, tuna), poultry, game birds (pheasant, squab, guinea hen), sausage, charcuterie, pork, veal, smoked meats and mild, lower fat red meats. Add in these accompanying ingredients to fortify the wine pairing; cherries, berries, fresh herbs, garlic, white beans, mushrooms, mustard, sweet spices (cinnamon, star anise) and tomatoes. Aged or strong cheeses will work very well with a smooth red wine too. In fact, last night I had some Shropshire blue cheese (also labelled as red stilton) with a Sonoma Coast pinot noir and the pairing was to die for.

Part 1 - Pairing Food With Champagne & Sparkling Wine
Part 2 - Pairing Food With White Wine (Crisp Whites)
Part 3 - Pairing Food With White Wine (Soft Whites)
Part 4 - Pairing Food With White Wine (Rich Whites)
Part 5 - Pairing Food With Rosé Wine
Part 6 - Pairing Food With Red Wine (Juicy Reds)
Part 7 - Pairing Food With Red Wine (Smooth Reds)
Part 8 - Pairing Food with Red Wine (Bold Reds)
Part 9 - Pairing Food With Sweet Wines

Ripe and lush juicy red wines are teeming with vibrant fruit flavors. They are perfect party wines that are versatile and easy to drink. They are the tables wines found in the villages in France and served in carafes across Italy paired with local food. French Beaujolais (squeezed from the gamay grape) is the archetypal juicy red wine although similar fruit forward, lower alcohol and light bodied wines are enjoyed the world over. They are to be enjoyed young and match many casual fare from picnic food to pasta to homey, rustic stews. You will also find that sometimes serving the wine slightly chilled (an hour in the fridge before opening) will embolden the refreshing qualities of a juicy red wine.

Tannin free these wines are high in acid, food friendly and most are not aged in oak barrels which allows them to maintain their fruit factor. This along with the lower levels of alcohol makes the juicy red wine simple and enjoyable. These wines tend to be more inexpensive (the few oak aged wines are more pricey) and are quite often popular among "new" wine drinkers delving into the world of red wines though that does not come with any stigma whatsoever. Juicy red wines will pair with foods that are often associated with red and white wines. Like rosé wines in Part 5 juicy reds are able to transgender across the varied foods typically paired with white and red wine, however, complex dishes will overwhelm the juicy red wine.

In countries where wine is a part of life the juicy red wine is the wine that is enjoyed daily with lunch and dinner. They will even triumph when paired with pizza, burgers, hot dogs and simple pasta dishes . Your barbecued ribs lathered in BBQ sauce will be thoroughly enjoyed with a juicy red as the wines acidity intermingles with the tanginess of the BBQ sauce while the subtle sweetness in the sauce compliments the fruit of the wine. The smokiness from the grill is just a paramount match for the juicy red wine.

The flavor profile of a juicy red wine, as expected, are full of fruits. You will find raspberry, strawberry, banana (Sound strange? Try a Beaujolais, close your eyes and look for it in the taste), cherry, dried cherry (in wines from hotter climates), plum (more so in Italian juicy reds and almost jammy), lavender (in wines from the South of France), pomegranate (in Dolcetto) along with minerals and herbs (increasing complexity).

Some of my favorite pairings with juicy red wines are; proscuitto di parma & rosemary cheesecake (and you thought cheesecake was only a desert!) where the richness of the food from the creamy cheese (mascarpone) is offset by the acidity in the wine, pizza margarita where the vibrant freshness and simpleness of crust, fresh ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil is just magnified by tthe wine (the same would go for spaghetti in a simple light tomato sauce infused with a chiffonade of fresh basil and topped with shaved parmigiano reggiano), hearty lentil and rustic vegetable soup, grilled burgers with gouda, sausages fresh off the grill, roast salmon with lemon-dill sauce, braised beef and even that beef stew you let cook all day long in your crock pot.

As a general rule pair juicy red wines with meaty fish, poultry, game birds, chacuterie, sausage, pork, veal, smoked meats and mild red meats. Add in these accompanying ingredients to fortify the pairing; cherries, berries, fresh herbs, herbs de Provence (rosemary, marjoram, basil, bay leaf, thyme, and lavender), garlic, lentils, edamame and other lugumes, mushrooms, mustard, sweet spices and vine ripe tomatoes. Braising, grilling and roasting are the best cooking methods for this food pairing.

While Beaujolais is primarily made from the gamay grape you will also find juicy red wines  made from pinot noir, cabernet franc, valpolicella, dolcetto, barbera and grenache.

Part 1 - Pairing Food With Champagne & Sparkling Wine
Part 2 - Pairing Food With White Wine (Crisp Whites)
Part 3 - Pairing Food With White Wine (Soft Whites)
Part 4 - Pairing Food With White Wine (Rich Whites)
Part 5 - Pairing Food With Rosé Wine
Part 6 - Pairing Food With Red Wine (Juicy Reds)
Part 7 - Pairing Food With Red Wine (Smooth Reds)
Part 8 - Pairing Food with Red Wine (Bold Reds)
Part 9 - Pairing Food With Sweet Wines

Rose wines are brisk, succulent and bursting with with red fruit flavors. Roses will pair with a lot of foods and especially when enjoyed outdoors in the open, fresh air. Many of the great rose wines are found in the South of France and Northern Spain. Here you will find they dry wines based on the grenache grape which imparts it lemon-peppery freshness to the crisp wines. You will also find rose wines made from syrah, pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon. In the US a rose wine or a "blush wine", for the most part, has been known as a white zinfandel with its almost too sweet flavor, however, more and more winemakers are responding to the demand for a dry rose wine by a more wine savvy consumer.

Rose wines have all the food friendly acidity of a crisp white wine and all the cherry-berry flavors of a juicy red wine (coming up in part 6). Roses are light wines but can fall on the heavy side of light. You will find some are racy and crisp while others may be richer and fuller. the uniqueness of possessing qualities of both white and red wines leads to a vaster array of food pairings. Rose wines begin their life the same way red wines do. Roses are pink because the fermenting juice is kept briefly in contact with the skins imparting some of the skins red color into the wine whereas a red wine stays in contact with the skins for a much longer time.

Since rose wine is all about the fruit they are consumed while fairly young. As a wine ages it fruity characteristics will become more and more subdued. the more you delve into rose wine you will find some are aged in stainless steel vats which protects the fruity flavors of the wine and some that are aged in neutral oak barrels which can enhance the wines body and structure without imparting too much oakiness to the wine. You will also come across a vin gris (literally translated as gray wine) which is a very pale rose wine where the the wine is separated from the grape skins earlier imparting less color to the wine.

The flavor profile for rose wines embodies raspberry (even as far as a raspberry jam), floral scents (orange blossoms, roses and flowering French lavender), pomegranate (especially those with longer skin contact), mineral (from the soil), cherry, dried cherry (warmer climates), grapefruit, strawberry, cranberry and quince (especially those derived from pinot noir grapes). As you can see, very fruity.

You will find that rose wines are excellent matches for bold Mediterranean flavors. Rose wines are found on most tables in Southern Europe where they are a natural pairing to pissaladiere, paella or Mediterranean fish stew. You will see more use of roses in the summer where they are thoroughly chilled to highlight their refreshing qualities. Much like crisp whites they temper foods like a fresh squeeze of lemon juice highlighting the plates flavors. They also stand up to sour and salty ingredients found in capers, cornichons and vinegar based salad dressings and also pair well with heavily spiced ethnic dishes such as those from Spain, Mexico and Morocco. Charcuterie and pate also pair well with rose wines as their acidity cuts through the foods richness.

Some of my favorite pairings with rose wines are; Nicoise salad with seared rare tuna, spinach, mushroom & goat cheese tarts, fried calamari with spicy garlic aioli, barbecued ribs, fontina infused ratatouille (great as a vegetarian dish), chicken & chorizo paella, seared halibut with Moroccan spiced couscous & kiwi-citrus sals, chile rubbed grilled pork tenderloin and grilled salmon with Moroccan curried yogurt sauce.

As a general guideline use the following foods, companion ingredients and cooking methods with a rose wine; mollusks, crustaceans, fish, poultry, game birds and mild meats such as pork. Pair these main ingredients with avocados, butter & cream, mushrooms, spices, fresh herbs,garlic & roast garlic, mustard (dijon and whole grain), nuts and tree fruits. the best cooking methods when pairing food with rose wines are braising, grilling and roasting.

You will also find rose wines made from merlot, sangiovese (especially in California) cabernet franc, mourvedre, tempranillo and then of course you will find some exceptional rose champagnes and sparkling wines.

Trivia: The term blush when referring to a rose wine was invented during a marketing campaign in the 1980's in California when wine marketers wanted to distinguish themselves from rose as a description for their wines as, at that time, a rose wine in America was associated with cheap pink jug wines.

Part 1 - Pairing Food With Champagne & Sparkling Wine

Part 2 - Pairing Food With White Wine (Crisp Whites)

Part 3 - Pairing Food With White Wine (Soft Whites)

Part 4 - Pairing Food With White Wine (Rich Whites)

Part 5 - Pairing Food With Rose Wine

Part 6 - Pairing Food With Red Wine (Juicy Reds)

Part 7 - Pairing Food With Red Wine (Smooth Reds)

Part 8 - Pairing Food with Red Wine (Bold Reds)

Part 9 - Pairing Food With Sweet Wines