The Culinary Institute of America's ultimate guide to pairing red wine with any food.
The Wines
Nouveau-style and young, fresh, light reds
Rioja Cosecha; Gamay Beaujolais; Valpolicella Classico; Cannonau di Sardegna; Dolcetto d’Alba; Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages and cru Beaujolais: Morgon, Fleurie, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Chiroubles, Régnié, Juliénas, Côte de Brouilly, St-Amour and Brouilly; Bourgogne-Côte Chalonnaise; Bardolino; Grignolino d’Asti; Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains; Bourgogne Pinot Noir; Rosso di Montepulciano; Dôle; Rully; New World Pinot Noir; Sancerre Rouge; Saumur-Champigny; Chianti; Santa Maddalena; Navarra; Gamay; Blauer Zweigelt; Bourgueil; Valdigué; inexpensive, lighter styles of Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir; Côtes du Ventoux; Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio; Valdeorras
The pairings
Sauces, salsas, dressings, coulis
Chinese oyster sauce
Soups
Beef barley
Black bean
Borscht
Chicken
Cream soups
French onion
Game
Gazpacho
Lentil
Lobster bisque
Minestrone
Ribolita
Tomato
Vegetarian, vegetable-based dishes
Hummus
Eggs, omelets, quiches
Huevos rancheros
Omelet with smoked salmon
Quiche Lorraine
Grains, cereals, pastas, breads
Lasagna
Pasta with pesto
Pizza with seafood
Fish, shellfish, mollusks
Bacalao
Bouillabaisse
Brandade de Morue
Broiled shark
Cioppino
Deep-fried calamari
Fritto misto
Grilled halibut
Grilled red mullet
Grilled skate
Grilled swordfish
Poultry
Chicken pie
Meat
Cold roast beef
Cured meats: bacon, bresaola, corned beef, pastrami, salami, tongue
Hamburger
Lamb kebabs
Roast pork
Steak tartare
Wiener schnitzel/Costolletta alla Milanese
Cheeses
Abondance
Appenzeller
Asiago
Banon
Bleu de Bresse
Emmenthal
Feta
Fontina
Gouda
Gruyère
Jarlsberg
Montasio
Münster
Raclette
Reblochon
Stracchino
Desserts
Fresh strawberries
The wines
Classically elegant, age-worthy reds
Australian single-estate Shiraz and blends; Barolo and Barbaresco single-vineyard wines; Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, Chianti Classico Riserva and other DOCG reds from Tuscany; Chilean single-estate Cabernet Sauvignon and blends; Douro Valley single-vineyards reds; grand cru red wines from the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune (Côte d’Or) of Burgundy; “Super Tuscans”; Bordeaux classified growths from the Haut-Médoc; Graves, St.-Emilion and fine Pomerol wines; Hermitage and Côte Rôtie single-estate wines; Long Island Cabernet and blends; Mendocino old-vine single-vineyard Zinfandel and Petit Sirah; Napa Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Meritage-style blends; New World “Rhône Rangers”; Oregon single vineyard Willamette Valley Pinot Noir; Priorato; Ribera del Duero Gran Reserva and single vineyard wines; Rioja Gran Reserve; Washington State estate-bottled Columbia Valley and Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
THE PAIRINGS
Herbs, spices, nuts, seasonings
Mint
Capers
Sauces, salsas, dressings, coulis
Cranberry sauce
Mint sauce
Soups
Beef barley
Black bean
Cream soups
French onion
Game
Poultry
Coq au Vin
Roast turkey
Meat
Beef goulash
Beef Wellington
Boeuf à la Bourguignonne
Braised lamb
Carpaccio
Châeaubriand
Filet mignon
Roast beef
Roast lamb
Game
Duck à l’orange
Roast duck
Roast guinea hen
Roast partridge
Roast pheasant
Roast venison
Cheeses
Beaufort
Brie
Camembert
Cantal
Coulommiers
Dolcelatte
Maytag blue
Morbier
Pont l’Evêque
Saga blue
Taleggio
The wines
Warmer-climate, extra-full-bodied, earthy, spicy, plummy reds
Aglianico del Vulture; Amarone della Valpolicella; Argentine Malbec; Australian Shiraz/Cabernet blends; Bandol; Barbaresco; New World Barbera; Barbera d’Alba; Barolo; Brunello di Montalcino; Cabernet Sauvignon; Châteauneuf-du-Pape; Cornas; Collioure; Côte Rôtie; Côtes du Rhône; Crozes-Hermitage; Douro; Gigondas; Madiran; New World Meritage blends; New World “Rhône Rangers”; Petit Sirah; Priorato and Penedès; Sagrantino di Montefalco; Shiraz; St-Joseph; Syrah; Vacqueyras; Valtellina Superiore; Zinfandel
The pairings
Herbs, spices, nuts, seasonings
Rosemary
Sauces, salsas, dressings, coulis
Chili sauce
Cumberland sauce
Madeira sauce
Mint sauce
Mushroom sauce
Mustard sauce
Pizzaiola sauce
Red wine sauce
Sauce au Poivre
Soups
Beef barley
Black bean
French onion
Game
Lentil
Ribolita
Vegetarian, vegetable-based dishes
Boston baked beans
Grilled eggplant
Stuffed bell peppers
Stuffed eggplant
Grains, cereals, pastas, breads
Gnocchi with gorgonzola
Pasta in tomato sauce
Pâtés and terrines
Pâté de Campagne
Poultry
Chicken Cacciatore
Chicken satay with peanut sauce and cucumbers
Chicken mole
Meat
Beef fajitas
Beef stew/daube
Braised or roast lamb
Cassoulet
Chili (not searingly hot)
Grilled prime beef steaks
Meatloaf
Osso buco
Pot roast
Steak au Poivre
Steak Diane
Suckling pig
Game
Duck à l’orange
Peking duck
Roast guinea hen
Roast partridge
Roast pheasant
Roast squab
Roast venison
Venison stew
Cheeses
Aged banon
Aged gouda
Aged manchego
Aged montasio
Asiago
Beaufort
Beaumont
Brie
Cabrales
Camembert
Cheddar
Cheshire
Gloucester
Gruyère
Livarot
Monterey Jack
Morbier
Parmigiano Reggiano
Pont l’Evêque
The wines
Cooler-climate, medium-bodied red wines
Barbaresco; Barbera d’Asti; Barolo; Cabernet Franc from the New World; Cabernet Franc from the Old World, including the Loire Valley; Cabernet Sauvignon from the New World; Cabernet Sauvignon from the Old World, including Bordeaux, Cabernet/Merlot blends; Chianti Classico Riserva; Dolcetto d’Alba; Meritage and Bourdeaux-style blends; Merlot; Nebbiolo d’Alba; New World “Rhône Rangers”; Pinot Noir from the New World; Pinot Noir from the Old World, including Burgundy; red wines from the northern Rhône Valley; Rioja Reserva and Gran Reserva; Sangiovese from the New World; Sangiovese from the Old World, including Tuscany; Syrah from the New World, including Shiraz from Australia; Tempranillo and Garnacha-based wines from Spain; Zinfandel
The pairings
Sauces, salsas, dressings, coulis
Cranberry sauce
Pizzaiola sauce
Soups
Beef barley
Black bean
Borscht
Chicken
Cream soups
French onion
Game
Lentil
Minestrone
Ribolita
Tomato
Vegetarian and vegetable-based dishes
Falafel
Grilled mushrooms
Grilled vegetable/grain burgers
Mushrooms à la Grecque
White truffles
Grains, cereals, pastas, breads
Chicken risotto
Gnocchi with gorgonzola
Mushroom risotto
Pasta alla Vongole (baby clams)
Tagliatelle with butter and sage
Pâtés and terrines
Salmon pâté
Fish, shellfish, mollusks
Bouillabaisse
Broiled shark
Cioppino
Deep-fried calamari
Fritto misto
Grilled halibut
Grilled red mullet
Grilled salmon
Grilled skate
Grilled swordfish
Grilled tuna
Poultry
Coq au Vin
Chicken Fricassee
Cold roast chicken
Meat
Baked, roasted, or smoked ham
Beef tacos or burritos
Cured meats: bacon, bresaola, corned beef, pastrami, salami, tongue
Grilled calf liver
Grilled pork chops
Grilled prime beef steaks
Hamburger or ground beef
Serrano ham
Lamb kebabs
Pot-au-Feu
Prosciutto, Prosciutto with melon
Roast lamb
Sautéed calf’s liver with sage butter
Sautéed tartare
Game
Grilled or braised rabbit
Roast duck
Roast guinea hen
Roast woodcock
Cheeses
Appenzeller
Cantal
Epoises de Bourgogne
L’Ami du Chambertin
Tomme de Savoie
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