The best wine and beer pairings for pizza (updated)

Should you drink wine or beer with pizza? No rights or wrongs, obviously but here are a few thoughts which might encourage you to experiment.

Italians themselves more commonly drink beer than wine, usually a light lager like Peroni but I personally like something with a bit more flavour - a Czech-style lager for example or, with spicy pepperoni toppings, a Viennese-style lager like Brooklyn.

Cider works really well with pizza too.

What about Chianti?

Inexpensive Italian reds are also ideal being moderate in alcohol and with the fresh acidity to cut through gooey cheese and tomato toppings.

I personally enjoy Chianti with pizza but you could equally well drink something like a Barbera, a Valpolicella or a Rosso di Montalcino or a simple Sicilian red*.

Italian grape varieties such as Sangiovese and Dolcetto made elsewhere in the world also work well but you might want to chill them lightly to offset the extra ripeness and sweetness.

Other good pairings would be a fresh-tasting, medium bodied red like a Merlot, a Syrah, an inexpensive Zinfandel or a young Rioja.

Can you drink white wine with pizza?

There are also times when I think white wine works better with pizza than a red. Examples include goats’ cheese and spinach pizza, pizzas topped with prawns or other seafood like this pizza ‘claminara’ and pizza bianco (without tomato).

Again Italian wines seem to hit the spot perfectly, even the ubiquitous Pinot Grigio, though other crisp dry Italian whites would be equally good. 

If the pizza is topped with truffles you could even serve a good white burgundy as I found with this black truffle and fontina pizza which went brilliantly with a premier cru Puligny Montrachet. 

And with pizza topped with with fresh ingredients such as parma ham and rocket? Again try a dry Italian white like Gavi or a well-chilled glass of prosecco! Which brings me to ....

What about sparkling wine?

Absolutely. I really enjoy a pet nat (pétillant naturel), a gently fizzy natural sparkling wine with pizza. See this pairing with a Westwell pet nat rosé at a pizza truck pop up at their winery. It’s really refreshing in the way that beer is.

I’ve also enjoyed a pizza topped with gorgonzola, treviso and honey with an Alta Langa spumante and an aubergine-topped one with Franciacorta 

Light chilled red Lambrusco is a terrific pairing too. 

Top image © Foxys Forest Manufacture at shutterstock.com

12 great wine pairings with salmon

Salmon is in many ways the chicken of the fish world - an ingredient you can serve in many different ways and therefore match with a number of different wines.

That said, it’s a rich fish, often served with cream or butter and therefore a natural candidate to pair with a medium-to-full-bodied white wine such as chardonnay.

But nowadays it’s often served raw or grilled which opens to the door to many other pairings including red wine. Read on for my suggestions with different salmon recipes.

12 favourite ways to serve salmon and the wines to pair with them

Raw salmon such as salmon sashimi or tartare

Try a crisp fresh white such as a gruner veltliner or a dry rosé - a surprisingly good match with salmon sashimi as I discovered here.

Salmon ceviche

As much about the zesty marinade as the fish itself. Torrontes from Argentina is a good pairing or - an unusual match but one I found worked well a while back - a Soave from Italy

Cold poached salmon with mayonnaise or a salmon terrine

Chablis is an incredibly reliable pairing for this kind of dish but other crisp dry whites like Pinot Grigio, Albarino, Sancerre or a crisp Chenin Blanc will match well too.

Warm salmon with a hollandaise or beurre blanc sauce

A classic salmon dish that matches well with a good quality oak-aged (but not too oaky) Chardonnay. White burgundy would be lovely. See also this pairing of salmon with leeks and chardonnay

Salmon en croute or fish pies with salmon

Again likely to be rich and creamy so Chardonnay should again hit the spot or try an old vine Chenin Blanc. See also this delicious recipe for salmon in pastry with currants and ginger.

Salmon en Papillote

Salmon en Papillote i.e. salmon fillets baked in parchment paper along with vegetables, herbs, and perhaps a splash of white wine. The steaming effect in the papillote results in richly flavoured dish, best suited to a buttery, oak-aged Chardonnay.

Salmon fishcakes or salmon hash

Chardonnay again (this is getting boring but it is the most reliable wine pairing with salmon!). But a sparkling wine like Cava - or even champagne - can be good too with salmon fishcakes. For more ideas see my post on best wines for fishcakes.

Seared or grilled salmon

Here’s where things get interesting. Because salmon is a meaty fish if you grill or char it you can pair it with a red. Pinot Noir is my favourite match but a Gamay would rub along happily too. If you prefer a white try a dry Pinot Gris.

Blackened or barbecued salmon

If you cook salmon with Cajun- or Creole-style spicing it can handle an even more robust red still. Try a Merlot

Salmon teriyaki or yakitori

A fruity Pinot Noir is also a good wine match with Japanese style dishes such as salmon teriyaki or yakitori. Sake or fino sherry would be a good pairing too.

Tandoori salmon

With Indian spicing I’d be inclined to go for a white such as a dry riesling or pinot gris rather than a red. See this recipe for yoghurt and spice roasted salmon for inspiration. Or read about this surprising fino sherry pairing.

Smoked Salmon

Champagne is the classic wine pairing for smoked salmon but I tend to prefer lighter, crisper whites like Sancerre or Chablis. Learn more in my top 10 drink pairings with smoked salmon.

 

The best food pairings for rosé

Rosé was once considered a summer wine but increasingly more people are drinking it year round with almost every type of food and on any and every occasion. But what food goes with rosé?

As with white or red wine, the best pairings depends on the style of rosé you’re drinking and whether they’re dry, sweet or sparkling.

In this guide, I’ll take you through food pairings for eight distinct styles of rosé:

• Crisp Dry Rosés e.g. Provençal rosé
• Fruity Rosés, e.g. Pinot noir rosé
• Medium Dry Rosés, e.g. White zinfandel and White grenache
• Fuller-Bodied Dry Rosés, e.g. Spanish rosados from Rioja and Navarra
• Elegant, Fruity Rosés, e.g. Merlot-based Bordeaux rosé, high-end Provençal rosés like Bandol and Palette
• Full-Bodied Fruity Rosés, e.g. Syrah, Malbec, Cabernet rosés from Argentina, Australia and Chile
• Inexpensive sparkling Rosé e.g. prosecco,  cava and crémant
• Rosé Champagne and champagne-style sparkling wines

For each style, I’ll share my top food pairings that bring out the best in both the wine and the dish. Whether you’re planning a casual brunch, a seafood feast, or even a spicy barbecue, there’s a rosé and a match for every occasion.

The best food pairings for 8 different styles of rosé

1) Crisp dry rosés - e.g. Most Provençal rosés fall into this category as does Italian Bardolino Chiaretto
The nearest equivalent to this style of rosé are crisp dry white wines such as Pinot Grigio and they go with similar food. Food pairings for most Provencal rosé and similar dry rosés include light salads, light pasta and rice dishes, raw or lightly cooked shellfish like oysters, grilled fish and goats’ cheeses. See also The Best Food Pairings for Provence Rose

Greek rosés are often made in this style too. See this pairing with prawns with ouzo, orzo and courgette. You can find the recipe from  Marianna Leivaditaki’s book Aegean here. Photo by Elena Heatherwick

2) Fruity rosés e.g. pinot noir rosés and off-dry Loire and traditional Portuguese rosés with a touch of sweetness such as Rosé d’Anjou and Mateus Rosé
Pinot noir rosés are sweeter than Provence rosé but still dry. They a good match with salads and mildly spiced chicken or fish dishes. English rosés which are often made from pinot noir pair surprisingly well with a Thai green curry as in this pairing  

Pairings for off-dry Loire and Portuguese rosés depend on your tolerance for sweetness. If you like a sweeter rosé drink them with similar food to the Provence rosés above. If you don’t try them with Indian food like tandoori chicken or a mild chicken curry.

3) Medium dry rosés - e.g. white Zinfandel or white grenache
The category that used to be called blush. Again, if this is the style you like you’ll want to drink it with all the foods mentioned in 1) above. But those who prefer this style of rosé may also find it useful with spicy food and as a dessert wine (it’s spot on with unsweetened strawberries and not oversweet strawberry tarts)

See this match of the week of strawberries and white zinfandel.

4) Fuller-bodied dry rosés e.g. Southern French (Rhône and Languedoc) and Spanish rosés from Rioja and Navarra
A hugely versatile style that will stand up to big flavours such as anchovy, olives, garlic, saffron and pimenton. So they would be the ideal style to drink with tapenade or a salade Niçoise, a paella or grilled chicken, fish or lamb with herbs. A good wine for barbecues if you don’t like your rosés as strong and sweet as 6) below. Also enjoyable with rustic pâtés and terrines, other charcuterie, ham and sheep cheese.

These rosés are also a good wine pairing for brie, camembert and other white-rinded cheeses so long as you don’t let them get too ripe and runny. Fresh figs make a good accompaniment.

5) Elegant, fruity rosés - e.g. Merlot-based Bordeaux rosé, More expensive Provençal rosés such as Bandol and Palette
These are classy rosés, designed to be drunk with food. Drink them with quality seafood such as lobster and langoustines, seared salmon and tuna, a duck salad or with delicately cooked rare lamb. 

6) Full-bodied fruity rosés - e.g. Syrah, malbec and cabernet rosé from Argentina, Australia and Chile
Nearer a full-bodied red than a rosé - big, bold and bursting with fruit. Often quite high in alcohol but it tends not to show because they’re not tannic and served chilled which makes them ideal for a barbecue and for drinking with spicy food such as curries. Also good with ripe peaches. Very much the modern rosé for contemporary food.

See this rosé pairing for spaghetti with courgettes, basil and smoked almonds. Although the wine is from Bordeaux it’s made in a more full-bodied style. 

7) Sparkling rosé e.g. Cava, Australian, South African and New Zealand sparkling rosé
Sparkling rosé covers a range of styles from dry to medium dry. Lighter, drier ones make ideal party drinking (Cava rosado is good wine pairing with tapas). Sweeter styles of sparkling rosé like rosé prosecco would be a good wine pairing at a tea party with macarons, cakes and fruit tarts.

8) Rosé Champagne - Again there’s a variation in style between lighter and more full-bodied champagnes or sparkling wines. The best food pairings for lighter styles of rosé champagne include canapés and the type of foods mentioned in (1) above. More substantial vintage brut rosé Champagne can take on grilled lobster and grilled or roast rare lamb or game like pigeon, pheasant or grouse.

Photo credits: Top image by Foxys Forest Manufacture at shutterstock.com. Salad nicoise by Tatiana Brainina at shutterstock.com. Brie and figs by Nati at pexels.com, Lobster by Olga Lyubkin at Fotolia.com. Thai green curry by iblinova at Adobe Stock

 

What wine - and other drinks - to pair with Korean food (NEW)

If you’ve developed a taste for Korean food - as so many of us now have - you may still be struggling with what drink to pair with it - and whether that should include wine.

The flavours are certainly not subtle. It’s richly spicy and umami, accompanied by fermented and pickled side dishes most notably kimchi, that present their own challenges.

Except in more modern Korean or Korean fusion restaurants dishes tend to be served at the same time so it’s useful to find a drink that will take them all in its stride.

That needn’t necessarily be wine which is just as well as many restaurants offer a limited selection, by the glass at least. But there are a wide range of Korean drinks including soju, which is apparently the world’s best selling spirit and makgeolli, a fermented rice-based drink.

Here are the beverages that you could drink throughout a Korean meal - or at least switch to half way through plus some pairings for popular Korean dishes you might eat on their own. 

Wines that generally go with Korean food

Crisp, zesty whites tend to work with the small plates that appear at the beginning of a Korean meal. Sauvignon blanc - particularly New Zealand sauvignon blanc - would be the obvious choice but consider Rueda, unoaked white Rioja and Austria’s grüner veltliner.

Gewurztraminer and Gewürztraminer blends
Often too powerful for other Asian cuisines Gewürztraminer comes in handy with Korean - whether you drink it as a varietal or a blend with other aromatic varieties like riesling and pinot gris

Orange wines are particularly good especially those that fall into the ‘natural’ category and which are made from aromatic grape varieties like malvasia or pinot gris. Natural wines work well with fermented and pickled foods - take a look at this match with tongdak (rice stuffed chicken) which made my match of the week slot last year.

Strong, dark fruity rosés such as those from Rioja and Navarra in Spain
Better able to stand up to ingredients such as gochujang (the widely used Korean chilli paste) than Provence rosé. Again natural or low intervention rosés work well

Big full-bodied reds, especially cabernet blends. The standout pairing - somewhat to my surprise - but although Korean food is spicy it isn’t often searingly hot. See Korean barbecue below

Other drinks

Beer
The most obvious go-to. Generally a light lager though I’ve found darker beers go well with umami-rich Korean stews. Well known Korean brands are Cass and Hite.

Soju
Either as shots or lighter drinks like Jinro’s widely available Chamisul.

Soju is a high strength spirit as opposed to sake which is fermented and more delicate so you might not want to drink it throughout a meal but it does go well with the punchier dishes of Korean barbecue.

It’s also used in cocktails which is another popular way of kicking off a Korean meal.

Sake
Despite the above sake is a pretty good match for Korean food as is fino sherry.

Makgeolli 
A refreshing cloudy mid-strength sparkling rice wine that makes a refreshing counterpoint to kimchi. Often flavoured though I prefer the plain version particularly if it comes from an artisanal producer like the one above.

Alcohol-free options

Tea, grain and herbal infusions such as barley tea and Solomons seal root tea are popular in Korea. The latter is slightly bitter, tastes of grilled nuts and toasted sesame. Japanese genmaicha would also work

Kombucha and other sparkling tea drinks.
Kombucha works in a similar way to natural wine while Saicho’s nutty Hojicha echoes the toasted sesame in many Korean dishes.

What to pair with popular Korean dishes you might eat on their own

Banchan
The Korean word that refers to small plates that are often served as sides to the main dish but may well arrive first. They often include kimchi and other pickles, gyoza-like dumplings (mandoo) and noodle dishes such as japchae but could also include fried chicken

If you’re going to drink white wine with a Korean meal this is the best stage to do so - zesty whites like unoaked white Rioja and New Zealand sauvignon blanc work well or skin contact whites aka orange wines.

If there’s a fried element like Korean fried chicken you could drink sparkling wine - champagne if you really feel like splashing out but cava or crémant would do perfectly well.

Kimchi
An obligatory side but also features as a light meal in its own right as in kimchi pancakes (above) and Kimchi fried rice for which you can find a recipe here. Makgeolli is a good choice to cool the heat of hotter kimchis but orange wine, natural wines, craft cider and kombucha are also good options.

Bibimbap
Korea’s iconic rice bowl dish can be mild (which it quite often is in a chain restaurant) or punchy. At the restaurant of the same name in London I recently had what was described as a Korean root tea (see above) which tasted of grilled nuts and roasted sesame and had a slightly earthy, woody flavour. A low strength soju drink like Jinro’s Chamisul fresh (17%) or a lager would be good too.

Korean barbecue/Bulgogi
Bulgogi is a dish of marinated steak either seared or cooked on a barbecue and typically served with with doenjang (soy bean paste or a dipping sauce and several sides.

This is where your full-bodied reds come into play in just the same way as they would in any steakhouse. I had a Journey’s End The Pastor’s Blend Bordeaux blend from South Africa with bulgogi at Chung’dam, a Korean BBQ restaurant in Soho and a Veronica Ortega Quite Mencia from Bierzo in my local Korean, Dongnae in Bristol so you can see it covers quite a range of styles. And if a Bordeaux blend why not more modern styles of Bordeaux come to that? Grenache I think would work well too.

In more contemporary Korean-influenced rather than traditional Korean restaurants such as Miga in Hackney the dishes may not be hot and spicy at all. I drank a 2013 Rioja from Lopez de Heredia with a dish of soy braised short ribs with mushrooms which was spot on.

Soju shots also go well with bulgogi and other beef dishes.

Hearty stews and hotpots

A slightly trickier to match main course option, often more like a soup than a stew and flavoured with a miso-ish soy bean paste called doenjang

I struggled to find a good wine match with it - it seems to have the effect of turning reds overly sweet but reckon it would be great with a dark lager or a dark, maybe Belgian Trappist beer.

Since this is my first dive into Korean food and I haven’t yet got to Korea I’d love to hear from those of you who are more familiar with it.

Top image © Kuba Puchajda at shutterstock.com