What wine (or other drinks) should you pair with herbs?

Do herbs ever have a strong enough influence on a dish to determine your wine pairing? Relatively rarely in my view. Only very herby sauces like pesto or salsa verde dominate a dish to such an extent that you need to choose a wine to accommodate them.

That said some herbs do tend to steer you in a certain direction and some wines, particularly sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc have a distinctly herbal character.

Some general pointers about pairing herbs and wine

*Soft herbs like basil, dill and tarragon tend to go better with white wine than ‘hard’ herbs like rosemary and thyme which are generally better with reds (the only exception to that is sage)

*Fresh herbs are more likely to go with white and rosé than dried herbs such as oregano or a classic Herbes de Provence. The exception is dried mint which is used quite widely in Greek cooking and tends to go just as well with a sharp lemony white as a red.

*Freshly picked herbs or herbs that are sold in bunches on market stalls and at greengrocers tend to have more flavour and therefore influence on a pairing than herbs that are sold in packets

*Quite often herbs are used together - like parsley, coriander and mint or mint and coriander. In this case it’s best to be guided by the style of the dish - is it middle eastern, for example or Vietnamese?

The good news is that there are herbs that you don’t need to worry about too much, for instance parsley (in general though see below), chives - just subtly oniony - and dried oregano which is normally dominated by other ingredients - e.g. tomato sauce on a pizza or tomato, onion, and olives in a Greek salad

The 10 herbs that may influence your wine pairing

Basil

In general best with a dry Italian white such as gavi di gavi, vermentino or verdicchio especially when made into a pesto. When used in conjunction with tomatoes - as it frequently is - then the tomatoes are more likely to dictate the pairing.

The best wine matches for tomatoes

Dill

Has a natural affinity with sauvignon blanc but is also good with peppery Austrian grüner veltliner and Hungary’s dry furmint. Arguably better still with a pils, or a frozen glass of aquavit or vodka.

Coriander/cilantro

This love-it-or-hate-it herb is used in such a wide range of contrasting cuisines - Mexican, middle-eastern and south-east Asian, for example - that it’s hard to generalise but I’d say when it’s used in fresh tasting dishes I’d go for sauvignon blanc or dry riesling and with meaty curries a carmenère or cabernet franc

Chervil

Relatively rarely encountered on its own though the classic constituent of omelette fines herbs which I’d accompany with a crisp dry white like a Chablis or perhaps, better still, a furmint

Parsley

Rarely dominant except in tabbouleh (which suits a crisp white wine or rosé) or salsa verde (along with mint, basil (sometimes) and punchy capers) which I personally think suits an Italian red like Chianti Classico best.

Mint

Has a real affinity with cabernet sauvignon and cabernet blends, especially when used in lamb dishes. Salads containing mint are also good with sharp whites such as sauvignon blanc and Greek assyrtiko. With peas and mint I like pinot but then that’s more about the peas

Tarragon

Particularly good with chardonnay, especially white burgundy, maybe because it’s often combined with two chardonnay-loving ingredients, chicken and cream. Also good with oaked white Bordeaux

Sage

A herb that’s used in a variety of recipes, from Italian dishes such as calves liver (Chianti or Langhe Nebbiolo) to pumpkin ravioli (a smooth dry Italian white such as Soave or a light chardonnay - also good with roast butternut squash). It’s also a regular companion for pork where I think it goes really well with an earthy Rhône white or, better still, with cider.

Thyme

Lovely with onions and therefore with cider, again. Can show up in classic British dishes like a beef stew where I think it goes well with red Bordeaux and in a whole raft of Mediterranean dishes from Greece (try a Greek red like Agiorgitiko) to Provence. Elsewhere in southern France where grows wild in the garrigue I like it with the local red blends made from grenache, syrah and mourvedre.

Rosemary

One of the most wine-friendly of herbs - again great with southern French reds from the Rhône to the Roussillon, with cabernet sauvignon but above all with Italian reds such as Chianti and other sangioveses.

(In his Tastebuds and Molecules Francois Chartier identifies a chemical similarity between rosemary and muscat, gewürztraminer and riesling and suggests they would be complementary too. I’m not wholly convinced but then I haven’t tried it. It could well be the case.)

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The best food matches with New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

The flavours of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc - and this is why it is so popular - are powerful and aromatic: citrus, gooseberry and passionfruit in spades. So you if you're looking for a food match need big flavours on your plate to stand up to it.

Here are my top suggestions:

Asian-style seafood dishes - oysters, scallops, crab, clams, lobster, prawns - any shellfish with zingy flavours or a citrus or garlic marinade or dressing. (Big fat garlicky prawns - mmmm).

Thai food generally. A Thai green chicken curry or a Thai-style chicken salad is ace.

Grilled fish especially squid* or swordfish.

Dishes with herbs and greens - salmon with dill, for instance, but great with recipes that contain basil, coriander, rocket and especially mint.

Salads with goats cheese and feta, asparagus, avocado or grilled red peppers, fresh tomato salads or salads with fennel, mango or papaya. (A great suggestion from Canadian wine pairing expert Francois Chartier: add a tabbouleh to a salad selection to show off a sauvignon blanc.)

Other good matches (though I personally prefer a less assertive style of sauvignon with them) include smoked salmon, fish and chips and oily fish such as mackerel and sardines.

Dishes that don't work so well are ones with creamy sauces or cooked tomato or, more obviously, meaty dishes with gravy or dark savoury sauces

* Basically if you see big flavoured fusion dishes like these (from Peter Gordon’s Kopapa, which has sadly now closed) reach for a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc:

Deep-fried sesame Urfa chilli salted squid, sumac aïoli, caramelised peanuts & cucumber

Fregola, chorizo & lemon stuffed squid, avocado puree, white radicchio, caper & mustard slaw, chervil vinaigrette

Some great food pairings for tequila

Despite the recent increase in interest in Mexican street food like tacos consumers in the UK still have to take to tequila (maybe because they’re too busy drinking gin) but in fact it’s an attractive and versatile spirit to pair with food

The style you’re most likely to come across is silver tequila, the type that’s most often used in a margarita, but you may also come across reposado tequilas which are aged in wood and anejo, older tequilas which are ideal for after-dinner drinking. (Think of them like rum: Silver is like white rum with a herbal twist, reposado like a golden rum and anejo like an aged sipping rum).

Obviously the natural starting point is Mexican food but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t drink tequila with other cuisines such as Latin American, Caribbean and newly fashionable African.

Here are the type of dishes that I think work best

Tacos
The street food of 2017, especially fish tacos which with a white or silver tequila. Try a reposado if you’re eating meatier tacos like pork

Raw fish
Particularly ceviche and punchily seasoned fish tartares but there's no reason why you shouldn’t try a silver tequila with sushi or sashimi

Grilled seafood like squid or prawns
Especially with garlic or a touch of chilli. Silver, again

A wide range of vegetables especially asparagus, green peppers and tomatillos (silver) and corn (reposado) Also avocado which of course is technically a fruit but counts as a veg in my book - guacamole being the obvious option

Recipes with fresh herbs especially coriander
Again this appears regularly in Mexican food but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t sip a silver tequila with Indian street food like samosas or puris and green chutney. It should go with middle eastern grills and salads too.

Recipes with citrus especially lime and orange
Citrus works particularly well with the flavour of agave (the plant from which tequila is made)

Pork
Pulled, grilled, served with corn (like posole) - all good with a reposado. Think also empanadas with a pork filling

Steak
You can partner a good steak or burger with a reposado or an anejo. Even fajitas though I probably wouldnt drink anything tooo fancy with them.

Chocolate
Like most aged spirits anejo tequila goes well with dark chocolate - or even milk chocolate if it’s Mexican which has a particularly delicious fudgy texture.

There's a useful longer article on pairing food with tequila here.

Six of the best drinks to pair with tacos

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The best food pairings for Carmenère

You may not be familiar with Carmenère but it's a delicious red at this chilly time of year.

It has quite a bit in common with Cabernet Franc from which is apparently descended* though tends to be richer and more plummy like Merlot with which it was originally confused in Chile.

Its green, slightly herbaceous character (not always in evidence in more expensive wines) makes it a surprisingly good match for fish and dishes flavoured with herbs. These would be my top pairings

* Lamb, especially with herbs - salsa verde for example or herb-crusted rack of lamb. I once had a Peruvian dish of lamb with coriander which was sensational with Carmenère. Any lamb curry with herbs would also work well or try middle-eastern style meatballs or minced lamb kebabs with mint and coriander

* Bacon - there’s a smoky edge to Carmenère that works well with dishes that include smoked bacon (think spinach, bacon and blue cheese salad) or with a hearty smoked bacon chop or rib

* Empanadas, especially with green olives

* Dark leafy greens such as kale, chard, savoy cabbage or spring greens

* Roasted or grilled Mediterranean vegetables such as peppers (bell peppers), courgettes (zucchini) and aubergines (eggplant). Chicken or pork cooked with peppers

* Sides of asparagus or green beans

* Chillies - fresh chillies in particular. Try Carmenère with Mexican and, I’m told, Thai food

* Seared tuna - in fact seared seafood generally works.

*There’s a fascinating entry on Carmenère in Jancis Robinson’s Wine Grapes

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