Food & Wine Pairing

Pizza may very well be the most popular dish in America. It comes in myriad varieties - deep dish, thin crust, cheap, expensive, and with an endless selection of toppings, sauces, and cheeses. So picking a wine to match with pizza is a daunting task. Nevertheless IntoWine.com posed the question to our panel of wine experts: What wine do you suggest for pizza? I’ve become a real convert to the classic Neopolitan-style pizzas , simple combinations of tomato sauce, basil and mozzarella, or tomato, garlic and oregano, with light, delicate crusts. The kinds of wines that go best with this style of pizza are light, fruity, well made Italian wines, particularly from producers like Occhipinti and Paolo Bea. Both of these producers minimize the sulfites in their wines, which helps preserve the fruity flavors in their Frappatos and Nero d’Avolas, in the case of Ochipinti, and Sagrantino and Sangiovese in the case of Paolo Bea, giving the wines a real sense of freshness on the nose. The ideal bottlings by these producers with this style of pizza would be Occhipinti’s Il Frappato or SP68 Nero d’Avola Frappato, or Paolo Bea’s San Valentino or Rosso de Véo. Richard Jennings, IntoWine.com Featured Contributor and the Founder RJonWine.com.

I’m not sure what happened. One day we were enduring another 90º heat wave, and then the weather Gods made an abrupt shift to fall with cool, cloudy 65º days and even cooler, damp nights. Last week I was grilling figs and prosciutto, this week I want comfort food.

Nothing says summer time like boiled lobster and drawn butter. IntoWine.com asked our panel of wine experts to recommend the best wines to pair with boiled lobster: This is such a rare , special occasion dish for me that my initial inclination is that the wine has to be something special as well. For the richness and delicacy of lobster, I can’t imagine anything better than Burgundy’s greatest white wine—the world’s most magnificent rendition of Chardonnay—a Montrachet. The wines from this Grand Cru vineyard are very expensive, but if the occasion for a treat like lobster is a best friend or spouse’s milestone birthday, then why not pull out the world’s best white wine to celebrate as well? On a similarly celebratory note, a bottle of Krug Champagne and lobster would make for a very memorable occasion too.

Barbeque isn’t just for beef any more. Yes, we all love a great grilled steak with potato salad, but when it’s really hot; it’s fantastic to have a grilled dinner that’s lighter in the tummy – with the right wines, of course.

Tomato cream sauce based dishes are always a challenge for sommeliers. IntoWine.com asked our panel of wine experts to recommend a wine to pair with tomato cream sauce dishes: "Tomato cream sauces are notoriously unfriendly to wine pairings. However, in such circumstances, I look at the elements. Cream is soft. Tomato is acidic. My choice would be a good Gewurztraminer from Alsace, or even New Zealand . The Gewurz, with its lychee flavors tend not to compete but add very interesting nuances when paired with tomato cream sauce . From Alsace, try Hugel or Riefle. From New Zealand, try Spy Valley . On the other hand, when in doubt about a food and wine pairing , I often look towards the Buy Chateau Musar Ch. Musar from Lebanon, in the case of a tomato cream sauce, the white to be specific. Lebanon’s cuisine is so incredibly varied, only about 10% of it is found in Lebanese restaurants in America, and so their wines have to be made to be more versatile than other regions. If serving the white Chateau Musar, make sure that you buy the oldest vintage that you can find and serve it at room temperature. Be warned, you may be confused by this wines, they are unique and intriguing, not to everyone’s taste, unless you can hit that perfect food pairing ." - Bartholomew Broadbent , CEO, Broadbent Selections, San Francisco

It's hard to find someone who dislikes a good crumble at the end of a meal (or for a sinister midnight snack). IntoWine.com asked our panel of wine experts to recommend a dessert wine to serve with fruit cobblers and crumbles: To more accurately answer this question, it really does depend on the type of cobbler or crumble. If the fruit base is red berry, then a red based dessert wine is called for. My favorite, crumbles and cobblers are, however, apple and peach. For those, a white grape based dessert wine makes sense. I would look to those from the Loire valley in France. For my money, the very best of these is from the Baumard winery and the Quart de Chaumes appellation. Right now the 2005 and 2006 Baumard Quarts de Chaumes are available in the market. 2005 was a fantastic vintage in the Loire. 2006, while classic, is not far behind. Both have great acidity that makes for a grand food match. Buy the 2005 Baumard Quarts de Chaumes As a bonus, these wines are available in half bottle formats (375 ml). A little dessert wine goes a long way. A half bottle can serve 6 (maybe 8) people for dessert. These wines are not inexpensive though. A half bottle can cost $35. Yet, this is one of the greatest bottles of wine in the world. The wine has wonderful apple and peach notes with hints of vanilla. It is slightly sweet but will not overpower a sweet dessert. The acidity brings everything together wonderfully. It is certain to be the hit of any dinner party. - Loren Sonkin , IntoWine.com Featured Contributor and the Founder/Winemaker at Sonkin Cellars.

Summertime is the season of backyard barbecues and grilled steak. IntoWine.com asked our panel of wine experts to recommend a red wine to pair with that summertime staple, grilled steak: When I have a grilled steak , it’s a special occasion. The meat itself is a treat, so the wine doesn’t need to be anything complicated or expensive—just solid, red and balanced, with good body and acidity to stand up to the entree. A Bordeaux or one of the more balanced California Cabernets or Bordeaux blends always works well, as does a solid Merlot. The advantage of a Merlot is that it doesn’t need all the bottle age that most Cabs do to be food friendly. California Merlots also tend to be a good value, and some of my favorites, which are ideal with steak, come from A. Rafanelli, Castello di Amorosa, Darioush, Peju Province and Robert Keenan.

Muscat Beaumes de Venise is a light and sweet nectar of the Gods, with an aroma of rose petals and tropical fruit and a taste of candied oranges dripping with honey. It makes me glad for summer, because it is the perfect summer dessert wine.

The dog days of summer are once again upon us. Whether your remedy to beat the heat is a cool pool, a shade tree, or a blasting air conditioner, it always helps to have a relaxing beverage to help ease the pain. IntoWine.com asked our panel of wine experts to recommend refreshing white wines for those hot summer nights: " On a hot summer evening, I look for a chilled white wine. I also find that if the wine has a bit of sweetness, it offsets the heat a bit. My go-to wines on these evenings tend to be Rieslings. Rieslings are one of the most versatile wines for matching with food. They are especially great with light summer fare such as a salad or fish or fruit. They also make easy sipping on their own.

While beer is often the refreshing beverage of choice on the 4th of July, wine is increasingly more popular as a relaxing summertime refreshment. With wine's increase in popularity comes the challenge of finding a wine to serve that not only beats the heat, but pairs well with typical picnic fare. IntoWine.com asked our panel of wine experts for their thoughts on what wine to serve on the Fourth of July: "There is one wine that surely must be the choice for the fourth of July - Madeira. Madeira is the wine that was used by the Founding Father's to Toast the Declaration of Independence. Betsy Ross had a side table with a glass of wine on it when she was sewing the flag. It was used to Toast the Constitution and George Washington drank a pint of Madeira every day for dinner. It is also very convenient because Madeira cannot be harmed by the hot sun and the July heat. I vote that Madeira be adopted as the OFFICIAL July 4th beverage. By the way, it is very important to drink TRUE Madeira from the island of Madeira and not confuse it with wines that are made in America for cooking. True Madeira is heated to simulate the voyage between Europe and America when the wine was used as ballast in the boat holds, where they discovered that the intense heat improved the wine. Try the Broadbent Madeira Broadbent 10 year Malmsey Madeira at about $44 a bottle or the Broadbent 5 year Reserve at $25. Once you've opened a bottle, it never goes off. It also goes well with any food. Great with hamburgers, even with pickles!" - Bartholomew Broadbent , CEO, Broadbent Selections, San Francisco