Pairings The Rules
The science
How pairing works: the six rules
Good pairings balance opposites or echo similar flavors. Six rules cover almost all of it: fat tames tannin, acid cuts richness, salt loves sweet, match the weight, what grows together goes together, and contrast the texture.
1 Fat tames tannin
Tannin grips your tongue; fat and protein give it something softer to grab, so a firm red tastes smoother next to aged cheese or salami.
- Pinot Noir + Prosciutto di Parma: Silky, salty ham and soft tannin: nothing to clash.
- Cabernet Sauvignon + Aged Cheddar: Sharp, crumbly cheddar softens tannin and stands up to blackcurrant fruit.
- Cabernet Sauvignon + Parmigiano-Reggiano: Salty, savory crystals make the fruit taste riper.
- Cabernet Sauvignon + Manchego: Aged sheep's milk has the fat and firmness Cabernet wants.
- Cabernet Sauvignon + Genoa Salami: Pork fat coats the tongue so tannin feels smoother.
- Cabernet Sauvignon + Soppressata: Coarse, fatty and peppery: a match for dark fruit and oak.
2 Acid cuts richness
Bright acid in wine, fruit or pickles rinses butterfat off your palate, so the next bite of a creamy cheese tastes as good as the first.
- Pinot Noir + Aged Gouda: Caramel and crunch against red fruit; the wine keeps the richness in check.
- Pinot Noir + Taleggio: Washed-rind funk is tamed by bright acid instead of fought by tannin.
- Champagne & Prosecco + Brie: Creamy against crisp; the acid resets your palate every sip.
- Champagne & Prosecco + Prosciutto di Parma: Salt and fat, rinsed clean by bubbles.
- Champagne & Prosecco + Smoked Salmon: Oily fish and crisp acid, the brunch classic.
- Sauvignon Blanc + Feta: Salty brine and bright citrus.
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Perfect Pair · Acid cuts richness
Aged Cheddar + Apple
Crisp, tart apple cuts the fat of a sharp cheddar and resets your palate.
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Trio · Acid cuts richness
Smoked Salmon + Cream Cheese + Capers
Smoke, cream and brine: the bagel-shop trio.
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Quartet · Acid cuts richness
The Bagel Board Four
Smoke, cream, brine and sharp pickled onion. Put it on a bagel chip.
3 Salt loves sweet
Salt makes sweetness taste rounder and sweetness makes salt taste less harsh, which is why ham and melon or blue cheese and honey work.
- Pinot Noir + Dried Cherries: Mirrors the wine's own fruit and bridges it to the cheese.
- Cabernet Sauvignon + Dried Figs: Jammy sweetness plays off black fruit.
- Champagne & Prosecco + Parmigiano-Reggiano: Salty, nutty crystals make the wine taste richer.
- Champagne & Prosecco + Caviar: The famous splurge: brine and bubbles.
- Sauvignon Blanc + Prosciutto di Parma: Salty ham against grassy acid, especially with melon.
- Chardonnay + Prosciutto Cotto: Sweet cooked ham and a round white.
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Perfect Pair · Salt loves sweet
Brie + Fig Jam
Sweet, dense jam against mild, salty cream. The pairing most people try first, for good reason.
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Perfect Pair · Salt loves sweet
Prosciutto + Melon
Salt makes the melon sweeter; the melon's water makes the ham taste silkier.
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Perfect Pair · Salt loves sweet
Gorgonzola + Fig Jam
Sweet jam rounds off blue cheese's sharp, salty edge.
4 Match the weight
Light with light, bold with bold. A delicate cheese disappears next to a heavy red; a pungent one flattens a crisp white.
- Pinot Noir + Gruyère: Nutty, sweet-savory crystals meet Pinot's red cherry and earth. The classic.
- Pinot Noir + Comté: Brown-butter and hazelnut notes echo the wine's forest-floor side.
- Pinot Noir + Brie: Mushroomy rind meets an earthy red. Serve the brie at room temperature.
- Pinot Noir + Duck Prosciutto: Rich, gamey duck is Pinot's favorite meat in any form.
- Pinot Noir + Marinated Mushrooms: Earth meets earth; the wine's acid handles the marinade.
- Cabernet Sauvignon + Aged Gouda: Caramel crystals and a firm paste match the wine's weight.
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Trio · Match the weight
Comté + Pear + Walnuts
Nutty cheese, nutty walnut, and pear to keep it fresh.
5 What grows together goes together
Foods and drinks from the same region grew up on the same tables, so Manchego and Rioja or Parmigiano and Lambrusco rarely miss.
- Pinot Noir + Pâté de Campagne: Country pâté's herbs and pork fat are made for a Burgundy-style red.
- Champagne & Prosecco + Comté: Nutty and savory, a classic with Champagne's toasty notes.
- Champagne & Prosecco + Gougères: Cheese puffs and Champagne: Burgundy's own aperitif.
- Sauvignon Blanc + Fresh Chèvre: Tang meets tang; acid on acid makes both taste creamier.
- Sauvignon Blanc + Crottin de Chavignol: From Sancerre's own village. The textbook regional match.
- Sauvignon Blanc + Sainte-Maure de Touraine: Loire goat cheese with a Loire wine.
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Perfect Pair · What grows together goes together
Manchego + Membrillo
Spain's nutty sheep's cheese with its own quince paste. Firm and sweet, salty and floral.
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Perfect Pair · What grows together goes together
Parmigiano + Balsamic
Two products of Emilia-Romagna: salty crystals and sweet-tart glaze.
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Perfect Pair · What grows together goes together
Chorizo + Manchego
The Spanish tapas pair: smoky paprika pork and nutty sheep's cheese.
6 Contrast the texture
Crisp against creamy and chewy against crunchy keeps every bite interesting; bubbles do the same job in a glass.
- Pinot Noir + Walnuts: Gentle bitterness and oil soften the wine's acid.
- Cabernet Sauvignon + Walnuts: Tannic skins and oil line up with the wine's grip.
- Champagne & Prosecco + Triple-Crème: Pure butterfat, lifted by bubbles. The best pairing in this hub.
- Champagne & Prosecco + Marcona Almonds: Fried, salty almonds and a cold glass. Simple and perfect.
- Champagne & Prosecco + Parmesan Crisps: Salty crunch against fizz.
- Chardonnay + Marcona Almonds: Toasty nuts, toasty oak.
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Perfect Pair · Contrast the texture
Stilton + Walnuts
Crunchy, slightly bitter walnuts against rich, crumbly blue.
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Perfect Pair · Contrast the texture
Burrata + Prosciutto
Cool, milky cream against salty, silky ham.
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Trio · Contrast the texture
Brie + Fig Jam + Walnuts
Creamy, sweet and crunchy in one bite. The walnut adds the texture brie lacks.
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