What loves what.

Meat

Steak (ribeye, strip, bistecca)

Fat, char, and protein want tannin and a little warmth. This is Cabernet country, but not only.

• Cabernet Sauvignon

  Tannin binds the protein; cassis stands up to char.

• Malbec or Syrah

  Dark fruit and smoke for grilled crust.

• Chianti Classico / Brunello

  Sangiovese's acid cuts fat; the Italian steakhouse move.

Skip: Frail Pinot and most unoaked whites — they vanish.

Meat

Roast or grilled lamb

Lamb is herbal and sweet-savory. Match the rosemary, not just the meat.

• Red Bordeaux or Cabernet Franc

  Cedar, pencil, and structure for the fat cap.

• Rioja Reserva

  Tempranillo, oak, and Spain's own lamb tradition.

• Southern Rhône Grenache blend

  Garrigue and raspberry for herb-crusted racks.

Meat

Cheeseburger

Salty, fatty, a little sweet from the bun. You want juicy fruit and enough acid to reset.

• Zinfandel or ripe Grenache

  Jam and spice for ketchup and char.

• Beaujolais (Gamay)

  Chillable, gulpable, high acid — the secret sommelier burger wine.

• Côtes du Rhône

  Everyday structure without ceremony.

Bird

Roast chicken

The somm's desert-island dish. White or red, as long as there is acid and some savory weight.

• White Burgundy / Chardonnay

  Hazelnut and citrus with skin and jus. The classic.

• Pinot Noir

  Red fruit and earth for the browned bits.

• Chenin Blanc

  Quince and acid if the bird is herb-roasted.

Bird

Thanksgiving turkey and all the sides

Sweet sides, bitter greens, salty skin. You need flexibility more than power.

• Pinot Noir

  Works with dark meat, cranberry, and mushroom stuffing.

• Off-dry Riesling or Chenin

  Sugar and acid for sweet potatoes and spice.

• Beaujolais Cru or Grenache

  A red that can be served cool next to a crowded table.

Bird

Duck or squab

Richer than chicken, often with fruit or spice glaze. Pinot is classic; Pinot's cousins work too.

• Red Burgundy / Pinot Noir

  The textbook pairing — fruit, acid, silk.

• Barolo or Barbera

  Nebbiolo's tar and rose with gamey birds.

• Pinot-friendly Merlot

  Plum and velvet when the sauce is darker.

Seafood

Salmon (roasted, grilled, or glazed)

Oil-rich fish that behaves like a light red as much as a white.

• Pinot Noir

  The red that doesn't bully the fish.

• Chardonnay (moderate oak)

  Weight for the fat; citrus for the glaze.

• Dry Riesling

  Especially with miso or teriyaki.

Skip: Big Cabernet — tannin plus fish oil tastes metallic.

Seafood

Oysters

Salt, brine, a little sweetness. The wine should taste like a squeeze of lemon and a cold sea.

• Muscadet

  Lees, salt, and a price that lets you open two.

• Chablis

  Kimmeridgian and oyster-shell folklore that actually works.

• Champagne (Blanc de Blancs)

  When the occasion is the point.

Seafood

Sushi and sashimi

Clean fish, soy, wasabi, vinegar rice. Aromatic whites and bubbles beat oaky Chardonnay.

• Champagne or dry sparkling

  Acid and bubbles reset soy and ginger.

• Dry Riesling or Grüner Veltliner

  Citrus and herb for fish and pickle.

• Chablis or light Chenin

  Mineral whites that don't coat the palate.

Seafood

Grilled tuna or swordfish

Steak of the sea. A cool light red is often better than a timid white.

• Rosé from Provence or Navarra

  Dry, herbal, cold — the grill wine.

• Frappato or light Pinot

  Red fruit without tannic clash.

• Vermentino

  If you stay white: bitter almond and citrus.

Meat

Tomato pasta, pizza, ragù

Acid wants acid. Sangiovese was born for this table.

• Chianti Classico

  Cherry, herbs, and snap for tomato and olive oil.

• Barbera

  Even higher acid when the sauce is rich.

• Nero d'Avola or simple Montepulciano

  Weeknight Italian, no fuss.

Skip: Flabby, low-acid reds — they taste sweet and dull next to tomato.

Vegetable

Mushroom risotto or roast fungi

Umami and earth. Pinot, Nebbiolo, and oak-aged whites all have a claim.

• Pinot Noir

  Forest floor meets forest floor.

• Barolo / Langhe Nebbiolo

  Tar and rose with porcini.

• Meursault or similar Chardonnay

  For cream-based risotto.

Vegetable

Green salad, asparagus, vinaigrette

Vinegar and chlorophyll murder most reds. Go high-acid, herbal, cold.

• Sauvignon Blanc

  The rare grape that likes asparagus.

• Grüner Veltliner

  White pepper and lentil for bitter greens.

• Dry rosé

  When the salad has cheese or egg.

Spice

Tacos (al pastor, carnitas, fish)

Lime, chili, cilantro, fat. Bubbles and crunchy whites, or a chilled light red.

• Sparkling wine or Mexican-style lager energy in bubbles

  Salt, lime, reset.

• Albariño or Sauvignon Blanc

  Citrus for salsa and fish tacos.

• Chilled Garnacha or Beaujolais

  For pork and beef tacos with chili.

Spice

Thai, Sichuan, or other chili-lime heat

Capsaicin punishes alcohol and oak. Residual sugar and acid are the tools.

• Off-dry Riesling (Kabinett, Spätlese)

  Sugar cools heat; acid stays bright.

• Off-dry Chenin or Gewürztraminer

  Aromatic lift for lemongrass and coconut.

• Lambrusco or off-dry sparkling

  Chill, bubbles, a little sweetness.

Skip: High-alcohol reds and heavily oaked Chardonnay. They amplify burn.

Spice

Barbecue (smoke, sauce, bark)

Sweet sauce plus smoke. Ripe fruit, a little spice, nothing too precious.

• Zinfandel or Shiraz

  Jam and pepper for sauce and bark.

• Grenache / GSM

  Red fruit that can take a chill outdoors.

• Sparkling rosé

  For the fatty bits, and because picnic.

Cheese

Goat cheese

Tangy, lactic, often with herbs. Sancerre exists largely for this moment.

• Sancerre / Loire Sauvignon

  The pairing textbooks are written about.

• Chenin Blanc

  When the cheese is aged or honeyed.

• Dry Provençal rosé

  For a chèvre salad in the sun.

Cheese

Aged cheddar, Comté, Gruyère

Crystalline, nutty, salty. Cabernet, oxidative whites, and old reds all work.

• Cabernet Sauvignon

  Tannin and black fruit for the crystals.

• White Burgundy or aged Chenin

  Nuts with nuts.

• Amontillado Sherry

  The sommelier flex that actually tastes right.

Cheese

Blue cheese (Roquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola)

Salt and mold want sweetness. This is the dessert-wine moment of the cheese course.

• Sauternes or late-harvest Riesling

  Botrytis honey vs. salt.

• Vintage or Tawny Port

  The Stilton ritual, for good reason.

• Banyuls or PX Sherry

  Darker blues, darker sweetness.

Cheese

Brie, Camembert, triple-crème

Rind and butterfat. Champagne is the move; a gentle Pinot is the other.

• Champagne or sparkling

  Bubbles cut cream; brioche echoes rind.

• Pinot Noir

  Red fruit without crushing the cheese.

• Chardonnay

  Especially with baked Brie.

Dessert

Dark chocolate

Bitter cocoa needs fruit sweetness or oxidative depth. Dry reds usually fail.

• Tawny Port or Banyuls

  Nuts and dried fruit for cacao.

• Late-harvest Zinfandel or Recioto

  If you insist on a red.

• PX Sherry

  For the darkest bars.

Skip: Tannic dry Cabernet — cocoa plus tannin is ashes.

Dessert

Apple tart, fruit crumble

Match fruit with fruit, and keep the wine at least as sweet as the plate.

• Vouvray moelleux or Coteaux du Layon

  Chenin, apple, honey.

• Spätlese / Auslese Riesling

  Lime and peach for orchard desserts.

• Calvados (after the plate)

  If the tart is the last word.

Bird

Fried chicken, fries, anything golden

Salt, crunch, fat. Bubbles are not a joke pairing; they are the correct one.

• Champagne or Crémant

  Acid and CO2 scour the crust.

• Cava Reserva

  Same idea, kinder price.

• Riesling kabinett

  If there is hot sauce involved.