Penfolds Dining

Food & Wine

One of the great pleasures of drinking wine is matching it with equally mouth-watering food.

When matching wine with food, traditionally, white with white and red with red was the standard advice. Whilst sound, this basic principle does not take into account how our culinary tastes have evolved and the wide range of wine varieties and styles available today.

To increase your chances of a successful match, consider how the food was prepared, seasoned and also the texture and weight of the dish and any accompaniments.

Food and wine has its own flavour and texture, so too does every palate. So please use the following table as a guide only. There are no 'rules', rights or wrongs. Just experiment to find your own matching ideas.

Beef

Plate of beef

As a general rule beef, due to its weight, calls for rich, dry red wines like Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Shiraz Cabernet blends. View matches

Soup

Plate of soup

For vegetable soups a hint to the best wine matches lies in the natural flavours of the vegetables themselves... View matches

Seafood

Plate of seafood

Crisp, dry whites such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling are ideal with delicately flavoured white-fleshed fish... View matches

Salad

Plate of salad

Matches here really depend on the combination of ingredients - including the dressing... View matches

Pork

Plate of pork

Pork is generally milder in flavour than lamb or beef. For roast pork try a rich Chardonnay or Pinot Noir... View matches

Pizza

Plate of pizza

Recommendations for wine matches vary depending on the topping... View matches

Vegetarian

Plate of vegetables

For greener, lighter vegetables, dry whites and white blends are suggested... View matches

Lamb

Plate of lamb

Lamb is often richer in flavour and less lean than beef... View matches

Duck and Game

Plate of duck

Pinot Noir is often well matched with duck while rich, robust reds are required to complement the strong flavours of most game dishes. View matches

Chicken

Plate of chicken

Depending on cooking style and accompanying sauce, red wine and white wine can go equally well with chicken dishes... View matches

Pasta

Plate of pasta

Successfully matching wine with pasta is greatly influenced by the style of sauce used in the dish... View matches

Cheese

Plate of cheese

As a general rule milder and less intense cheeses are often easier to match... View matches

Asian

Plate of asian

A broad range of dishes and styles, exotic spices and seasonings make it difficult to suggest one fitting variety... View matches