VinoDuo is Lisa & Gary. Engaged in Sonoma. Honeymooned in Napa. Vacationed in
Temecula (CA), Woodinville (WA), and other off the beaten path wine regions. We’ve married our love of wine with our passion for travel, visiting lesser-known wine regions throughout the United
States. We’ve got strong opinions about the pros and cons of each wine region and this is our forum for airing and sharing them.
Enough with the metaphors...what does the wine taste like?
Tonight for your dining pleasure, will it be chicken paired with pencil shavings? Veal accompanied by a delightful wet granite? Or a marvelous filet paired with white pepper, smoke, and loam? The language of wine can be pretentious, self-important, and downright weird (pencil shavings??) Worst of all, flowery wine descriptions can be misleading. You’re shopping for a well-priced, medium-bodied white wine to serve with the roast chicken, and all you really want to know is: what does the wine taste like and will it complement my meal? Instead, the shelf tags quote wine reviewers pontificating about hints of quince and noses of posies (and yes, vinoduo is guilty of over-the-top descriptions, so don’t barrage us with emails, please.)
Who do we turn to for honest, plain-spoken but spot-on wine and food pairing reviews? Ray Isle is our go-to guy. Whether it’s his column and articles in Food & Wine or his wine blog (http://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/tasting-room, Ray makes us want to jump in the car and buy whatever wine he’s raving about. And then cook the food he’s paired it with.
Until Ray becomes a guest blogger on VinoDuo, we’ll continue to offer our suggestions on wine and food pairings. And since we know that for every one of our suggestions there’s 100 others just as valid (sort of), we’ve included the “conventional wisdom” pick in our food pairing charts, below. Won’t it be fun to check out who’s right? Um, we mean, whose opinion most closely matches your own 
Chicken Recipes
|
Dish |
Conventional Wisdom |
VinoDuo Suggests |
|
Chicken Cacciatore |
Chenin Blanc (white) |
Sangiovese (red) |
|
Chicken with Mushrooms & Cream Sauce |
Chardonnay (white) |
French Unoaked Chardonnay |
|
Fried Chicken |
Chenin Blanc (white) |
UGH. Does wine really go with Fried Chicken? Get a Red Stripe! |
|
Roast Chicken with Rosemary |
Beaujolais (red) |
French Unoaked Chardonnay |
Beef Recipes
(note: all wines are red in this category)
|
Dish |
Conventional Wisdom |
VinoDuo Suggests |
|
Pan Seared Tenderloin |
Cabernet Sauvignon |
California Syrah |
|
Hamburgers |
Beaujolais |
Zinfandel or Shiraz |
|
Rib Eye Roast |
Merlot |
Merlot or Claret |
|
Sirloin Tips with Roast Veggies |
Merlot |
Cabernet Sauvignon |
Pork Recipes
|
Dish |
Conventional Wisdom |
VinoDuo Suggests |
|
Pork Tenderloin with Orange Marmalade |
Pinot Noir (red) |
Pinot Noir |
|
Pork Scaloppini with Porcini Mushrooms |
Pinot Grigio (white) |
Dry Riesling (white) |
|
Baked Ham with Maple Glaze |
Riesling (white) |
Torrontes (white) |
|
Pork Chops with Vinegary Peppers |
Zinfan del (red) |
Wine and Vinegar? Try an IPA instead |
Fish & Seafood Recipes
(note: all the wines are white in this category except for the Pinot Noir)
|
Dish |
Conventional Wisdom |
VinoDuo Suggestions |
|
Baked Halibut |
Soave |
Sauvignon Blanc |
|
Marinated Swordfish |
Sauvignon Blanc |
Sancerre |
|
Steamed Lobster |
Chardonnay |
Chenin Blanc |
|
Herb Crusted Salmon |
Chardonnay |
Santa Barbara Pinot Noir |
Latin & Asian Recipes
|
Dish |
Suggested Wine |
What We Suggested |
|
Kung Pao Shrimp |
Gewürztraminer (white) |
Sauvignon Blanc
|
|
General Gao’s Chicken |
Merlot |
Malbec (red) |
|
Pad Thai |
Chenin Blanc |
Dry Riesling or Unoaked Chardonnay |
|
Mexican |
Sauvignon Blanc |
Soave, Dry Riesling (white) |
This is just a small sampling of suggested food and wine pairings; the possibilities are endless and perhaps overwhelming...so much so that you might just give in and visit the beer cooler! But hopefully you’ll experiment and document your findings. Tell us what wines you pair with your favorite meals. Just lay off the pencil shavings and slate, ok?
Hi Lisa,
This is excellent. Will print and take it to the store, and maybe to the restaurant.On second thought, I'll write the wine on a separate piece of paper.
Regards to Gary,
Joyce
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