The first question you should ask yourself when choosing a wine with a dish is:
"Do you want to work with contrasts or do you prefer to seek balance between the two? It may seem obvious, but believe us, it is not."
At Vino Celeste, we love balance, where wine and dish go together in harmony and enhance each other, without one overpowering the other. But taste is personal, and that’s why there are multiple approaches to a perfect wine and food pairing.
We are happy to share some basic principles that can help you make the right choice.
Wine and meat dishes
1) White meat
With dishes containing white meat 'like chicken, guinea fowl, pheasant or rabbit, it is important to find the right balance. Full, powerful wines can complete the dish.' to dominate.
Our recommendation? Choose wines with a lighter structure, such as:
- Esmen Tetra – Celestial Wine
- Lamole Chianti Classico – Celestial Wine
- Piedirosso Campi Flegrei – Celestial Wine
'These wines excel in finesse, freshness, and soft tannins, making them perfect companions for the subtle flavors of white meat.'
Tip: De Piedirosso Campi Flegrei is also a great match with tuna and caponata., due to the light structure and soft tannins.
2) Red meat & game
Bee red meat for robust game (wild boar, deer, roe deer) you need a wine with more body and structure, so that it stands up alongside the powerful flavors of the dish.
Recommendations include:
- Cocciapazza Montepulciano D’Abruzzo – Celestial Wine
- Taurasi – Celestial Wine
- Borgo di Gete – Celestial Wine
These wines have a breed flavor palette, deep complexity and firm tannins, which makes them ideal for rich meat dishes.
💡 Fact: Acids in wine and dishes influence each other. A red wine with fresh acids will soften the acidity of a tomato sauce and vice versa. That’s why the Chianti Classico and Piedirosso Campi Flegrei always pair well with pasta or lasagna with a tomato sauce.
Wine and fish dishes
The structure of the fish determines the wine choice. Fatty fish, refined fish or shellfish ask for a different approach.
1) Fatty fish (e.g. salmon)
A lightly oaked wine pairs perfectly with a fatty fish like salmon in a pistachio crust with parsnip or celeriac puree.
Recommended:
2) Fine, delicate fish (e.g. sole)
Here you choose for a wine with pure finesse, such as:
3) Lobster in a rich sauce (e.g. linguine all’ astice)
Here you have several top wines that perfectly complement the soft and creamy structure of the dish:
Which one do you choose? That depends on your personal taste!
4) Pasta Vongole of Carpaccio of Scallops
These dishes call for a wine with a light honey note and mineral finish, such as:
Or a wine with a pronounced minerality, such as:
💡 Tip: A mineral wine pairs perfectly with a dish that has mineral tones., such as fresh clams and mussels.
Our golden rules for a successful wine and food pairing
- Think carefully about the ingredients of your dish. Does a certain ingredient have a dominant flavor that can influence the pairing?
- How refined or how heavy is your dish? This determines the type of wine: rich, powerful and complex or refined and elegant.
Discover the perfect combinations for yourself! Order your ideal wine today and elevate your dishes to a higher level.
