Wine pairing is the art of matching wine with food to enhance the dining experience. The simple goal is to make food and wine taste better than it would on its own. Wine pairing is a skill and passion for many food enthusiasts.

If you’re new to wine pairing, you can start by learning the fundamentals of how taste components like sweet, sour, spice, bitter, and fat go together. Then, try pairing wine by letting the characteristics of your food suggest the wine. The basic principles of wine pairing are to match the acidity, sweetness, and flavour intensity of the wine and the food. You can also use acidic or high alcohol wines to cut through fatty foods, and bitter or tannic wines to balance sweet foods. When it comes to food and wine pairing, most people lean on the phrase “What grows together, goes together” as a starting point. People have been pairing wine with food for centuries. But the modern trend of wine and food pairing emerged more recently when winemakers began promoting their wines as a complement for specific meal offerings.

Remember food and wine pairings should enhance — not dominate — the experience of eating and drinking. While there are no “set in stone” rules for food and wine pairing, however there are simple guidelines you can follow to help you pick out the perfect wine for whatever meal you’re planning.

We’ve put together some dishes below for you and paired them with a selection of great wines… And don’t just take our word for it try them yourself with a 20% discount code (PAIRINGS20) off the range of wines below…. 

1. Cheese Board, who doesn’t love a cheese board? This one features a selection of Scetion28 cheeses, an artisan cheese making business based in the Adelaide Hills who produce award winning cheeses. They have a broad range including the Monte Rosso which is a semi-soft sweet buttery creamy cheese and pairs deliciously with a Chardonnay.

2. A stunning Scallop dish from the Summer Feed Me Menu at The Kitchen at Bec Hardy. The delicate flavours and textures of this dish mean we would pair it with a Sparkling, this dry style of sparkling made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and is well balanced, or even a fresh crisp Chardonnay the rich oak finish is perfect with scallops.

3. Pizza – a great all rounder for any person on any occasion! And there are a few great places on our doorstep in McLaren Vale, Pizzateca is an Italian restaurant with a cool vibe. Referred to as the ‘pizza of your dreams’ they specialise in making authentic Neapolitan-style pizza. Cucina Di Strada at Chalk Hill  also serve up delicious pizzas and don’t forget Frankies at Mitolo Wines – if you want authentic pizza, then look no further.

Pizza in all its forms, broadly speaking, pair well with lighter fresher styles of red wine – think GSM, Shiraz Tempranillo, Pinot Noir or Merlot! Or a crisp white for a wonderful Bianco pizza – think Pinot Gris!

4. Jerusalem Artichoke and Chocolate Dessert is not only a delicious but stunning dessert. This is a crowd pleaser and would pair beautifully with a sticky Fortified, sweet and luscious made from Shiraz and Grenache to really bring out the earthy richness of the artichoke. 

5. Summer Honey Surprise Dessert is a beautiful and delicate dessert, this lighter option and would pair deliciously with a  Moscato, this one especially as it is fresh and fruity with a gentle fizz. To be honest it would be great with most dessert dishes as the perfect lighter way to finish off your meal.

Another recipe for you to try if you’re feeling adventurous: Summer Honey Surprise - Chef Recipe by Connor Bishop Recipe | AGFG



That being said it does come down to personal preference, so, as well as the wines above there are also  many other delicious, great quality wines you can try; these can be ordered online at Bec Hardy Wines. 

And if you can’t decide on your favourite why not join up to The Bec Hardy Wine Club and get 6 bottles delivered to your door twice and year from as little as $95 (your selection or ours). Our Wine Club members receive great benefits including 30% off all wine, now that is something to celebrate….