Pairing Wine with Herbs & Spices
Careful seasoning can elevate a dish to a whole new level of deliciousness. It can take some time to get to grips with what herbs and spices go with which dishes, so you don’t want to ruin all your culinary efforts by popping open the wrong bottle of vino with your meal! Below we’ve categorised an array of seasonings into four separate groups, giving a few basic rules to stick to for each that should help you pair your expertly seasoned dish with confidence and ease.
Herbs & Spices Pairing House Rules
- As a general rule, pair lighter wine styles with milder herb and spice flavours
- The more pungent the seasoning, the more aromatic and complex you can go with the wine
- Avoid high tannin wines (they add bitterness)
- Sparkling and crisp, cold whites can ease heat, while high alcohol content enhances it!
- Fortified wines only work with sweet spice
Types of Herbs & Spices
Fresh Herbs
Fresh herbs are soft herbs that you would almost treat as a bouquet of flowers. The softer you keep them, the fresher and more vibrant the flavours will be in your dish. They generally have strong herbaceous aromas, so are matched with dry wines.
Fresh Herbs House Rules
- Pair fragrant whites that display herbaceous notes with fresh herbs
- Avoid reds that are too punchy and opt for a slightly lighter style
- Dry wines pair with savoury herbs
Best Wines to Try
Reds — Light to medium-bodied
Merlot, Pinot Noir, Pinotage
Whites — Dry, light to medium-bodied, fragrant
Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Albariño
Classic Wine Pairings
Sauvignon Blanc and Basil
Basil is known for its distinct sharp green aromatics, yet it’s a surprisingly flexible herb when it comes to pairing with other flavours. A pretty strong match is a dry, fragrant Sauvignon Blanc, which typically has earthy, herbal notes of grass, green bell pepper and even basil! The two will enhance each other beautifully.
Chenin Blanc and Coriander
This is a wine with minerality and notes of wild celery, developing hints of honey when made from grapes affected by noble rot. Chenin Blanc marries up well with the lemony citrus flavours of a vibrant fresh herb like coriander.
Merlot and Mint
This is an unbeatable pairing for savoury dishes with strong mint flavours, such as roast lamb with mint sauce. Merlot is a smooth red with a soft finish that will allow the mint flavours to shine, rather than overpower them with bold black fruit flavours like a more intense red wine would. It’s also great with roast vegetables, making it ideal for a roast dinner generally!
Hot Spice
These are strong spices that bring the heat. Depending on how much hot spice you chuck into your dish, it can sometimes be so intense that it overwhelms your entire body, not just your tongue! This is definitely the trickiest category of herbs and spices to match with wine, but fear not, it is doable!
Hot Spice House Rules
- Big fruity reds are a great match for punchy, hot spices – if you can handle the intensity!
- Juicy, low tannin reds take the heat down a notch
- Chilled sparkling wines are good for easing some of the heat
Best Wines to Try
Reds — Fruity, medium to full-bodied
Barbera, Malbec, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Barolo
Sparkling — Dry, crisp
Cava, Champagne
Classic Wine Pairings
Cabernet Sauvignon and Chili Pepper
It’s a chemical component called capsaicin that gives chili peppers their burning heat. Certainly the hottest spice around, it overwhelms pretty much any flavour it comes up against, making it challenging to pair with wine. We’d recommend a big, bold red like Cabernet Sauvignon, as its aromatic with notes of warm spice and pepper, as well as being flavoursome enough to really hold its own!
Syrah and Black Pepper
Also known as Shiraz, Syrah is a dark, full-bodied red with a spicy peppery aftertaste on the palate. It’s this peppercorn nuance that makes it ideal for pairing with white and black pepper seasoning in food.
Tempranillo and Paprika
Try a smoky red wine with notes of tomato and spicy clove like Tempranillo to complement the red bell pepper flavour and mild spiciness of paprika. Like Cabernet Sauvignon, it also displays tobacco and leather flavours that work nicely with spice.
Sweet Spice
Sweet spices are generally used in baking. If you’re into your desserts, whether it’s making cakes at home or scoffing them in restaurants, you’ll probably have your favourite sweet spicy flavours. But you may not know the best wines to pair with them. (Spoiler alert, it’s not just dessert wines!)
Sweet Spice House Rules
- Fruity reds with jammy notes and hints of blackcurrant and cherry are great with sweet spice
- Fortified wines often work well with sweetness in dishes
- When in doubt, opt for red
Best Wines to Try
Reds — Juicy, low tannin, red and black fruit flavours
Zinfandel, Gamay, Barbera
Fortified — Rich, full-bodied
Tawny Port
Classic Wine Pairings
Zinfandel and Cinnamon
Cinnamon is fantastic with a juicy red like Zinfandel because of its sweet notes of jam, cherry, plum and liquorice. It is often described as having a candied fruit taste with a spicy finish, making it ideal with a sweet woody spice.
Tawny Port and Vanilla
Older Tawny Port can have notes of caramel and toffee that complement vanilla flavoured foods beautifully. You really can’t go wrong with this pairing, as the two work in harmony and enhance each other’s flavours.
Gamay and Nutmeg
This French grape variety is bursting with cherry and raspberry flavours, which work nicely with the sweet pepper and nutty notes of a spice like nutmeg. Cherry and nutmeg is a classic, warming flavour combination.
Pungent Spice
These are herbs that taste a little spicy, aromatic or even acrid (sometimes referred to as woody herbs), and spices with strong earthy aromas that pack a punch. Because of their massive flavours, they can easily dominate your palate and can be difficult to pair with the right wine.
Pungent Spice House Rules
- Wines with strong aromas tend to match with pungent herb and spice flavours
- For reds, look for spicy and smoky notes
- For whites, look for floral and citrus notes
Best Wines to Try
Reds — Medium-bodied, peppery
Carménère, Syrah, Garnacha
Whites — Dry, aromatic
Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Gewürztraminer
Classic Wine Pairings
Carménère and Oregano
This deep crimson, complex red wine pairs wonderfully with savoury dishes, especially food seasoned with pungent herbs like oregano. The spicy, smoky notes of the Carménère complement the bitter, astringent mouthfeel of the famously aromatic oregano.
Sauvignon Blanc and Turmeric
The zesty lime and lemon and flowery peach notes of Sauvignon Blanc marry up well with the orange scent of turmeric. Lime and turmeric are a classic combination in many curries and Asian rice dishes, so an aromatic white wine with its own zesty lime nuances is a no brainer!
Viognier and Ginger
An aromatic white like Viognier can often display notes of ginger, along with aromas of dried apricot, chamomile and honeysuckle. As far as pairings go, it’s a pretty perfect one for ginger seasoning in food.
