Most rules for pairing wine with food are oversold. The “white with fish, red with meat” maxim has been right and wrong in equal measure for a century. There are five principles that actually drive successful pairings, and once you understand them, you stop needing rules at all.

The five principles.

1. Match weight. A delicate dish wants a delicate wine. A heavy dish wants a heavier wine. A grilled ribeye crushes a Sancerre; a soft-poached fish drowns under a Napa Cabernet.

2. Match or balance acid. High-acid food (lemon, vinegar, tomato) needs high-acid wine. A low-acid wine next to a high-acid dish tastes flabby and dull.

3. Tannin needs fat or salt. Tannin (from red wine) binds to proteins and fats in your mouth. Without something to bind to, tannin just feels astringent. With it, the wine becomes silky.

4. Sweet wine needs sweeter food (or salt). Pair a sweet wine with a less-sweet dessert and the wine will taste tart. Sweet wines also work brilliantly with salty foods (Sauternes with blue cheese, Riesling Auslese with prosciutto).

5. The dominant flavor wins, not the protein. Salmon with butter sauce wants different wine than salmon with soy and ginger. Match the wine to the sauce or seasoning, not the protein.

Pairings by wine — what to drink with these grapes.

Pinot Noir

The most food-flexible great red. Roast chicken (the ur-pairing for great Burgundy). Salmon (Pinot is the rare red that handles oily fish). Mushroom risotto, mushroom anything. Duck breast, especially with cherry sauce. Boeuf bourguignon. Charcuterie. Soft-rind cheeses (Brie, Camembert, Reblochon). Avoid: heavily spiced food, tomato-heavy dishes.

Chardonnay

Lean unoaked Chardonnay (Chablis, Saint-Aubin) — oysters, sushi, light fish, goat cheese, salads with citrus dressing. Mid-weight Chardonnay (Puligny, Meursault) — roast chicken, lobster, mushroom risotto, pork tenderloin, soft cheeses. Rich oaky Chardonnay — cream sauces, lobster bisque, smoked fish, butter-poached scallops, foie gras.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Steaks (especially fattier cuts — ribeye, hangar). Lamb chops. Beef stews and braises. Game (venison, elk). Aged hard cheeses (Cheddar, aged Gouda, Manchego). Avoid: lighter dishes — Cabernet will roll over them.

Merlot

Roast pork, duck breast, mushroom dishes, beef stew. Meatloaf. Pork chops. Soft sheep's milk cheeses (Roquefort works surprisingly well with Pomerol). Some richer fish (seared tuna). More flexible than Cabernet because tannins are softer.

Syrah / Shiraz

Northern Rhône Syrah — grilled lamb, beef, sausages with herbs, game (especially venison and pheasant), blue cheeses. The peppery profile of Syrah makes it the best wine for anything with black pepper as a seasoning. Australian Shiraz — barbecue, ribs, barbacoa, anything with a sweet sauce.

Nebbiolo (Barolo, Barbaresco)

Brasato al Barolo (beef braised in Barolo). Tagliatelle al ragù. Risotto with white truffle (the iconic pairing). Tajarin with butter and sage. Aged Castelmagno or Bra cheese. Roast goose. Roasted mushrooms. Avoid lighter dishes — Nebbiolo's tannin will overwhelm them.

Sangiovese

The wine for tomato-based food. Pasta with marinara or arrabbiata, pizza, ribollita, Florentine T-bone (bistecca alla fiorentina). Aged Pecorino. Prosciutto and salumi. Olive-oil-rich dishes.

Riesling

The most food-friendly white. Spicy Asian food (Thai, Sichuan, Korean) — the slight residual sugar in Kabinett or Spätlese balances chili heat. Pork dishes generally. Charcuterie. Smoked fish. Sushi (especially with dry Riesling). Goat cheese (with off-dry). Fruit-based desserts (with Auslese). Foie gras (with BA or TBA).

Champagne

Champagne is severely underrated as a food wine. Brut and Extra Brut: oysters, fried foods (the bubbles cut grease), salty snacks, popcorn, sushi. Vintage and Blanc de Blancs: roast chicken, lobster, scallops, soft cheeses. Rosé Champagne: salmon, duck breast, charcuterie. Older Champagne: aged Comté, dim sum, mushroom risotto.

Pairings by food.

Steak.

Cabernet Sauvignon (especially Bordeaux Left Bank or Napa). Syrah. Malbec. Rich red Zinfandel. Avoid Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, white wine. The rule: as the cut gets fattier, you can go bigger on the wine.

Lamb.

Bordeaux. Rioja. Northern Rhône Syrah. Aged Côtes du Rhône Villages. Grilled lamb especially loves Syrah; braised lamb shanks love Bordeaux or Brunello.

Pork.

Pinot Noir. Off-dry Riesling Spätlese. Beaujolais cru (Morgon, Fleurie). Rosé Champagne. Chenin Blanc (Vouvray demi-sec).

Roast chicken.

The most wine-flexible main course. Almost any Burgundy works (red or white). Beaujolais. Champagne. Lighter Italian reds (Dolcetto, Barbera). White Rhône (Saint-Joseph blanc). Vintage Champagne is an extravagance worth it.

Salmon.

The exception to “white with fish.” Pinot Noir works beautifully — particularly cooler-climate Burgundy or Oregon. Also: aged Champagne, oaked Chardonnay, dry Riesling. Avoid heavily tannic reds.

Oysters.

Champagne (Brut or Blanc de Blancs). Chablis. Muscadet. Albariño. Dry Riesling. Vinho Verde. The bridge is salinity and acid.

Pasta with tomato sauce.

Sangiovese in any form (Chianti, Brunello). Barbera. Dry rosé. Avoid Cabernet (the fruit clashes with tomato acid).

Pizza.

Sangiovese (Chianti). Barbera. Aglianico. Lighter Syrah. Dry rosé.

Mushroom risotto.

Pinot Noir (red Burgundy). Nebbiolo (the truffle pairing especially). Aged Champagne. Aged white Burgundy.

Sushi.

Dry Riesling. Champagne (Brut). Albariño. Grüner Veltliner. Sancerre. Avoid heavy reds entirely.

Cheese boards.

Pair to the dominant cheese style. Soft (Brie, Camembert): Champagne or Pinot Noir. Hard aged (Cheddar, Manchego, Comté): Cabernet, Bordeaux, Champagne, Vintage Port. Blue (Stilton, Roquefort, Gorgonzola): Sauternes, Tokaji, Vintage Port, Banyuls. Goat cheese: Sancerre, dry Riesling.

Spicy food.

Off-dry Riesling. Gewürztraminer. Lambrusco. Beaujolais. Avoid heavily tannic reds and oaky whites.

Chocolate.

Vintage Port. Banyuls. Madeira. Recioto della Valpolicella. Late-harvest Zinfandel. Avoid most dry red wines — chocolate's sweetness flattens them.

The classically difficult pairings.

Asparagus. Sauvignon Blanc handles it. Most other wines clash with the vegetal sulfur compounds.

Artichokes. Same issue — they make many wines taste metallic. Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño, or skip the wine.

Vinegar-heavy salads. Salad dressing acids destroy most wine. Either dial back the vinegar or pour a high-acid white (Sancerre, Albariño).

Soy sauce / heavy umami. Off-dry Riesling, dry Sherry (Manzanilla, Fino), or Champagne. Avoid tannic reds.

Eggs. Champagne is the only wine that handles eggs reliably. Brunch is Champagne's territory.

When in doubt.

If you can't decide, pour Champagne. It pairs with more foods than any other category — the bubbles cut fat, the acid handles salt, the dryness handles sweetness up to a point. There's a reason great restaurants pour Champagne by the glass alongside the entire menu.