The Independent’s food-focused wine review is on hand for the best dinner party pairings

You won’t need a sommelier with these six bottles, which every foodie should try

The right match can emphasise, rather than overpower, the flavour of food (The Independent)

Every meal tastes better with the right bottle of wine. But without a sommelier on hand to direct us to the perfect vino, many of us don’t know where to start when it comes to pairing wine with food. It’s often easier to choose the same old bottle, rather than take a risk and try a new wine with a particular dish in mind.

At best, most people will play it safe and select a wine from the same country as the food they plan to eat. So, we might turn to an Italian chianti when we’re tucking into pizza or pasta, a fruity bordeaux when rustling up a boeuf bourguignon, or a rioja when feasting on Spanish dishes such as tapas or paella.

But matching the perfect wine with any given meal should be far more exciting. When the balance is right, the food will taste even better with the ideal bottle, whether that’s a sharply acidic bubbly that can cut through the oiliness of fish and chips, or a bold chardonnay that will suit a creamy chicken dish.

Consider the taste, the intensity and the alcohol content of wines when choosing the right bottle for dinner, and enjoy experimenting with new grapes or styles, to find the right pairing, noticing if particular wines emphasise the food’s richness, overpower delicate flavours or match any notes of sweetness or acidity in the meal.

(Siobhan Grogan)

Still unsure where to start? Don’t panic. The Independent has done all the hard work for you. These new foodie faves feature a selection of wines especially chosen to work well with a range of popular dishes, all tasted and rated by our expert team.

From fruity, lip-smacking whites to rich, juicy reds, all you need to do is get cooking, open a bottle and enjoy. No sommelier required.

Asorei albariño Val Do Salnés

(Honest Grapes)

• Rating: 4/5

• ABV: 12.5%

• Grape: Albariño

• Region: Galicia, Spain

• Year: 2021

• Wine style: Crisp white

• Pairs well with: Fish

If New Zealand sauvignon blanc is your go-to white when serving up sushi or fish dishes, you’ll love the fresh fruitiness of this lesser-known Spanish option. It’s made with 100 per cent albariño grapes from the Salnés Valley, largely from small-scale vineyards in Cambados. This was the first area to grow albariño vines and start producing and selling this wine variety in the early 1950s.

Lively and very drinkable, the wine isn’t as herbal as a sauvignon blanc but has all the fruit flavours you’d expect. Straw yellow in the glass, it has strong stone fruit aromas on the nose, particularly of peach, with a biting green apple acidity on the palate that will cut through the fattiness of your favourite fish dishes without overpowering them. A real delight to drink.

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Ernie Els Big Easy chenin blanc 2020

(Honest Grapes)

• Rating: 5/5

• ABV: 13.5%

• Grape: Chenin blanc

• Region: Stellenbosch, South Africa

• Year: 2020

• Wine style: Refreshing white

• Pairs well with: Salads, Asian dishes, mild cheeses

This bottle is from a big name on the South African wine scene, and promises equally big flavours. Ernie Els is a celebrated professional golfer who earned the nickname The Big Easy because of his philanthropic efforts, relaxed style and approachable character, which is reflected in his wines. He fell in love with the art of winemaking in the late Nineties and opened a winery on the slopes of the Helderberg Mountain in Stellenbosch, where the Mediterranean climate, hot summers and cooling ocean breeze result in juicy, flavourful grapes.

His chenin blanc is the ultimate all-rounder white for food pairing. Crisply refreshing, it’s packed with tropical fruit flavours with a citrus zing and a hint of white florals on the nose. A gentle acidity means the wine works beautifully alongside a light salad or even lightly spiced Asian dishes, yet its pleasing complexity and medium body will also stand up to creamy sauces and even milder cheeses. A dinner table no-brainer, in other words.

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Weingut Stadlmann weisser burgunder

(Stadlmann)

• Rating: 3.5/5

• ABV: 12.5%

• Grape: Pinto blanc

• Region: Thermenregion, Austria

• Year: 2018

• Wine style: Organic white

• Pairs well with: Seafood or chicken pasta

Few of us would automatically think of Austrian wine when we’re stocking up on vino, but this outstanding white is proof we’re missing out. This white is a dream with food, too, thanks to its moreish minerality, fresh acidity from grapes grown in an Alpine wind and low sugar content following gentle oxidation in large wooden barrels.

Certified organic and grown in the Anninger vineyard, the wine’s not short on flavour either, with aromas of pears and pineapple making way for warming traces of honey and nuts. A firm structure, crisp elegance and delicate herbal notes mean it will hold its own with most food, but it’s true perfection with a fresh seafood platter or even a light chicken pasta.

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Corte Adami valpolicella superiore

(Honest grapes)

• Rating: 4.5/5

• ABV: 13.5%

• Grape: Corvina, corvinone, rondinella

• Region: Veneto, Italy

• Year: 2019

• Wine style: Mellow red

• Pairs well with: Light beef dishes and barbecued food

Reds don’t need to be weighty wines served only with red meat and wintry stews. Valpolicella is a lighter red wine blend produced in the Veneto region of Italy, usually using corvina grapes with other local varieties, including rondinella. Generally easy drinking but with various styles to suit the occasion, those marked as ‘superiore’ have been aged for at least a year, to give the wine a more powerful complexity and smoother tannins.

This particular example is made from 45-year-old vines on the Adami family estate and – like Amarone – benefits from a short period when the grapes are dried to give a fuller body than the average valpolicella. The resulting wine bursts with ripe red fruits, subtle spice and even a hint of coffee. Its mellow tannins, clean balance and subtle, mineral finish make it perfect with lighter beef dishes and pasta, but it’s also the ultimate barbecue red, served alongside vegetable kebabs, roast chicken and juicy burgers.

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Darling Cellars chocoholic pinotage

(Honest Grapes)

• Rating: 4/5

• ABV: 14%

• Grape: Pinotage

• Region: Darling, South Africa

• Year: 2020

• Wine style: Decadent red

• Pairs well with: Chocolate desserts, especially tiramisu

No prizes for guessing which food you should try this wine with. Chocolate can be tricky to pair with wine, as it has similar characteristics, such as acidity and tannins, so matches aren’t always made in food heaven. This seductive South African red will help you avoid the guesswork and would work especially well with a flavourful tiramisu or any rich, chocolate pud.

It’s so full of flavour, it almost counts as a dessert in itself, though. Darkly dense and velvety, it is full of indulgent aromas such as black cherries, sweet vanilla, Turkish delight and glossy dark chocolate. On the palate, it’s as silky smooth as a ganache, with a trace of fruitiness, a fresh acidity and a rich finish that will definitely have you reaching for more.

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Parés Baltà blanc de pacs 

(Honest grapes)

• Rating: 4/5

• ABV: 11.5%

• Grape: Parellada, macabeo/viura, xarel-lo

• Region: Catalunya, Spain

• Year: 2021

• Wine style: Zesty white

• Pairs well with: Tapas, grilled fish and salads

Perfect when the sun’s out, this organic and biodynamic wine is the ultimate summer drink, perfect with holiday-inspired dishes such as garlicky tapas, grilled fish with salad and asparagus tarts.

Made from the cava grapes parellada, xarel-lo and macabeo, this wonderfully complex wine packs a real punch in the palate, with a bracing citrus acidity, refreshing fruitiness and decent weightiness from seven months in older oak. The intense aromas of white flowers and fresh lemons will instantly transport you to sunnier days, though the clean, crisp flavours and chalky minerality make this white a foodie winner year-round.

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The verdict:

There’s no need to have a boring meal again with this range of surprising, satisfying wines that will make your favourite dishes sing. Whether you want a lively acidic white, such as the Asorei albarino Val Do Salnés, to savour alongside a delicate fish dish, or you’re craving an extravagant, flavour-packed red, such as the Darling Cellars chocoholic pinotage, to finish a meal with a flourish, this selection is sure to be a conversation-starter at the dinner table – and will guarantee a meal to remember.