Wine Pairing | Giggly Grapes

Lemon Chicken Wine Pairing: Two Dishes, Two Different Wines

04/03/2024

Roast lemon chicken with lemon halves beside a glass of white wine

Battered takeaway lemon chicken and roast Greek lemon chicken are not the same dish and do not want the same wine. Here is the split, plus one stocked dry Riesling.

Minestrone and Wine: What to Pour (and What to Avoid)

03/03/2024

A bowl of minestrone soup beside a glass of red wine

Minestrone needs a light red with fresh acidity and soft tannin. Sangiovese, pinot noir and vermentino all work, and here is why, plus one bottle to try.

Best Wine With Roast Chicken: Match the Skin, Not the Bird

02/03/2024

Golden roast chicken on a board beside a glass of white wine

Roast chicken is the most flexible main in the house. The wine is really matching the browned skin and the gravy, and that changes what you should pour.

Wine With Eggplant Parmigiana: What to Pour and What to Avoid

02/03/2024

Baked eggplant parmigiana beside a glass of red wine

You are not pairing the eggplant, you are pairing baked tomato, melted cheese and olive oil. Here is why Sangiovese wins, and what to do about lasagna.

Tiramisu and Wine: What to Pour (and What to Avoid)

02/03/2024

Slice of tiramisu beside a glass of golden dessert wine

Tiramisu needs a wine sweeter than it is. Here are the styles that work with coffee, cocoa and mascarpone, the ones to avoid, and one Barossa sticky to try.

Aglio e Olio Wine Pairing: The Pasta With No Acid in It

02/03/2024

Spaghetti aglio e olio in a bowl beside a glass of chilled dry white wine

Every other pasta sauce brings its own acidity. This one brings garlic, oil, chilli and salt, and nothing to balance them, so the wine has to do all the work.

Wine With Feta and Tomatoes: What to Pour and Avoid

26/02/2024

Tomato and feta salad beside a chilled glass of white wine

Tomatoes are sharper than they look and feta is very salty. Sauvignon blanc, dry riesling and dry rose are the whites with enough acid to cope.

Which Wine Pairs With Lamb? A Cut-by-Cut Guide

03/01/2024

Carved roast leg of lamb on a platter beside a glass of red wine

Lamb is the friendliest red meat for wine, but the cut changes the answer. Roast leg, rack, shanks, kebabs and curry, each with the wine that fits.

Meatloaf Wine Pairing: What to Pour (and What to Avoid)

02/01/2024

Sliced glazed meatloaf on a dark platter with a glass of red wine beside it

The best wine with meatloaf is a soft, fruity red: Merlot first, then juicy Shiraz, Zinfandel or Grenache. Why the glaze is the tricky bit, what to avoid, and a stock-checked bottle for tonight.

Best Wine With Pizza: What to Pour for Every Topping

30/11/2023

Neapolitan margherita pizza on a board beside a glass of red wine

Salt, acid, fat and char all fight your wine at once. Here is what to pour for margherita, pepperoni, mushroom and white pizza, and what to leave shut.