If you’re a wine enthusiast like me, you’ve probably heard all kinds of stuff about red wine vs. white wine — only drink reds with red meat. Just pair whites with chicken and fish. Use a bowl glass for reds. Only serve whites cold. Here’s the real story: Like the people you love, all wine exists on a spectrum of wonderful.
I’ve enjoyed the palest of white wines and the darkest of reds, but also orange wines, rosé, delicate-as-a-flower reds, and big chonker whites. (Also, most of these distinctions are basically pointless: In a 2001 study, University of Bordeaux II Ph.D. candidate Frédéric Brochet dyed white wines red and let dozens of wine students taste them. Most of them described drinking red wine.) The first taste is, indeed, with the eye.
To begin with, all wine is derived from fermented grape juice. It’s the kinds of grapes used, whether the skins and seeds of the grapes are included during fermentation, and how the resulting wine is aged that usually denotes a red wine from a white. Each type of wine has its own flavors and aromas, which (broadly speaking) have to do with how close you are to the earth. For example, red wines can have very earthy notes (loam, tobacco, cedar, and mushroom) as well as close-to-the-earth fruit flavors (fresh and/or dried red and black fruit).
White wines, on the other hand, tend to profile flavors higher up off the ground, which are typically tropical, orchard, and citrus fruits. Generally speaking, white wines are usually lighter in body and mouthfeel, while reds can be robust and tannic (imparting that sandpapery feeling on the tongue the same way an apple peel or strong black tea does). What are the reasons for this, and in what situations do red and white wines shine?
All traditions meet at the root
Here’s a bit of a shocker: White pinot blanc, dusty-pink pinot gris, and red pinot noir grapes are all genetically identical; they’re just mutations of the same ancient varietal. Still — in the red wine vs. white wine game, a pinot gris is noticeably different from a pinot noir. Why? First, white wine is fermented using only juice; no skin contact yields no detectable tannins. Instead, most whites get their structure from acidity (literally, like a squeeze of lemon juice) — and this is why lively, acidic wines pair so well with rich dishes made with cream, butter, and cheese. They cut through instead of gumming up the works.
Conversely, most red wines are fermented by combining the juice with the skin of the grapes. This process imparts a darker color and tannic structure. Tannins are phenolic compounds that not only provide the structural framework on which all those complex red wine flavors can hang, but they’re also responsible for the wine’s ability to age — sometimes for decades.
Red wine vs. white wine: The aging process
The presence of tannins is also why most red wines are aged in oak barrels. These containers are good at oxygenating the wine (oxygen seeps in through the wood), which accomplishes a few things: softening tannins (so the wines aren’t too sour), and supplying additional earthy aromas like cedar, vanilla, toast, and nuts due to some complex (but very tasty) chemical reactions.
A few white wines are barrel-aged products, but most are not. Instead, they’re kept in impermeable stainless steel tanks, which don’t oxygenate particularly well. But this is good news, because this process allows white wines to retain their fruity, floral flavors and aromas as well as that fresh, food-friendly acidity. “I like what [stainless steel aging] does to the chardonnay and sauvignon blanc,” Sightglass Cellars winemaker Sean Boyd said. “It helps to retain the flavor of the vineyard and its individual personality, and stays nice and crisp.”
Different foods pair better with red or white wines
Begin with the conceit that there are no rules and you like what you like. Having said that — and especially if you’re just starting out on your wine explorations — here are some basic wine-and-food-pairing concepts that you’ll find very useful.
Tannins and acidity of a wine
Let’s start with the differing structures of red wine vs. white wine: tannins and acidity. Big, tannic reds pair beautifully with fatty foods like steak, lamb, game meat like venison, and aged cheeses. They’re also a great companion to earthy fare like roasted mushrooms and dark chocolate. Conversely, white wines can match with different foods based on their acidic structure. Take a zingy pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc, for example — they go great with fresh seafood, salads, soft cheeses, and more savory desserts. Full-bodied, creamier whites (California chardonnay springs to mind here) with a lower acidity do well with heavier dishes like fettuccini Alfredo and hard cheeses.
Sweetness of a wine
A wine’s sweetness also dictates successful pairings. Sweet red wines like ports are wonderful with dark chocolate, desserts with nuts, and strong (not to say stinky) aged cheeses. A sweet white like riesling does exceptionally well with spicy Asian dishes like Thai or North Indian curries; while Moscato goes hand in glove with desserts featuring orchard and stone fruit.
Pairing wine with seafood
There’s quite a bit of wiggle room when talking about what wine to drink with seafood. A light, dry white like Vouvray should be your go-to for delicate dishes like fresh oysters, lightly cooked scallops, and pan-seared white-fleshed fishes. Higher-acid whites like the aforementioned sauvignon blanc are well suited for fattier fish like mackerel.
Chardonnay tends to be a great choice for any seafood; just bear in mind how fruity and acidic your choice is compared to the dish. But lighter-bodied red wines are also potentially amazing with seafood. Try pinot noir with an earthy salmon or robust tuna dish. A zesty cabernet franc would be quite a treat accompanying a meaty fish like swordfish or monkfish.
If you can’t decide between a red and a white, choose what sommelier Alexandria Sarovich suggests: rosé Champagne. “It pairs well throughout an entire meal, even through and after dessert, which is a great way to tie off a special evening,” she told Wine Spectator. “It’s incredibly versatile with food; I love to pair it with roasted carrots from the farm and crunchy rice and red cabbage as well as our cedar-smoked, yuba-wrapped tofu.”
