When it comes to pairing wine with food, there are some rules people tend to follow, regardless of whether they are true. Like pairing red wine with meat or white with fish. But you can have Champagne with steak and a light-bodied red like Gamay or Pinot Noir with fish. It all depends on the fat, the sauce, and the ingredients that accompany the protein. And who better to explain this than someone who has held the title of world’s best sommelier and is the wine director of a three Michelin starred restaurant like Aldo Sohm? Here, he shares five tips for pairing wine and food (and of course he gave us a sixth).
Aldo Sohm. Credit: Nigel Parry
Sommelier Aldo Sohm’s 6 Expert Food and Wine Pairing Tips
8 Minute read
02 Dec 2025
Writer
Read the Client
Ultimately, it does not matter what we [wine professionals] think in the pairing, because we have to think about the person who is in front of us. There are cultures who drink big, bold reds. So with a ceviche, good luck with that! You kill the wine and the food. But again, there comes the hospitality element. How do you cater to and service that, and in the moment, how far can you go with this client? This is the biggest one. When you are young, you are very enthusiastic and want to share the passion. Then maybe you get into a certain area like Vinho Verde, but they want a Bordeaux. Read the client. That takes experience.
Steak and … ?
Another is steak and Cabernet. I find it is good, but if you ask me, I go to Côte-Rôtie or Cornas [both appellations in the northern Rhone Valley known for Syrah]. Something that is more fierce and melds with steak better. Recently I have been tasting Chianti Classico reservas. It may have a more mass-market reputation, but there are producers that make incredible wines and it gets overlooked. People think it is a skinny wine you have with tomato pasta, but it works with steak.
Pair Blue Cheese With Sherry
You can do blue cheese with Amontillado or Oloroso sherries. It often gets served with Port or Sauternes, but with old sherries it is incredible. They have so much umami, and it is a literal umami bomb.
Grab That Aged Riesling for Stews
Hungarian goulash with a lot of paprika, or sauces with pimenton, people would serve with a light red like Gamay, Blaufrankisch, or Cab Franc. But 10- to 20-year-old Alsatian or Austrian Riesling is explosive. It can be this Riesling you got from your grandfather that you think is too old, but it is right on the money.
Think Red Wine Is Best for Cheese?
Once you have wines that are a tick too old, serve white with cheese. The white’s oxidative qualities are perfect with that. It will be delicious. The salt and fat impact the wine.
Malty Beer + Chocolate Dessert = Bliss
If you have dark beers, you can serve them with chocolate-based dessert. You do not have to add sweetness to more sweetness. If you have an eight-course tasting menu, you end up laying in bed and cannot move. I do not like that. It is a date killer. You do not want to be in a food coma. I dial back that volume button. You take a non-sweet and pair it with the sweet. People love it.
