FOOD & WINE PAIRINGS WITH SANDHILL CRANE VINEYARDS WINE

Red Wine with Beef, White Wine with Fish?
Pairing wine with a particular food is perhaps not quite so simple as this old rule, but it also need not be intimidating. Below are a few guidelines, along with a chart of various foods and types of foods that we recommend with our wines.

Synergy & Balance
When pairing wine with food, always remember to take into account synergy and balance. The wine shouldn't overpower the food, and likewise, the food shouldn't overpower the wine. They should compliment each other -- a light dish gets a light, easy-to-drink wine, a rich dish gets paired with a wine that can stand up to it without overpowering, and a hearty dish gets an equally hearty wine. When pairing, consider the preparation of a dish -- foods prepared by steaming or poaching tend to be delicately flavored and pair well with delicately-flavored wines. Foods prepared by more hearty processes such as braising, grilling, roasting, or sauteeing pair well with heartier wines.

Try to match flavors. A food that includes berry flavors such as Pork with Dried Cherry Sauce will pair well with a grape with naturally-occuring berry flavors such as Chambourcin. Fish with lemon pairs well with a citrusy wine such as Seyval Blanc.

Balance sweetness. Our Peach Blossom, a somewhat sweet blend of peach and grape wines, pairs well with a mixed greens salad tossed with a few summer fruits (apricots & plums, perhaps?), almonds, blue cheese, and a slightly sweet vinaigrette. Go with our Raspberry dessert wine to pair with the strong statement made by a triple-chocolate mousse cake. This guideline works well for the opposite end of the sweetness scale as well. Chanson, our bone-dry Chardonel wine pairs beautifully with a dry, well-aged cheese.

Pairing opposites can be an innovative and delicious way to put together food and wine. The heavy, exotic spiciness of Asian dishes pairs well with the light floral spiciness of Traminette.

Geographic location
Regional foods and wines tend to have a natural affinity for each other. Our wines are made with all Michigan-grown fruits and will pair well with Michigan (and Great Lakes regional) foods such as morels, asparagus, raspberries, game, cherries, whitefish, etc.

Sandhill Crane Vineyards
Wine/Food Chart

If you are serving... May we suggest...
Pasta with red sauce Merlot, Sonata, Chanson, Staccato
Pasta with white sauce Sandhill White, Overture, Traminette, Seyval Blanc
Steak, beef dishes Merlot, Sonata, Staccato
Pizza Merlot, Sonata, Staccato
Pork* Chanson, Dry Traminette, Merlot, Sandhill White, Overture, Traminette, Seyval Blanc, Blushing Crane, Concerto, Peach Blossom
Chicken* Chanson, Dry Traminette, Sandhill White, Overture, Traminette, Seyval Blanc, Blushing Crane, Concerto, Peach Blossom
Turkey The traditional pairing is with Dry Traminette or Traminette. Also pairs well with Sandhill White, Overture, or Seyval Blanc.
Lamb Merlot, Sonata, Staccato
Veal* Chanson, Dry Traminette, Sandhill White, Overture, Traminette, Seyval Blanc
Ham* Dry Traminette, Traminette, Blushing Crane, Staccato, Concerto, Peach Blossom
Game Merlot, Sonata, Staccato
Spicy foods Pairs especially well with Dry Traminette and Traminette. Experiment to find other favorites.
Seafood* Chanson, Dry Traminette, Sandhill White, Overture, Traminette, Seyval Blanc
Vegetables Chanson, Dry Traminette, Sandhill White, Overture, Traminette, Seyval Blanc, Staccato
Fruit, cheese, appetizers or brunch* Chanson, Dry Traminette, Sandhill White, Overture, Traminette, Blushing Crane, Concerto, Peach Blossom, Rhapsody in Red
Salads* Sandhill White, Traminette, Blushing Crane, Concerto, Peach Blossom
Desserts* Rhapsody in Red, Concerto, Peach Blossom, Blueberry, Strawberry, Raspberry

*See the guidelines above for further refining your choices. A pork roast stuffed with fruit would pair better with Blushing Crane or Concerto, perhaps, while an herbed pork roast would pair well with Chanson or Sandhill White.
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