More often than not, it’s the herbs and spices in a dish that make a wine pairing taste so good.
Pairing with herbs and spices is easy to do when you know how to pick out individual flavors in wine. For example, one of the dominant aromas in Barbera (a medium-bodied red wine) is anise. And when you pair Barbera with a star anise and soy-glazed chicken, you find it to be surprisingly delicious!
The magic behind pairing wines with herbs and spices starts with aroma compounds found in both spices and wine. Not surprisingly, many herbs and spices share the same aroma compounds as wine. A real-world example is matching black pepper with Syrah; both wine and spice contain a spicy yet floral compound called rotundone. When matching like flavors together, they amplify each other. This type of pairing is called a congruent pairing, and it’s the theory behind matching wine with spices and herbs.
Without further ado, here is a detailed look into many different spice and herb pairings with wine…
Herb and Spice Pairings with Wine
To create this graphic, we started thinking about spices in terms of their taste profiles to see if they could be grouped into categories. After some research on the chemical compounds and making some estimates, we identified nine categories of herbs and spices. There are undoubtedly different ways to categorize spices. For example, you could create pairings based on various cultural cuisines using their base spice blends. However, this guide will be handy for those who do a lot of their own cooking and can match a wine with the prevalent spicing in the dish.
Spice Categories
Highly aromatic fresh green, citrus, and minty herbs: Basil, Mint, Cilantro, Shiso, Chervil
Dried resinous floral herbs: Sage, Rosemary, Lavender, Fir
Pungent, earthy green herbs: Oregano, Thyme, Marjoram, Tarragon, Bay Leaf, Parsley, Dill
Umami-rich, pungent, sulfurous alliums: Garlic, Shallot, Chive, Leek, Onion
Savory, umami-rich brown spices: Coriander, Cumin, Caraway
Sharp, clean piquant (spicy) spices: Mustard, Horseradish, Szechuan Pepper, Wasabi
Sweet, brown, baking spices: Cinnamon, Allspice, Vanilla, Clove, Fenugreek, Nutmeg, Mace
Aromatic, terpene-dominant, incense spices: Anise, Licorice, Star Anise, Black Cardamom, Fennel
Piquant (spicy), umami-rich, rotundone-dominant spices: Red, White, Pink, and Black Pepper
Piquant (spicy), smoky red pepper: Red pepper, Paprika, Cayenne Pepper, Ancho Pepper, Aleppo Pepper
Perfumed, sharp, citrus-like spices: Ginger, Galangal, Turmeric, Green Cardamom