Which BIB for which dish?
Food and wine pairing has long been presented as an esoteric discipline reserved for certified sommeliers and people who know how to say "silky tannins" with the accompanying expression. In reality, there are a few simple principles that work 90% of the time—and then there is your taste, which has the final say.
Here is how to find the right BIB according to what you have on your plate.
The basic rule (and it is often enough)
A wine and a dish pair well when they have similar intensity. A light dish calls for a light wine. A powerful, rich, or spicy dish calls for a wine with body, structure, and substance.
The classic mistake: serving a powerful tannic red with a warm goat cheese salad. Or a very light white with a beef stew. Either the wine overpowers the dish, or the dish overpowers the wine—in either case, nobody wins.
Second principle: the acidity of the wine cleanses the fat on the plate. A crisp, mineral white wine with oysters works because the acidity refreshes the palate. The same logic applies to a light, fresh red with charcuterie.
Appetizers and starters
For simple appetizers—olives, chips, light tapas, fine charcuterie—a dry, zesty white does the trick. Think of the Loire, Alsace, or a Provençal rosé. Lively wines that are not too heavy, which open the appetite rather than dulling it.
For more structured starters—foie gras, country pâté, mushroom soup—a white with a bit of roundness is more suitable. A Chardonnay from Burgundy or the Jura, or a textured white from the Rhône. Or, for foie gras, a sweet white from the Southwest or the Loire.
For eggs in all their forms (quiche, scrambled eggs, omelet): preferably a dry white. Eggs are delicate and slightly sulfuric—an overly aromatic white can clash. A subtle Chardonnay or a Loire white are safe bets.
Fish and seafood
This is the domain of whites, almost without exception. The wine's acidity plays a cleansing role against the fat of the fish and the saltiness of the seafood.
Oysters, clams, raw shellfish: a very mineral, very dry white with freshness. Muscadet, Chablis, Picpoul de Pinet, Sancerre blanc. Avoid overly expressive aromas—the sea needs no competition.
Grilled, steamed, or foil-baked fish: dry white with a bit more substance. Côtes-du-Rhône white, Roussanne from the South, Vermentino. Something that accompanies without dominating.
Fish in sauce (creamy sauce, beurre blanc, bouillabaisse): the wine can have a bit more body. A northern Rhône white, an oaked Burgundy white, or a full-bodied Languedoc rosé for the bouillabaisse.
Smoked salmon: slightly aromatic white. Alsace (Pinot Gris, dry Riesling), or a Loire white with character.
White meats and poultry
Roast chicken, veal, pork: the range is wide. A full-bodied white or a light red, depending on the preparation.
Simple roast chicken: a white from Burgundy or the Rhône, or a light red from Burgundy (Pinot Noir) or the Loire (Gamay, light Cabernet Franc).
Veal in cream sauce: white with roundness. Oaked Chardonnay, southern Rhône white.
Glazed pork, barbecue pork chops: light to medium red. Beaujolais, Côtes-du-Rhône, supple Languedoc red.
Stuffed roast poultry: medium-bodied red. Côtes-du-Rhône red, Pinot Noir from Alsace, red from the Southwest.
Red meats and game
This is where reds truly express themselves. The rule: the more intense the meat and the deeper the cooking, the more structure and substance the wine can have.
Grilled steak, ribeye: red from the Southwest (Malbec, Tannat), full-bodied Côtes-du-Rhône, or a Languedoc red with present tannins.
Roast lamb: Syrah from the Rhône, a full-bodied Provençal red, or a classic Bordeaux/Merlot from the Southwest.
Stews, bourguignon, braised dishes: use the wine in the sauce in the glass. Red from the same region as the dish—Burgundy for beef bourguignon, Rhône for a Provençal daube.
Game (wild boar, venison, wild duck): the most structured wines. Aged Languedoc red, Syrah from the Rhône, Madiran.
Vegetarian and vegan
This is the most open, and often the most interesting, territory. Vegetable-based cuisine has a very varied palette of aromas, textures, and intensities.
Grilled vegetables, ratatouille, tian: dry Languedoc or Provence rosé, light southern Rhône red.
Mushrooms (risotto, stir-fry, fricassee): Pinot Noir from Burgundy or Alsace. Mushrooms have a natural affinity for Pinot wines.
Legumes (lentils, chickpeas, hummus): aromatic white (Viognier, Roussanne, light Gewurztraminer) or dry rosé.
Spicy dishes (curry, vegetable tagine): slightly sweet or very aromatic white—Alsatian Gewurztraminer, Rhône Viognier. Spice calls for a bit of roundness and sweetness.
Cheeses
Forget the "red with cheese" rule—it rarely stands up to testing. Cheese is often better with a white.
Fresh goat cheeses: Sancerre blanc, Pouilly-Fumé, any lively Loire white. The regional pairing works perfectly.
Soft-ripened cheeses (Brie, Camembert): Champagne or Burgundy white for the purists. A dry rosé can also work very well.
Pressed, cooked-curd cheeses (Comté, Beaufort, Gruyère): Jura white (Chardonnay, Savagnin), Savoie white. Regional pairings are rarely disappointing.
Blue cheeses (Roquefort, Bleu d'Auvergne): sweet or characterful white wine. A Sauternes with Roquefort is an experience in itself.
Desserts
The one rule: the wine must be at least as sweet as the dessert, otherwise it will taste bitter.
Fruit tart, light desserts: Moscato, Clairette de Die, lightly sparkling sweet wines.
Chocolate: Banyuls, Maury, Rivesaltes—the natural sweet wines of Roussillon were made for this.
Final rule—the most important
These pairings are starting points. Your taste has more legitimacy than any guide. If you like drinking red with your fish, drink red with your fish. Wine is meant to accompany pleasure, not to constrain it.