What are you eating?
Find the bottle before you finish the shopping list. Every wine below has been matched to the plate by our buyers, from a Tuesday takeaway to the cheeseboard at Christmas.
To start
The glass before the food arrives.
Fish & shellfish
Work from the weight of the dish, not the colour of the flesh.
Meat, poultry & game
The fattier the cut and the harder the char, the bigger the wine can be.
Steak & beef75 winesTannin loves fat. Cabernet, Malbec and Rioja earn their reputation here.
Lamb71 winesFollow the herbs. Rosemary and garlic point south, mint points to Bordeaux.
Chicken & poultry99 winesFour different pairings depending on whether it's roasted, grilled or in a sauce.
Pork & sausages101 winesWatch for sweetness. Apple sauce and sticky glazes need a softer red or an off-dry white.
Game & duckin season60 winesDeep, iron-edged and slightly wild. Mature Pinot Noir is the classic answer.
The Sunday roast153 winesOne joint, six opinions. Bottles with enough acidity to handle gravy and everyone at the table.
Everyday & sharing
Weeknights, takeaways and food that arrives all at once.
Pasta71 winesPair the sauce, not the shape. Tomato wants acidity, cream wants either freshness or body.
Pizza40 winesJuicy, unfussy, good with tomato. Better still lightly chilled.
Barbecue & the grill53 winesSmoke and char drown out anything delicate. Go bold, and serve reds slightly cool.
Curry & Asian food56 winesHeat is calmed by sweetness and made worse by tannin. Riesling covers most of the table.
Tapas & sharing plates76 winesFifteen small plates, one bottle. Sherry is the traditional answer and still an underrated one.
Vegetarian & vegetables58 winesPair the vegetable, not the absence of meat. Mushrooms love Pinot; roots take a fuller white.
To finish
The wine has to be sweeter than the pudding. That part isn't negotiable.
Cooking something that isn't on the list?
Our buyers pick every wine on this site and they're happy to match one to whatever you're making. Mixed cases built around a meal are our speciality.
