Syrah and Food Pairing
Ingredients and Styles
With Syrah, style is a significant factor in determining how to match the wine with food. For classic French Syrah-based wines, red meat in almost any form (grilled, stewed, smoked, or roasted), stews, and other stick-to-the-ribs fare are superb matches. Play off the implicit peppery character of the wine by incorporating spices and peppers into marinades, glazes, sauces, or accompanying side dishes and condiments. Almost all Syrah and Syrah-based wines are generous in alcohol, so don't serve subtle recipes that will be buried. Dishes with a coarse texture work well with Syrah: polenta, black beans, and even a sauce made with whole-grain mustard all offer a nice rough scrape against this ample wine. New World Syrah and Syrah-based wines, such as those from Australia and California, packed with generous black and red fruit, are very good with meat and fowl alike. Roasts of pork and venison, especially when accented by a choice condiment, can play off the wine's fruit: try serving a fruit chutney or spiced tomato conserve alongside. Ample examples of regional cuisine, such as French cassoulet, Greek moussaka, or a good old American chili (rich but not too spicy hot), are natural partners with Syrah. If the wine is softer and less alcoholic, a robust fish stew, such as a spicy bouillabaisse or cioppino, will reward the adventurous. If you are looking for a wine to go with your Texas barbecue, look no further. Syrah is also a natural with many types of cheese, especially those crusted with black pepper or herbs.
| Wine Style | Ingredients | Cuisines + Cooking methods |
|---|---|---|
| All styles | Black pepper Lamb, boar, wild game (such as squab) Hard cheeses Avoid most fish Avoid fiery, spicy ingredients Avoid very sour ingredients as a main event Avoid soft, mild cheeses |
Add to pepper to marinades, sauces, side dishes and, of course, the main dish, such as a peppercorn-crusted tuna Dishes should be fuller-textured A touch of vinegar or tomatoes can be good, but not too much! |
| Classic Old World-style | Black olives Herbs, especially French-style (herbes de Provence, rosemary, fennel) Green peppers Mushrooms |
Grilled foods Full-bodied and flavored fish dishes, such as bouillabaisse Roast vegetables |
| New World-style 1: Fleshy, fruit-forward | Fruit chutneys Cinnamon, clove, chocolate (for savory dishes) Farm-style sausages Lamb Duck Pork |
Slow- braises and pureed dishes that are fuller-bodied Barbecue Rustic dishes such as sausages with fennel Char-grilled steak or pork roast with black beans |
| New World style 2: Minty, slightly austere, but still fruit-forward | Mint Tomatoes Tomatillos Vinegar Smoky ingredient |
Add an ingredient with some acid to the dish as an accent Add “green” notes such as mint or fennel, but not too much, as in Pork Chili Verde Grilling |
| Aged | Plain meats, especially examples with an earthier, gamier, farm-raised profile Onions |
Cook meats simply (plain roast, simple grill) Caramelizing (meats + onions) |
Methods of Cooking
Wine Profile
Medium+ to high acid, alcohol, body, and tannin.
Cooking Methods and Ingredients
Dishes that echo flavors in the glass pair well. The “meaty,” smoky, olive notes of Syrah go well with more pungent meats such as grilled lamb served with black olives. These wines often have green herb and peppery notes. So play off those notes by adding rosemary, fennel, and peppers – from roasted green peppers to black pepper. The easiest pairings for these Rhône-style wines is to look at the dishes from that area or just to the south in Provence, and even other parts of the Mediterranean such as North Africa. That world of options includes ratatouille, couscous, bouillabaisse (yes, a full-flavored fish dish), lamb barbecue with Moroccan spices. A dash of herbes de Provence will provide an instant bridge to the wine.
Wine Profile
Medium to medium+ acid, medium tannin, high-alcohol and full, round, smooth-bodied
Cooking Methods and Ingredients
Duck and lamb are meats that naturally show some sweetness – a great pairing for exuberant fruit wines. Reach for species such as cinnamon and clove when preparing to serve these savory dishes, or add a side of chutney, to pair with these fruit-friendly profile wines. The body of the dishes should match the weight of these fuller-bodied wines – think coarse-textured, slow-cooked dishes that have a nearly pureed consistency, from black beans to mole. And of course, country-style, more rustic sausages, served with a whole-grained mustard, bring out the earthy notes of these wines. Smoked ingredients pair well with lightly oak-aged examples.
Wine Profile
Medium+ to high acid, medium+ tannin and body, high alcohol.
Cooking Methods and Ingredients
Match the higher acid profile of these wines by adding tomatoes, tomatillos, vinegar to the dish. “Green” ingredients such as a moderate amount of cilantro, parsley or mint offer a bridge to the wine’s minty profile. If cooking with lentils, for example, switch out brown lentils for green lentilles du Puy from France.
Wine Profile
Medium to medium+ to high-acid and alcohol, medium body and tannin, as tannins soften with age
Cooking Methods and Ingredients
Syrah becomes more like Cabernet Sauvignon as it ages. Keep food simple, such as plain roasted meats, and make the mature wine the star of the table. A surprising direction is to highlight the greater inherent fruitiness of a Syrah versus Cabernet Sauvignon by preparing dishes with the subtle “sweetness” that arises from caramelizing onions and meat. Short ribs are a winner. Just avoid “hot” spices such as red, or even black pepper, as they will overwhelm the wine and emphasize the alcohol.
Pairing Pointers
Syrah works well:
- With grilled foods. A char-grilled steak, a peppercorn-crusted tuna, or even assorted grilled vegetables such as eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes pair well.
- With thicker and fuller preparations. The weight and body of Syrah and Syrah-based wines make them natural partners for thick stews and one-dish meals.
- With pungent and wild flavors. Squab, wild boar, and other strong-flavored foods are tamed and happy when served with most Syrahs.
- With herbs. Whether they are coating a cheese, sprinkled onto a dish, used as an accent for a marinade, or simply adding flavor to the grill's coals, fresh herbs are a winner with Syrah especially French-style, earthier examples.
- With barbecue. No matter what the style (from Texas, the Carolinas, or Saint Louis), Syrah is a great accompaniment.
Syrah does not work well:
- With most fish. Though some salmon and tuna preparations and fish stews pair well with lighter styles of Syrah, it's generally too much for most seafood recipes and can be thrown out of balance by stronger fish.
- With very hot and fiery recipes. With Syrah's high alcohol level, any increase on the Scoville scale will increase the perception of alcohol in the Syrah and leave you reaching for a beer.
- With sour foods. Sharp vinegar bases and tart vegetables (such as escarole and leeks) can be tough to pair with a Syrah, unless you're working with a leaner and more austere example.
- With really mild cheeses. With Syrah, pungency in the cheese is a plus. Although, again, blue-veined cheeses are difficult to match with the wine, Syrah pairs well with harder strong cheeses: aged Dutch Gouda, Parmesan, aged goat cheese, and dry jack. Avoid soft and mild cheeses or those that are runny and strong-smelling, like Epoisses or aged Camembert.