Your Wine and Food Pairing Guide

These Best Cellars are available at your local Liquorland. With more than 170 stores nationwide and a fantastic team of trained wine pros, call in and they'll match you with your perfect drop this winter!

Prosecco
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Prosecco hails from the northeast of Italy and is made from Glera grapes. Pop open an aroma of granny smith apples and raisins, and on the palate it’s slightly sweet and frothy, with flavours of apple sauce and white grapes, ending with a crisp lime finish. Prosecco is made by fermenting the base wine in pressurised stainless-steel tanks, which is quicker and more cost-efficient than the traditional bottle fermentation used for Champagne. This process creates a fruity, easy-drinking sparkling wine. Prosecco is perfect for any occasion: brunch, lunch, or as a refreshing pre-dinner drink. Just chill, pop, and pour! 

Platter Match: Serve with a board of mild cheese, such as edam, gouda, havarti  or camembert, served with roasted almonds, peanuts, cashews and quince paste.

Main Dish: Pair with pan-fried snapper, gurnard or terakihi, salads, chicken, and not-too-spicy Asian dishes.

Rosé
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Rosé wine can be made from any red grape. To get that lovely pink colour, the grape skins hang out with the juice for just a short while, sometimes as little as three hours. After that, it’s off to the fermentation tanks. The result is a wine that can range from a copper blush to light red, bursting with summer berry flavours. Some Rosés can be a bit sweet, but the trend these days is for dry and crisp styles like those from Provence.

Platter Match: Cheese matches with Rosé would be slightly sweet, nutty styles such as havarti and emmental accompanied by roasted almonds, pecans, and pistachios. Fig jam is also a winner. 

Main Dish: Rosé makes a good match for light dishes like pan-fried fish or roast chicken, plus it’s an ideal drop for winter barbecues and picnics.

Chardonnay
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Chardonnay is a step up from Prosecco in intensity of flavours and in alcohol. It is a dry wine and more complex. Styles can vary from crisp, citric and mineral through to buttery, peachy, tropical and full-bodied. It is also the only white wine that is traditionally fermented in toasted oak barrels. The origin of the oak lends character to the wine. For example, closely grained French oak typically gives spicy, nutty characters; American oak tends to be wider grained and gives toasty vanilla and coconut vibes (think bourbon); and new oak gives more oomph to the wine than an aged barrel.

Platter Match: Being bolder, cheese board matches can step up in flavour. Try creamy brie, creamy blue, Swiss gruyère, buttery cheddar or pecorino. Add some olives, hummus, green grapes, crusty sourdough and you’re away laughing.

Main Dish: Chardonnay matches well with rich dishes that have creamy sauces like fettucine and carbonara, or seafood such as crayfish and scallops.

Pinot Noir
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Pinot Noir, the velvety wine of Burgundy, is also New Zealand’s second most-planted grape. It thrives in cool climates, offering a complexity of scents and flavours. From cooler regions, it can be transparent with strawberry, spice, and raspberry notes. In hotter regions, it becomes rich, silky, and full-bodied with flavours like mushroom, black cherry and blackberry. Pinot Noir is a tough grape to grow, prone to rot, and requires a skilled winemaker. Fuller-bodied Pinot Noir comes from California, Australia, and Central Otago, while lighter versions are typical of France and Marlborough. 

Platter Match: With savoury umami characters, enjoy Pinot Noir with brie, camembert, gruyère, or even a hard cheese like parmesan. A mushroom pâté and a fig and walnut log with spiced almonds would be a cheeseboard marriage made in heaven.

Main Dish: Enjoy Pinot Noir with roast turkey, confit duck, spicy tomato mushroom pasta, lamb rack, or a beetroot salad.

Shiraz
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Australian Shiraz is a big, full-bodied wine, known for its high alcohol content and deep, inky colour. It boasts intense blackcurrant and spicy plum flavours, with a distinctive black pepper finish. Often, you’ll find hints of dark chocolate, tobacco, and earthy undertones, adding
to your red wine experience.

Platter Match: Go for tangy aged cheddar or blue cheeses like gorgonzola or roquefort. Washed rind cheeses are also a great option. Throw in some spicy tomato relish and parmesan crackers or add some sweet grazing options like dark chocolate. You and your guests will love it.

Main Dish: Go crazy, because this wine can handle it! Think peppered fillet steak, spiced venison casserole, beef bourguignon, caramelised pork chops, barbecue-grilled vegetables, or any mushroom dish.