The Core Principles
In nineteen years of cooking — from Maaemo in Oslo to Nobu kitchens in Moscow and Budapest — I’ve watched a lot of guests freeze up when the wine question lands. They think pairing is a secret language. It isn’t. There are really only four ideas you need, and once they click, you’ll trust your own palate more than any label on a shelf.
First, match weight and intensity. A delicate dish wants a delicate wine; a bold dish wants a bold one. Think of it like volume — you don’t want the wine shouting over the food, or the food burying the wine. A light flaky fish and a heavy, oaky red are simply mismatched in size.
Second, acidity is your friend. A wine with bright acidity cuts through richness the way a squeeze of lemon does on a buttery piece of fish. Anything fatty, creamy, or fried comes alive next to a crisp, high-acid pour. This single trick saves more pairings than any other.
Third, regional pairings rarely fail. Foods and wines that grew up together tend to belong together — coastal whites with the seafood from those same waters, sturdy inland reds with the hearty cooking of their region. When you’re unsure, ask what grows near the dish, and you’ll usually land somewhere lovely.
Fourth, when in doubt, reach for bubbles. Sparkling wine is the most versatile bottle you can own. Its acidity and fine fizz scrub the palate clean, so it flatters everything from oysters to fried chicken to a rich cut of beef. If you only learn one rule, learn this one.
Pairing isn’t about being right — it’s about balance. When the wine and the plate make each other taste a little better than they did alone, you’ve nailed it.
Pairing with Seafood
Seafood rewards restraint. The flavors are clean and often delicate, so you want a wine that lifts them rather than smothers them. This is where crisp, unoaked whites earn their keep.
For lighter shellfish and white fish — oysters, scallops, sole, halibut — I love a Sancerre or another Sauvignon Blanc with its zip of citrus and minerality. Albariño from the Spanish coast is another favorite of mine: saline, bright, and built for anything that came out of the ocean. Both bring that high acidity that makes a squeeze-of-lemon dish taste even fresher.
A dry rosé is one of the most underrated bottles for a seafood spread. It has enough body to handle grilled prawns or a richer fish, yet stays light and refreshing — the perfect bridge wine when your table is eating a little of everything.
And here’s the rule that surprises people: not all seafood wants white. A meaty fish like seared tuna has real heft and almost a steak-like quality. Pour it a chilled light red — a Pinot Noir or a Gamay, lightly cool from the fridge — and the match sings. Remember principle one: tuna’s weight calls for a bit more wine than a flaky sole would.
Steak & Red Meat
Now we go the other direction. A good steak has fat, char, and deep savory flavor, so it wants a wine with the structure to stand up to it. This is bold-red territory, and the tannins in those reds do something wonderful: they grip the fat and the protein, scrubbing your palate clean between bites.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the classic for a reason — firm tannins, dark fruit, and enough backbone to meet a ribeye head-on. Syrah, or Shiraz as it’s labeled in Australia, brings a peppery, smoky depth that loves anything off the grill. And Malbec, with its plush dark-fruit character, is a generous, crowd-pleasing partner for a hearty cut.
If you have an aged bottle you’ve been saving, a steak dinner is its moment. Older reds soften and grow more complex over time, and that mellow depth is a beautiful counterpoint to a well-marbled piece of beef. Just open it a little early to let it breathe.
One last note on red meat: think about the sauce and the cut, not only the protein. A leaner cut or a lighter preparation can take a softer red, while a rich, fatty, heavily seasoned dish wants the boldest bottle on your table. It always comes back to matching weight.
Pairing Through the Seasons
The same dish can call for a different wine depending on the time of year — not because the rules change, but because what we crave does. I cook with organic, seasonal ingredients, and I pour the same way: lighter and brighter when it’s warm, richer and rounder when it’s cold.
In summer, here in Southern California especially, I reach for chilled whites, dry rosés, and sparkling wine. They’re refreshing, they pair beautifully with the lighter grilled and raw dishes of the season, and they keep a long outdoor dinner from feeling heavy. My Summer Californian and Coastal Luxury menus practically beg for a cold bottle of something crisp.
As the air cools into fall and winter, the table wants more comfort. This is when those bold reds, the structured Cabernets and Syrahs, come into their own beside braises and roasts. A fuller-bodied white — an oaked Chardonnay, say — also feels right next to richer cold-weather cooking. The food gets warmer and rounder, and the wine should follow it.
You can taste this shift across my flagship menus — a bright Japanese-French Fusion in July asks for something very different than a La Russe feast in December. If you’d like to see how the dishes change with the calendar, my seasonal menus are the best place to start.
How I Build a Menu Around Your Wine
Here’s where I’ll be honest with you, because I think it matters. I’m a chef, not a sommelier, and I don’t supply the wine for your dinner. What I do is design the food around the bottles you already love to pour — or the ones you’re excited to serve for a special evening.
That’s genuinely my favorite way to work. Tell me you’ve been saving a particular Burgundy, or that your guest of honor adores Champagne, and I’ll build the courses to make that wine shine. The menu bends to the bottle, not the other way around. Everything I’ve shared here is the same guidance I’d offer you over the phone — practical, unfussy, and meant to make your own choices easier.
When you’re ready to plan a dinner, I’d love to hear what’s in your glass. You can explore what I offer on my services page or reach out through booking to start the conversation. A private dinner runs from $650, or $140 per guest, with a $200 deposit credited to your final bill — and the wine pairing guidance always comes free with the meal.