How can you use wine pairings to elevate your restaurant menu?

1 Why wine pairings matter

Wine pairings are not just a fancy way to impress your customers, but a strategic tool to showcase your menu and your culinary skills. Wine can either contrast or complement your food, depending on the ingredients, the cooking method, and the sauce. A good wine pairing can balance the acidity, sweetness, bitterness, and richness of your food, and bring out the subtle nuances and complexity of your dishes. A bad wine pairing can clash with your food, overpower or mask the flavors, and ruin the overall impression of your meal.

3 How to present wine pairings

Presenting wine pairings to your customers is an important part of creating a positive and engaging dining experience. You should provide a wine list that includes suggested pairings for each dish, as well as descriptions of the wine and why it works with the food. Additionally, train your staff to be knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the pairings, and to be able to answer questions and make recommendations. It's also beneficial to offer wine samples or flights, so customers can taste and compare different wines with their dishes. Offering wine by the glass or by the half-bottle is another way to make it more accessible and affordable for customers. Doing these things will help inform and educate your customers about your wine choices, while also making them feel comfortable and confident about their own preferences.

4 How to measure wine pairings

Measuring wine pairings is not an exact science, but a subjective and personal matter. Nevertheless, there are ways to evaluate and improve your wine pairings, and to get feedback from your customers. For instance, use your own senses and judgment to assess the interaction between the wine and the food, such as if they enhance or contrast each other. Additionally, ask customers for their opinions and preferences through surveys or online reviews, and observe their reactions. Moreover, track your sales and profits to measure your wine sales and margins. By doing so, you can compare your wine sales to food sales to see how your wine pairings affect your overall revenue and profitability.

5 How to innovate wine pairings

Wine pairings are not fixed, but rather dynamic and evolving. Experimenting and innovating with wine pairings can surprise and delight customers. To do this, you should change your menu and wine list regularly to reflect the seasons, trends, and available ingredients and wines. Additionally, collaborate with local wineries, distributors, or sommeliers to source unique wines that fit your menu. Hosting wine tastings, dinners, or workshops is a great way to showcase and educate customers about your offerings. Lastly, challenge yourself and customers to try unconventional pairings that break the rules. For example, try pairing red wine with fish or white wine with meat and see how they work together.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?