Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Red Wine

Top flavour pairings and red wine recipes, revealed through the hidden methmatics of flavour.

Red wine instantly conjures the evocative embrace of blackberry and the bracing kiss of oak. But look beneath its obvious umaminess and you'll discover a captivating symphony of softer notes, a whisper of tannin, a hint of cherry, and subtle accents reminiscent of polyphenol, giving it remarkable depth. The key to an exceptional harmony lies in appreciating how these accents interact and harmonise.

To illuminate these harmonies, we embarked on an ambitious journey, analysing thousands of ingredients. Each was meticulously deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, allowing us to pinpoint precisely which notes complement in both classic and unexpected ways. Our findings reveal, for instance, how beef rump's bovine tones can enrich red wine, or how lamb's liver's ferrous notes create an unexpectedly harmonious bridge with the dark sweetness.

An ingredient's flavour stems from its core characteristics, such as acidic, woody, or spice, combined with layers of subtle flavour notes (outer bars). For a balanced dish, pair ingredients with a variety of core flavours, and choose complementary aroma notes for harmony.

The Flavour Code

To understand exactly which flavours harmonise, we compiled a database of over 50,000 ingredient pairings commonly used in cooking. We then analysed these pairings, identifying the specific flavour notes that frequently appear together.

The Flavours That Harmonise With Blackberry Notes

Our analysis shows that the flavour of blackberry is strongly associated with the flavour of iron. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a ironny flavour, such as lamb's liver, when pairing with the blackberry notes of red wine.

The recipes below provide inspiration for pairing red wine with lamb's liver.

Harmonious Flavours Of Red Wine

Just as our analysis revealed that blackberry and ironny flavours combine harmoniously, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavour notes present in red wine. E.g. the tannic notes of red wine are often used with mouldy and burnt accents.

The notes complementary to the various aromas of red wine can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of beef rump offers many of the notes complementary to red wine, including bovine and fatty accents. Because the flavour profile of beef rump has many of the of the features that are complementary to red wine, they are likely to pair very well together.

The chart above shows the unique profile of beef rump across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with red wine.

Recipes That Pair Red Wine With Beef Rump

Linked Flavour Notes

Looking at the aroma accents that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of red wine, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of red wine, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the accents complementary to red wine.

Which Cheese Go With Red Wine?

Choose cheese that anchor its berryness or infuse with its dry sensation. Gorgonzola and blue cheese offer vibrant, clean counterpoints, their verdant freshness lifting the palate. Stilton add a gentle, oniony brightness, while mature cheddar introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.

Alternatively, embrace cheese that harmonise with red wine's woodiness. The addition of gruyère, with its subtle cantharelloid notes, can complement the oak beautifully, while comté lends a fungal earthiness.

How Flavonomics Works

We've pioneered a unique, data-driven approach to decode the intricate art of flavour pairing. Our goal is to move beyond intuition and uncover the science of why certain ingredients harmonise beautifully. This rigorous methodology allows us to provide you with insightful and reliable pairing recommendations.

Our analysis begins with over 50,000 carefully selected recipes from acclaimed chefs like Galton Blackiston, Marcello Tully, and Pierre Lambinon. This premium dataset ensures our model distils genuine culinary excellence and creativity.

Each ingredient from these recipes is deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, creating a unique numerical "flavour fingerprint." This quantification allows us to apply advanced analytical methods to identify complex patterns between flavour notes.

We identify popular ingredient combinations that frequently appear in our recipe database. Regression analysis is then performed on these pairings to statistically validate and pinpoint truly harmonious flavours.

These insights drive our predictive model, which allows us to take any ingredient (e.g., Red wine), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.