Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
White Wine

Top flavour pairings and recipes for white wine, according to analysis of thousands of recipes.

White wine conjures the embrace of pear and the bracing kiss of sour apple, but beneath its sourness lies a complex symphony of subtle flavour notes, such as blossom, oak, and hints of honey, giving it remarkable depth. Understanding how these elements interplay is the secret to unlocking truly exceptional pairings.

To map these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, breaking each one down across 150 flavour dimensions, identifying which notes complement and contrast. Our findings reveal, for instance, how vegan XO sauce's glutamic tones can enrich white wine, or how seaweed's algaline notes create an unexpectedly harmonious bridge with the crisp sweetness.

An ingredient's flavour stems from its core characteristics, such as acidic, floral, or nectarous, 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 Art of Flavour Pairing

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 Pear Notes

Our analysis shows that the flavour of pear is strongly associated with the flavour of seaweed. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a seaweedy flavour when pairing with the pear-like accents of white wine.

The recipes below provide inspiration for pairing white wine with seaweed.

Harmonious Flavours Of White Wine

Just as our analysis shows that pear and seaweedy flavour notes often complement each other, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavour notes present in white wine. For instance, the malic notes of white wine are strongly associated with hoppy and capsicum notes.

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

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of vegan XO sauce offers many of the accents complementary to white wine, including glutamic and chanterelle aromas. Because the flavour profile of vegan XO sauce has many of the of the features that are complementary to white wine, they are likely to pair very well together.

The chart above shows the unique profile of vegan XO sauce across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with white wine.

Recipes That Pair White Wine With Vegan XO Sauce

Linked Flavour Notes

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

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

Which Cheese Go With White Wine?

Choose cheese that awaken its greenness or carry its soft floral aroma. Ricotta salata and feta offer vibrant, clean counterpoints, their verdant freshness lifting the palate. Farmer's cheese add a gentle, oniony brightness, while gruyère introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.

Alternatively, embrace cheese that harmonise with white wine's woodiness. The addition of berkswell cheese, with its subtle cantharelloid notes, can complement the oak beautifully, while comté lends a mild creaminess.

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., White wine), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.