A restaurant wine dinner is a great way to expand your culinary repertoire, work with winemakers, and drive sales by creating a memorable experience for your diners. Wine dinner menus should feature food that complements a style of winemaking, a vintage, or a winery throughout the dining experience.
In this article, I break down some key restaurant wine dinner ideas and steps to design memorable wine dinners that boost your bottom line.
1. Understand the Basics of Wine Pairing
Wine pairing is the act of serving food and wine in a way that enhances both items being served. There are many different food and wine combinations to explore in all meal course types. Understanding wine/food basics and how wine should be served goes a long way in creating a memorable wine dinner.
Crucial to understanding how to build a wine dinner menu is knowing which pairings to avoid. Wine pairing is delicate, and when you make a mistake, it can not only ruin the course but also overpower the palate and ruin the meal. Below are some common pairing mistakes to avoid:
- Pairing high-alcohol wines with spicy food: High-alcohol wines will actually enhance spice and create unappetizing and sometimes painful eating experiences. It is important to manage this if your menu features spicy foods.
- Mismatched flavor intensity: Your wine and food should match in flavor intensity. When one is out of balance with the other, either the food or the wine can get lost in the eating process.
- Imbalanced acid levels: Similar to intensity, knowing the sweetness and acid levels of a wine is key to pairing your food. If a low-acid wine is paired with a high-acid food, then the wine will fall flat.
- Not tasting the wine being served: This is a common mistake I see among chefs. Taking the time to get to know the wine helps you build a better menu that makes sense to the specific wine being served.
- Mismatched glassware: Another key aspect of serving wine is picking the right glassware for your wine. A flute allows Champagne to stay bubbly and crisp. A wide, red wine glass allows the wine to breathe and the aroma to be detected more. Choose your glassware wisely.
Avoiding these fundamental wine dinner mistakes is easy, and if you do avoid them, then you are already landing on a quality experience for your paying guests.
2. Pair Appetizers With Sparkling or Bright High-acid Wine
Appetizers are meant to excite the palate during a meal and ready the diner for more flavors, and the wines in this section complement this goal. It depends on the appetizers and hors d’oeuvres you’re planning to serve. A general rule of thumb is to serve a cold, sparkling wine with high acidity and some sweetness—the cold, acidic bubbles will pair well with fried foods and other small bites.
Some examples of some common wine types to food pairings in the appetizer portion of the menu are as follows:
- Riesling with spicy, fried foods
- Sauvignon Blanc with guacamoles and salsa
- Pinot Gris with antipasto
- Champagne with calamari or other fried foods
- Rosé with cheese and charcuterie
- Sauvignon Blanc with salmon tartare cones
- Unoaked Chardonnay with pizza
As you can see, all of the pairings above balance higher-acid, somewhat dry wines with some savory or bright flavors. The same rule set can be paired with soups and salads, with some exceptions to specific recipes. I love appetizer wine pairings, as the excitement of waking your palate up can really set the tone for the meal to come.
3. Match Wine & Dish Intensity
Another wine menu dinner tip is to match the wine intensity you are serving with the dish intensity you have prepared to go with the wine. Take, for example, the pairing of a sparkling wine with an appetizer. Both of these items are “light”. They are meant to be a quick bite and a quick sip, meant to stimulate the palate. A heavy red with an item such as a salmon tartare cone would be a bitter, unappetizing pairing where the fish is lost and the wine too overpowering.
When considering wine pairings in a wine dinner, it is crucial to taste the wine to really know what you are dealing with. There is often a debate about whether you should start with the food menu or wine menu first. I personally believe that determining the wine you are serving first, followed by the food, is the best course of action. Wines vary widely, so understanding the intensity of the wine you will be using throughout your menu will help you match dishes and tailor your cooking accordingly.
4. Pair Main Entrees With Full-bodied Reds or Whites
Main courses—especially meats such as beef, lamb, or pork—will often command a red wine. This is due to the intensity of the meat flavor one of these protein options provides. Chicken can be paired with white or lighter-bodied reds, depending on the accompanying components in the dish. Fish, on the other hand, will need to be paired with white wine in most cases. Below are some examples of different main courses and wine pairings you should use for guidance:
- Poultry with Chardonnay or a light Pinot Noir
- Fish with Prosecco, Chenin Blanc, or Pinot Grigio
- Roasted Vegetables with Merlot
- Pork with Riesling or Pinot Noir
- Beef with Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Malbec
- Lamb with Zinfandel or a Bordeaux Red
- Venison with Chianti or Cabernet Sauvignon
The pairings above reflect higher-intensity flavors with bolder, fuller-bodied wines. Wines that match flavors and the overall “weight” of the food served will create a flavor affinity that your guests will enjoy. Fuller-bodied wines will often have notes of different spices and other flavors. When building your wine dinner menu, utilizing these aspects will help you build courses that really resonate with the alcohol being served.
5. Be Aware of Optimal Wine Temperatures
Serving wine at its optimal temperature is key to the wine pairing with your food and delivering distinct flavor notes. Red wines should be served slightly cooler than room temp, with a range of 60 to 68 degrees F being ideal. White wines, on the other hand, should be served between 48 to 55 F. These temperature ranges impart the best flavors from the wine.
Room temp also allows red wine to breathe. The flavors are more discernible and the aroma also is stronger. For white wines, a crisp temperature allows for sharp flavor notes such as melon to really come through while still offering a strong “nose” when drinking. Sparkling wines such as Champagne are best served colder, as the bubbles on the palate paired with the crisp flavor are the biggest reason these wines are so enjoyed. A wine that is too warm will taste harsh and overtly alcohol-heavy. Wines served cold when they should not be will provide a dull experience in both taste and aroma.
6. Know the Dessert Wine Rule
When serving wine with dessert, the wine must be as sweet or sweeter as the dessert. This is the rule for rounding out a wine dinner with dessert; otherwise, it can ruin the end of the meal and the entire course itself. If the wine is less sweet than the dessert it is paired with, then the wine will come off as sour or bitter.
Below are some wine dinner menu ideas you can use for dessert pairings:
- Port wine with chocolate cake
- Sweet Reisling with cheesecake
- Champagne with sorbet
- Sherry with brownies
- Moscato d’Asti and fresh berries
- Oaked Chardonnay and lemon bars
- Sherry with carrot cake
I highly suggest once a dessert course is decided upon, that you actively taste the wine and the dessert together with your culinary team before serving. While it can be easy to pick more classical combinations, tasting before you serve the course is key if you have any doubt about a pairing for dessert. Furthermore, working with a specific wine can help you tailor a recipe to a sweetness level that complements the wine being served.
7. Work In Terroir When Possible
A big part of understanding a wine’s flavor is the “terroir” of the wine. “Terroir” is a culinary term that refers to the unique flavor, aroma, and physical features an ingredient or beverage will have due to its growing climate. This is why the region in which wine is produced is so important. A Chardonnay from California will have many different flavor variations and aroma variations compared to a Chardonnay from Chablis, France. This is where a wine dinner gets interesting for a chef, as you can tailor your recipes to the terroir of the wine you are pairing with.
So, for example, say you wanted to throw a regional wine dinner representing wine and food from Chablis, France. You may consider cooking “Le Jambon A La Chablisienne,” a local ham dish often paired with local wine from the region. The recipe from this part of the world was made in tandem with the wine produced there. If you wanted to work with a French winemaker from Chablis, you then have a whole culinary codex from that region you can build a menu off of.
This is also true for American wine producers. California is known for its wine, being one of the largest producers in the world of high-quality wines. A popular tradition in California is hosting wine dinners at the vineyard itself. With this, you can use local California produce and meat to build a menu tailored not only to the wine you are using but the region’s culinary offerings as a whole. Foods made with a wine’s terroir in mind are great wine dinner menu ideas because they provide natural affinities and flavor combinations to your menu.
8. Work With the Winemaker for Best Results
The last major tip I have for building out a restaurant wine dinner menu is to work with the winemaker you are highlighting to deliver a great experience to customers. Winemakers often have a wealth of knowledge on the specific food combinations their wines go with and how other chefs have utilized their wine in a pairing before. The winemakers you work with will be excited to show off their product and have it featured, so use their experience to help build out a menu.
When possible, it is a great idea to taste the pairings with the winemaker before serving them to your paying guests. A tasting before the event allows you to pick up on nuances in the food that may not work with the wine. On the other hand, a winemaker can steer your dishes into a certain flavor that may help accent the wine in a more meaningful way. Taking the time to do research and development with the winemaker is key when the opportunity is there.
How to Organize a Wine Dinner
Planning a wine dinner can be just as much work as pairing the wine with relevant dishes and ingredients. Let’s briefly break down the process of organizing a wine dinner and how to be most efficient while providing a quality experience.
Step 1: Pick a Dedicated Theme & Winemaker/Source
Wine dinners are appealing because they focus on a particular wine varietal, producer, style, or vintage. The focus of building a wine dinner menu is to match food with the certain characteristics of the wine being offered. When working with local producers or wineries abroad and building out the menu, it is important to seek out information on the wine you will be serving. Understanding how you will approach this event will come down to what you and the winery want to portray.
For example, choosing to feature a variety of red wines from the local winery will lead to a much different menu when compared to a dinner blended with whites and reds from the same producer. Also, knowing which cuisine type you are working with will better help dictate your wine dinner menu. So, if the wine you are serving is made from Italian grapes from a producer in Italy, then building a menu on complimentary Italian dishes makes the most sense. This is how you begin to solidify your menu for your wine dinner.
Step 2: Plan the Progression of the Menu
After figuring out the theme, the next step is to plan out how you will progress through your menu. It is very important to understand each wine you are showcasing with your food and how each next course will build off of the previous one. For wine dinners, you often want the intensity of the wine to increase from course to course until you hit dessert. Therefore planning out not only each course, but also which course comes after the one you just served is crucial for the best customer experience.
Step 3: Determine Your Headcount
The next important step in organizing a restaurant wine dinner is determining the number of people you will invite. The event can be attended by making prospective customers buy tickets, so establishing a headcount is easy in itself. It is also a good idea to invite the winemakers involved with the wine being showcased when possible. What will determine your headcount will depend on some of the key factors below:
- Length of the dinner
- Amount of staff available
- Amount of seating space in the dining room
- Amount of wine being provided
- The intricacy of menu items
All of these aspects will determine just how many guests you can have. If you want a more intricate menu to truly enhance the wine being served, then limiting your headcount to the number of people you can actually execute the menu for is key. Also, some wine dinners happen by producers offering you wine for your dinner. The amount of wine you have on hand for the dinner will determine the amount of people you invite overall.
Step 4: Promote Your Wine Dinner
Promoting your wine dinner is the next step, as you need customers to buy tickets and attend. Websites such as Tock can help you with ticketing, but sharing your event through different social media channels is a great way to gain interest in the event.
Highlight the types of wines you are using at the dinner, create content with the winemaker when possible, and advertise the theme of the event and your culinary goals for hosting it. Wine fans and food fans alike are willing to spend money on high-level dining experiences. Giving them information and making them aware of your event is key to getting them in the door.
Step 5: Print Menus & Get Ready for the Dinner
Menus detailing the food and the wine you are serving are important, as they bridge any knowledge gaps a customer may have. I really enjoy wine dinner menus that not only highlight the food and the wine served but also deliver tasting note details or other reasons as to why this specific pairing was chosen.
Using websites such as VistaPrint is a great way to print detailed menus that will impress your customers. You can find customizable menu templates or work with a designer to get your printed menus just right in time for your service.
To get ready for the dinner, you should be prepped for all your kitchen work, and your staff should be primed to execute your menu. Your service staff should be well-versed in each pairing and the wine itself, as they will be necessary in relaying this information to guests at the dinner. Finally, your dining room should have all plateware, cutlery, and enough glassware for each guest to enjoy their wine properly. Once this is done, your dinner is ready to be executed and you can impress your guests with both your food and beverage pairings.
Food & Wine Learning Resources
Coming up with wine dinner menu ideas can be tough, and it can be quite a challenge to pair food and wine correctly. Below are some of the resources I recommend for those interested in deeper learning of pairing food and wine together:
- What To Drink With What You Eat: A popular book in the food industry for quick access to a large amount of successful food and wine pairings.
- Window On The World Complete Wine Course: The book I used to learn more about wine in general and the flavor impact it has on its own and with food.
- The Sommelier Prep Course: A great intro to the different alcoholic beverages you can offer in a restaurant.
- WSET Online Wine Course: An affordable online wine course introducing you to the basics of wine production and flavor.
- UC Davis Sensory Technique Coursera: A course focused on the sensory aspects of wine tasting.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Planning a restaurant wine dinner and coming up with restaurant wine dinner menu ideas can be challenging. Below are some of the more frequently asked questions when it comes to planning a restaurant wine dinner.
Winemakers can be found locally through Facebook groups, LinkedIn, alcohol vendors, or your own connections within the industry. It is not uncommon for winemakers to reach out to restaurants to create interest in their products. If you are fortunate enough to have wine producers in your area, calling them or visiting them to propose a partnership is a great way to find a winemaker to throw a wine dinner with.
This will depend on the cost of the ingredients, the cost of the wine if it is not provided for free, the length of the meal, and the venue itself. Wine dinners are not just for making a profit but to bring exposure to both a restaurant and a winemaker, so they can have more of a business impact than just short-term profit. That said, the common price for a wine dinner ticket can be anywhere from $150 to $300.
A wine-pairing dinner will pair food and wine together in a way that complements a cooking style and a winemaking style. These dinners often start with lighter food and wine and grow in intensity throughout the meal. A wine pairing dinner is often very involved as well, as the wine producer and chef often educate their guests on the reason for the pairing and flavor expectations from each course. A wine-pairing dinner is an elevated dining experience with a lot of different sensory experiences and learning opportunities for the customer.
Bottom Line
Organizing a restaurant wine dinner takes a lot of effort on many fronts. You first need to decide the wine or winemaker you will use. You then need to try the wine being served and build a menu around it. Finally, you need to market the dinner and execute it successfully.
Use the restaurant wine dinner menu ideas in this guide to help you build a wine dinner menu and pairing experience that highlights the skills of both your restaurant and the winemaker. When you blend wine and food in a way that enhances both, it is an experience unlike any other in the dining space.