Pairing Pinot with Food

When it comes to pairing wine with food, some pairings complement each other like Fred and Ginger, where others do nothing but step on each other's toes. In the world of wine, Pinot Noir is a bit of a rarity - the good ones boast both complexity and versatility, quite an achievement. Freeman Pinot Noirs exemplify this wine's considerable charms - both our Sonoma Coast and Akiko's Cuvee Pinots are elegant and lush, boasting toasty notes of black cherry and spice. No question that these wines are great to enjoy on their own, but what about when it comes to pairing them with food?

From our years of traveling and cooking, we've concluded that there is no wine we enjoy more with food than Pinot. Like dance partners, wine and food should showcase each other's best moves. The boldness of one should not overwhelm the understated personality of the other. Pinot is a great partner to most of the world's cuisines (barring extremely spicy ones), because it strikes this balance beautifully. It goes well with chicken and beef, fish and lamb. Serve it to friends with a plate of assorted cheeses - its lightness of spirit (not to be mistaken for a lack of depth) will pair well with soft-ripened Brie-style cheeses or aged varieties. One of our favorite pairings, however, is a trend that is on the rise: we love Pinot with Asian food, especially Japanese. The two work well together because both express minimalist yet complex qualities - focused flavors that are anything but one dimensional.

When it comes to pairing any wine with food, but especially our Pinots, we say have fun and experiment to learn what your own killer pairings are - there are no "rules," per se, merely guides to use as starting points.