Find the right pour and plate pairing with tips from a local sommelier

Some pairings just make sense. Mac goes with cheese, and peanut butter complements jelly. But deciding a wine to wash down dinner is, well, complicated. It’s all about finding which pours and plates fit together.

Just ask Peyton Harrington, a certified sommelier and Proverbial Wine Bistro general manager.

“When you have a dish and a wine that go together so well, it’s mind blowing,” Harrington says. “Like sauvignon blanc and crabmeat. … I think of a wine pairing like a comfort situation.”

To keep patrons open-minded, Proverbial is soon rolling out an interactive menu with new dishes and wines. The lineup is set to include playful concepts like the Call Me A Cab wine flight.

“Wine can be so intimidating,” Harrington says. “It’s just fermented grape juice.”

We all know the basics: reds for beef and whites for fish or chicken. But, Harrington says to throw out those ideas. A dish’s spices, sides and sauces should also be accounted for. He challenges wine lovers to think deeper, experiment or get comfortable breaking rules.

“I’ve liked having fun finding pairings that people would be like, ‘That doesn’t sound like that should go together,’” he says. “When in doubt, pinot noir and sparkling go with everything. Focus on just pairing the food. Think about the intensity of the dish and the intensity of the wine. We don’t want a really rich wine with maybe a really meaty dish.”

Dynamic duos

Local restaurants share pairings they say are chef’s kiss.

Supper Club’s Sagrera Farms dry-aged rib-eye

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Andrew Geoffrey Vineyards’ cabernet sauvignon

Bin 77’s hickory-smoked salmon with arugula

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Domaine de Pallus’ cabernet franc

French Market Bistro’s lollipop lambchops

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Faust cabernet sauvignon

Mansurs on the Boulevard’s Duck Mansur

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Mas de Gourgonnier les Baux de Provence Rouge

This article was originally published in the September 2025 issue of 225 magazine.