The idea of understanding Middle Eastern Food & Wine Pairing may seem daunting, so here are a few common dishes and the wines they work best with! Hummus & Pita Chips | Sauvignon Blanc Who doesn’t love a hummus appetizer and a bit of wine over a good chat? The nutty flavor that a plain hummus gives off, along with the earthy notes is best paired with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc white wine. The match is made in heaven. Muhammara | Rosé This red pepper and walnut dip is the perfect combination. The oils from the walnuts seep out subtly to counterbalance the strong pepper taste. How do you pair a strong tasting muhammara with wine? A light rosé is always a good choice. Falafel | Grüner Veltliner The popular chickpea patty known as falafel offers the palate a strong and robust fried flavor which needs a bit of balancing with a full, dry white wine such as a Grüner Veltliner. The spice and tropical flavors will add an interesting note but still allow the falafel to shine. Kebab | Sparkling Wine If you are eating your kebab with yogurt sauce and/or hot sauce, you will want to have a glass of sparkling wine at hand. This bubbly drink will cleanse your palate of all those yummy flavors so you can start again and go for another big bite! Tabbouleh | Gewurztraminer This is a difficult fresh dish to pair with wine as it contains really intense herbs such as coriander, parsley and even lemon! If you want to balance those strong flavors, your best bet is a Gewurztraminer. Baba Ghanoush | Chianti Classico The interesting thing about his spread is that it can be paired with various types of wine – white or red. But if you want to make it a bit interesting, try pairing your Baba Ghanoush with a Chianti Classico. Baklava | Chardonnay Believe it or not, you don’t have to pair a dessert with a sweet liquer. Baklava is quite an intensely sweet dessert, filled with honey so if you find a Chardonnay with subtle notes of honey, you are in for a treat! Buon Appetit!