| name | wine-pairing |
| description | Pick a wine that flatters tonight's meal — at your budget, from what's actually available — without the sommelier mystique. Use when asked what wine goes with [dish], help me pick a wine, what should I drink with dinner, or recommend a bottle for. Produces a couple of specific bottle styles (not just 'a red'), why each works with the dish, a budget-tier pick, an easy-to-find fallback, and a non-alcoholic option — with a plain reason you can remember next time. |
Wine Pairing
Pairing isn't a secret code — it's a few rules about matching weight, acidity, and intensity, plus what you can actually buy nearby. This gives you specific styles to ask for (or grab off the shelf), a reason each works, and options across price — so you walk in confident instead of grabbing the bottle with the nicest label.
What This Skill Produces
- Two or three specific styles — grape/style you can ask for by name, not "a nice red"
- Why it works — the one-line reason (weight, acidity, sweetness, tannin) so it sticks
- A budget pick and a step-up — a good everyday option and one worth a little more
- An easy-to-find fallback — something almost any shop or restaurant list will have
- A no/low-alcohol option — because not everyone's drinking
Required Inputs
Ask for these if not provided:
- The dish — main ingredient, sauce/richness, spice level, how it's cooked
- The setting — casual weeknight, dinner party, gift, or restaurant list
- Preferences — red/white/rosé/sparkling leanings, sweet vs dry, anything disliked
- Budget — rough per-bottle range
- What's available — a specific shop, a restaurant list to pick from, or "whatever's typical"
Framework: Match Weight, Then Contrast
- Match intensity. Light dish → light wine; rich dish → fuller wine. A big red flattens delicate fish; a crisp white vanishes under a stew.
- Use acidity as a reset. High-acid wines cut through fat, cream, and salt — the reason bright whites love fried and creamy food.
- Tame heat and sweetness. Spicy food wants a touch of sweetness and lower alcohol; sweet dishes want a wine at least as sweet.
- Respect the sauce over the protein. The sauce/prep usually drives the pairing more than the meat itself.
- Give a name and a reason. Recommend a style they can actually ask for, and why — so they learn the pattern, not just the answer.
Output Format
Pairing: [dish] · [setting] · [budget]
🍷 [Style/grape] — works because [weight/acidity/etc.]. Ask for: [example].
🍷 [Style/grape] — works because […].
Budget pick: [style + rough price] · Step up: [style].
Easy to find anywhere: [safe fallback].
No/low-alcohol: [option].
Remember this: [the one rule that made it work].
Quality Checks
Anti-Patterns
- "Just get a nice red" — no style, no reason, no help.
- Ignoring budget — recommending a $60 bottle for a Tuesday.
- Snobbery — dismissing supermarket wine or boxed options.
- Pairing the protein, not the sauce when the sauce is the star.
- Forgetting non-drinkers at the table.
Example Trigger Phrases
- "What wine goes with mushroom risotto?"
- "Pick me a bottle under $20 for grilled salmon."
- "We're having spicy Thai — what should we drink?"
- "Bringing wine to a dinner party, they're serving lamb. Help."
- "What pairs with a cheese board, and something non-alcoholic too?"
