Some food and wine matches just belong together, and who are we to keep them apart?

We all have our favourite go-to pairings but there's nothing quite like that moment of excitement when a new food and wine combination takes you on a surprise journey of the senses.

The clever team at Montalto are well placed to offer advice when it comes to food and wine matching, listing eight key guidelines when selecting a wine to match with a dish or vice versa:

1. Keep food and wine at a similar weight
2. Match flavour intensity and character
3. Think about acidity
4. Beware mixing salt and tannin
5. Soften bitter tannins with richer, heavier food
6. Serve a wine at least as sweet as the food being served
7. Spicy foods need spicy wine
8. Pair with the sauce

Read the full article here, or, even better, join Montalto for a food and wine matching masterclass on the delectable Perfect Pairing experience - Sample four of Montalto's award-winning wines, expertly matched by the head chef with snacks from Montalto restaurant.  During this 60-minute Wine and Food Pairing experience, you'll discover how food can transform the smell, taste and even texture of wine, and how to perfectly match your food and wine choices at home or dining out.

Some matches are such an exceptional experience on the palate they warrant their own Ultimate Winery Experience.  Here is a selection of our favourites:

Barrells & Proscuitto

A private barrel tasting in Pizzini's beautiful kiln tasting room to be enjoyed with a plate of freshly sliced prosciutto.

Fortified & Fromage

An indulgence at Audrey Wilkinson. Fortified wine, straight from the barrell, will be delicately matched to cheeses, sourced from renowned Hunter Valley producers.

Shiraz & Chocolate

Taste five of Wirra Wirra’s best shiraz wines including a rare museum wine in Trott’s Cellar. All matched with a Four Winds Regional Chocolate Platter.

For a food and wine matching experience that also doubles as a long lunch, the Vasse Felix Epicurean combines a tour of the winery and vineyard with a five course tasting menu, paired with wines as you gain insights into Margaret River’s local produce, and the philosophies that guide the Vasse Felix Chefs in their creation of dishes to match with the region’s wines.  

Over in the Barossa, Jacob's Creek's Food & Wine Masterclass takes you on a sensory journey indulging in truly remarkable wine and food pairings, followed by a four-course lunch of a seasonal dishes, achieving that all-important harmony between flavour and expression, delicately matched to wines from the Heritage wine selection.