Ultimate Food and Drink Pairings.

A Burgundy Chardonnay wine, an IPA beer or an oxidised Negroni cocktail? Or maybe even a cold pressed juice for vegetables? The wine list isn't all about wines anymore, and that's no inconsistency in words.

The subject of food and drink pairings in restaurants is becoming more and more fascinating and diversified, and the international trend is to think out of the box and even experiment with craft beers, sake and cocktails, as is the pioneering name in this area, or even with non-alcoholic proposals, as happens, for example, in the many Zuma venues around the world.

Today, duration and depth are no longer adequate to determine a list of wines or, more accurately, a list of beverages. Study, originality and cooking quality have now become just as critical, if not more so.

What also counts is the willingness of employees to provide the customer with a tailor-made service and perceive his or her preferences and expectations intuitively, with feedback and new experiences. So, here are the world's best restaurants to have fun with great wines, along with some more fantastic and outlandish alternatives.

Exceptional Eclecticism

One of the world's most full, ambitious and original pairing experiences is that associated with the latest Fronteras menu of Quique Dacosta, a three Michelin-starred Spanish restaurant, an authentic journey through different techniques and tastes around the world.

Not only are there some outstanding Moselle Priorat and Riesling wines, but also Amontillado wines, craft beers, sake, cider and cocktails, such as the house's rose petal apple gin tonic, which brings the tasting session to an end. The master of ceremonies is Jose Antonio Navarrete, a Murcian sommelier who has served alongside the staff of the restaurant in Dénia since 2007. He has an incredibly talented way of explaining each bottle and evoking the terroir 's charm.

Free-of-alcohol

To appreciate alcohol-free pairings, which are often in complete harmony with the dish and deliver a welcome touch of lightness in the sense of the challenging (and often endless) gourmet menus of contemporary fine dining experiences, you don't need to be a teetotaller. This is the case of Australia's top restaurant, Ben Shewry's Attica. A juice of grapefruit, ginger or smoked Granny Smith apple will appear out of the blue between a Pinot Noir from Victoria and craft beers from Tasmania, ideal with King George Whiting's fish dish with melaleuca.

The original food menu is also expressed in unusual pairings at Elizabeth's in Chicago, a small restaurant operated by multi-tattooed chef Iliana Regan: naturally grown wines and Illinois Pale Ales, Normandy pear cider and sake, not to mention Elderflower Kombucha, fennel tea, spicy carrot juice, lime soda and ginger. Coulant of foie gras with passion fruit and financier of celery? A cocktail made from gin, tequila reposado, salty caramel, pineapple and coconut is great when served with a Gonzales. It's all happening at the Tippling Club, one of the restaurant-bars where the most effectively expressed liaison between fine dining and mixology (a rising trend worldwide).

British chef Ryan Clift works side by side with the bartenders on Singapore's Tanjong Pagar Road to create original pairings of drinks and his progressive cuisine. The chapter on wine (ranging from Victoria to the Old Continent, with a special emphasis on organic products) tells an equally fascinating story, but with the cocktail menu, the real fun is to be had.

Milano is the right place to go in Italy for all those who love to mix their drinks; there are more and more venues here, too, where cocktails enjoy the same status as wine when combined with food (if not more). Just think of Dry and Pisacco, two creative formats produced by the same think tank (also with Chef Andrea Berton 's participation) in which the board is responsible for all vetoes and traditions.

With fine cocktails made by Guglielmo Miriello, they serve pizza and focaccia at Dry's-from the Martinez to the Ibisco Sour. You can sit at the "communal" bar counter at the Pisacco bistrot and progressively work your way from a Slovenian Vitovska to a Vermouth craft under the guidance of Giovanni Fiorin.

At the Seta restaurant at the Hotel Mandarin in Milan, more and more guests order cocktails during dinner, including the now famous Smoked Negroni. Thanks to the top notch team at work behind the bar counter, guided by Mattia Pastori, this is the right place to do so. The refined dishes of chef Antonio Guida are influenced by some creations, such as his risotto with sepia ink and tiny calamari, turmeric and peas: its liquid version goes by the name of 'Dark Side of Margarita' and is a modern twist based on mezcal, turmeric syrup, orange liquor, lime juice and peas and sepia ink crusted salt.

Sustainable and natural

Relae won the Sustainable Restaurant Award at The World's 50 Best Restaurants in Copenhagen for the second year running, thanks to the philosophy of chef Christian Puglisi, whose desire is to serve the best and healthiest food with the least possible environmental impact.

The wine list, which only contains organic and biodynamic labels from around the world, strictly delivered by bicycle to the restaurant, reflects the same attention. For naturally produced wines from the Langhe or Collio wine growing areas, you are sure to note a weakness. Sommelier Alessandro Perricone is Italian and always succeeds in identifying the perfect harmony between food and wine, as well as serving the glass with great wine labels.

The best biodynamic wine list in Paris is that of Saturne, a bistro of Nordic design in a minimalist style where you can find all the most interesting craft products from France, Italy and Spain, sold by the glass and selected by Ewen Le Moigne to be perfectly in line with chef Sven Chartier's 'natural' and minimalist cuisine.

Terroirs from the New World

In Santa Teresa, the Bohemian district of Rio de Janeiro, it is not just the view over the Baía de Guanabara that makes the Aprazível restaurant so special, but mainly their wine list, which is a unique overview of the best small-scale craft producers in the country, such as those of the Serra Gaúcha.

All of this is due to the research work carried out by one of the partners, Pedro Hermeto, who compiled a unique selection that is representative of Brazil and the rest of the world. Outstanding craft beers, such as cachaças, are homemade.

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