Wine + Nutmeg
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 3,356 recipes, and they share 89 flavor molecules: the top 21% of all ingredient pairs.
Do wine and nutmeg go together?
Yes. 3,356 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 89 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 21% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
They overlap on 89 flavor molecules: 30% of nutmeg's 301. Among the shared key aromas are eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal) and myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What each one brings
wine
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 31% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 10% for nutmeg. It carries 449 molecules nutmeg doesn't have.
nutmeg
The tartness. Sour notes make up 16% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 6% for wine. It carries 212 molecules wine doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Cinnamon: the best fit for both, top 14% of pairs with wine, top 1% with nutmeg.
- Clove: top 15% of pairs with wine, top 1% with nutmeg.
- Thyme: top 10% of pairs with wine, top 3% with nutmeg.
- Allspice: top 21% of pairs with wine, top 1% with nutmeg.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with wine and nutmeg
Spread across courses: mains lead with 158 of the 317 recipes with a course label, then desserts (109).
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: wine has 449 molecules nutmeg doesn't, and nutmeg has 212 that wine doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 89 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 449 only in wine and the 212 only in nutmeg.
Wine and nutmeg questions
Do wine and nutmeg go together?
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 3,356 recipes, and they share 89 flavor molecules: the top 21% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do wine and nutmeg taste good together?
They overlap on 89 flavor molecules: 30% of nutmeg's 301. Among the shared key aromas are eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal) and myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What goes with wine and nutmeg?
Cinnamon is the best third ingredient: top 14% of pairs with wine and top 1% with nutmeg. Clove and thyme also fit both.
What can you make with wine and nutmeg?
Spread across courses: mains lead with 158 of the 317 recipes with a course label, then desserts (109). Common dishes include Wine Sauce, Egg Wine, Mull'd Wine, Baked Apples with Red Wine.
Can I use nutmeg instead of wine?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: wine has 449 molecules nutmeg doesn't, and nutmeg has 212 that wine doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
Compare other ingredients
Ranks compare this pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. Molecule counts are what the studies and databases we aggregate have reported for each ingredient: a measure of coverage, not a full census. How we score pairs
Cite this analysis
Compound Kitchen (2026). Compound similarity analysis: Wine vs Nutmeg. https://compkitchen.com/compare/wine-vs-nutmeg. Accessed 2026-11-03.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_wine_vs_nutmeg_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Wine vs Nutmeg},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/wine-vs-nutmeg},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-03}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.