Wine + Tomato
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 2,759 recipes, and they share 163 flavor molecules: the top 10% of all ingredient pairs.
Do wine and tomato go together?
Yes. 2,759 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 163 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 10% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
They overlap on 163 flavor molecules: 32% of tomato's 510. Among the shared key aromas are 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea) and beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
What each one brings
wine
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 31% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 15% for tomato. It carries 375 molecules tomato doesn't have.
tomato
The tartness. Sour notes make up 14% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 6% for wine. It carries 347 molecules wine doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Olive: the best fit for both, top 14% of pairs with wine, top 1% with tomato.
- Thyme: top 10% of pairs with wine, top 4% with tomato.
- Mushroom: top 8% of pairs with wine, top 7% with tomato.
- Garlic: top 12% of pairs with wine, top 3% with tomato.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with wine and tomato
Almost always mains: 429 of the 494 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: wine has 375 molecules tomato doesn't, and tomato has 347 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 163 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 375 only in wine and the 347 only in tomato.
Wine and tomato questions
Do wine and tomato go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 2,759 recipes, and they share 163 flavor molecules: the top 10% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do wine and tomato taste good together?
They overlap on 163 flavor molecules: 32% of tomato's 510. Among the shared key aromas are 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea) and beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
What goes with wine and tomato?
Olive is the best third ingredient: top 14% of pairs with wine and top 1% with tomato. Thyme and mushroom also fit both.
What can you make with wine and tomato?
Almost always mains: 429 of the 494 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Mackerel in Wine and Tomato Sauce, Baked Mackerel in White Wine, Beef Ragu with Tomatoes and Olives, Bush Tomato Cream Sauce.
Can I use tomato instead of wine?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: wine has 375 molecules tomato doesn't, and tomato has 347 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 Tomato. https://compkitchen.com/compare/wine-vs-tomato. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_wine_vs_tomato_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Wine vs Tomato},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/wine-vs-tomato},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.