Many people are afraid of making food and wine pairing, but this is one of the most exciting wine-related question. They think the result will be wrong. That’s wrong. Many experts suggest different pairing tips but if you follow basic directives you don’t fail.
Old rules:
They say: red wine best with meat and white goes to fowl or fish. These rules is for braking them. Pinot Noir as a lighter red nice with salmon. Sometimes “white rules” has been broken, for example when Chardonnay goes with a liver pate or juicy grilled steak. As you can see there are general and non-usual directives about pairing. They definitively help you to select a wine for your fine meal.
Our short guide try to summarize them.
Let’s see them!
Select light-bodied wines to pair with lighter food, and fuller-bodied wines to go with heartier, more flavorful dishes. Using Crispy Salmon, the Montes Alpha Pinot Noir works beautifully with the fish because you are matching light to light.
Consider how the food is prepared. Is it grilled, roasted or fried, for instance, and what type of sauce or spice is used? For example, chicken cacciatore fine with all of the tomato and Italian spices, or a grilled chicken breast Oops Cabernet Franc Carmenere, than Asparagus with a lemon butter sauce will call for a different more delicate wine to play off the sauce (Ridgeback Chardonnay).
For every food action, there is a wine reaction.
Drink a wine in itself. It can be so “simple”. Try with food. If you take a bite of food wine tastes will be different. Thsi is the secret why wine is a spice. Elements of the wine will interact with the food and bring out different taste sensation from the pairing. There are three main reactions:
Sweet Foods like Italian tomato sauce, Japanese teriyaki, and honey-mustard glazes make your wine seem drier than it really is so try an off-dry (slightly sweet) wine to balance the flavor (Chenin Blanc, White Zinfandel, Riesling).
If you like salads, soy sauce or even lemony foods then you should consider their higher acid content. In these cases pair them with higher acid wines like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.
Higher tannic (astringent) and bitterer foods like charbroiled meats and green mixed salads best with full-flavored fruity wines. Best options are Merlot, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Higher fat content foods (lamb chops, steaks) are great complement for high tannin wines because the tone down it by fat. (Herdincats Canernet Shiraz, Zinfandel)
I hope above lines will give you a hand when you make your food and wine matching.
Cheers!
Want to find out more about foods and wines, then visit recommended food and wine pairing site on how to choose the best pairing tips for your needs.