Essential Rules of Food and Wine Pairing
A few hours from now, guests are going to show up at your doorstep promptly. A familiar and delicious aroma is wafting out of your kitchen… You have tasted a spoonful of every dish prepared to your satisfaction. You have one shot at appealing to their taste buds, to impress them with your culinary skills, and the stage is all set. But there is a final piece in the puzzle missing.
Choosing the right wine to please your guests.
Does this sound familiar? Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were unsure about what wine to pair with the sumptuous meal you have prepared? Do you find yourself lost at the sea of choices in a wine store? While wine and food differ depending on personal preferences, you will always find your ability to match good wines with different dishes come in handy. And, it will create the right impression on your guests when you know which one works well. Here are some essential rules of food and wine pairing to follow when it comes to the food that you serve and choosing the most suitable wine that will compliment your meal.
In general, when pairing wine with food, the necessary thing to contemplate is to complement the body of the wine with the flavours of the dish to be served. Consider this guide your one-stop-shop on how to pair wine with food.
- Pairing by Taste
The last thing you want when pairing wine and food is the taste of either to dominate the other. As one taste overpowering the other will render an unpleasant dining experience for your guests. Hence equilibrium of tastes must exist.
For this, the basic rule you need to learn is that savoury and strong flavoured foods go well with full-bodied wines. If your dinner spread consists largely of light dishes with lesser fat content, a light flavoured wine would serve well. You may want to note that lighter wines come with less alcohol content and a more transparent colour. Pay attention to the taste of your food and pick the wine that best complements it.
- Pairing by Flavour
What’s the most distinct flavour of your meal? And, what is that ingredient in your food which is providing the intensity of flavour? You need to zero in on the most significant contributor to the dominating taste of the meal and pair it with the right wine. Another point to note is that certain dishes can have similar ingredients but vary in the sauces. For instance, a heavier wine is recommended to accompany a salmon dish with a creamier sauce. While wines like Malbec and Pauillac Bordeaux complement spicy dishes as they exude this wine’s authentic taste.
- Pairing by Character
It’s important to pay attention to the texture and structure of the food you are serving, and match it with the character and composition of the wine. High-acid wines are only recommended with similar types of food. Likewise, wines that come in a high tannic texture pair well with salty foods. Please note that matching high tannic wines with fatty foods would undo all the excellent work you have put into your cooking. It has also been observed that Sauvignon Blanc tastes best with foods that entail a sauce such as vinaigrette.
To sum up, finding the right wine is not as easy as picking up any bottle from the shelf and hoping it will complement your meal. The selection process requires a detailed analysis of the structure, composition, texture, flavour, and taste of both your food and wine. Now, you might ask why one should go to such great lengths to find the exact match since you can drink pretty much anything with any food. Does a glass of crisp Chablis work with a green chilli cheeseburger? It might, but it is not recommended at all.
And that’s why these guidelines are essential.
If you are still perplexed about the whole process, below is a cheat sheet you can use to pair the right wine with the right food:
- Cabernet Sauvignon ~ works with red meat dishes.
- Champagne ~ works well with salty foods.
- Chardonnay ~ pairs well with foods containing creamy sauces and fats.
- Dry Rose ~ goes well with cheese dishes.
- Malbec ~ pairs well with dishes made with sweet and spicy sauces such as barbecue.
- Pinot Noir ~ works with truffles and mushrooms.
- Pinot Grigio ~ goes along with light meals.
- Riesling Wines ~ blends with Asian dishes made from spicy and sweet seasonings.
- Sauvignon Blanc ~ blends well with tart dressing dishes.
- Syrah ~ goes well with recipes that have spicy characteristics.
- Zinfandel ~ pairs perfectly with dishes such as mousses, terrines, and pates.
There you have it, a set of relatively basic concepts, intended as a reference only. Overall food and wine pairings can be as simple or as nuanced as you like them. The one thing to keep in mind is ultimately having fun and drinking what you enjoy!
You can now use this guide on how to pair wine with food to throw a dinner party or host a meal gathering {COVID safety measures in place} with confidence! So grab a glass, get cooking and enjoy one of the most civilised past-times on the planet. Cheers to that!
Now your talking my kind of special… Besides, the visual aesthetics is superb, Tanya! ❤️ I personally find that a colour approach in wine pairing really works.
Delighted Meghan! Thank you so much.
Sounds just wonderful! And, this is what I always want my parties to look like! Hope you are having an amazing Monday! Get out and enjoy the sunshine… 🙂
Thank you for your sweet words, Piyush.
What a lovely line up, Tanya! ✨ It’s really interesting to hear about your take on #foodwinepairing, and also to read about this blend that focuses on a fresher expression. Fantastic photos too!
That’s kind of you, Meghna. Thank you so much!
Oh my, can I ask for a seat at this table? ❤️ Everything looks so refreshing and delicious! Love everything about this post (as always), the wine and the food 😀 all new to me and would love to try your recommendations!
So glad to hear this, Priyanka. Thank you very much!
Love the pictures! ✨ Thank you for sharing this complete post, Tanya! I found it to be a very interesting read… Happy new week!
So sweet of you, Garima. Thanks much!
I think my invitation got lost in the mail for this dinner party!! 😀 On a more serious note, I love the details! ❤️ Thanks for another great spread & a delicious wine education! Enjoy your week!
Oh Naman! Thank you so much.
Looks delicious!
One of my favourite pairings has got to be beef with just the right wine. It can be Cab, Bordeaux Blend and many more… ✨ Although, my heart is in Italy and just to say something a little unusual – I would pair beef with an aged Tai Rosso from Colli Berici in Veneto (it’s a biotype of Grenache which found a very good terroir in the hilly part of Vicenza).
Very interesting and out of the box. Thank you for sharing, Mahsa.
Thanks for putting on a fab guide, Tanya! ❤️
Recently, I attended a Zoom tasting with a wine expert who guided us around the cheeseboard with a whole range of wines from the Bordeaux region, starting with a crémant and ending with Sauternes... 🙂 On that note, I’d like you to try goats cheese with Crémant de Bordeaux – it’s an experience!
Never thought of it that way! I’m now greatly encouraged… 😀
Love the decor ❤️ seriously impressive!
I would like to add a point as well. There is an argument that you don’t need anything to drink with the classic Christmas pudding, especially if you’ve sloshed brandy all over it… But if you’re pairing other courses of the Christmas meal you might fancy a small glass of something sweet. 🙂 I prefer a rich sweet wine like a liqueur Muscat or a sweet sherry.
Glad to hear it, and thank you for your suggestions for my readers, Joshua.
When wine brings mood… ✨
I’m bringing some warmth to this cold and rainy day with the ultimate comfort meal… You can never go wrong with mince pasta topped with Parmesan chunks, paired with Ramnista Kir-Yianni!
Cheers!
Mmmmmm this looks amazing! The perfect fusion between wine and good food! ❤️ In my opinion, the main ingredients of a tasty aperitif in these festive days: fresh cheese and an organic #whitewine! Cheers wine lover!
Adventures in wine…
Ahh – I guess I’ll have to indulge in travel memories and #armchairtravelling. 🙂
A variation on a sound principle of #foodwinepairing, cooking with wine makes good matches. For example, Riesling is great with sauerkraut, but Silvaner, too. All the flavours complement each other and one really could not ask for a better pairing with this dish.
So glad you like it, Morvarid! And thank you for these kind suggestions, they’re highly valued!
WOW – this came out great! ✨ Not sure what is on my menu later today… but some wine will be involved!
Aww ~ that’s very kind of you, Aaarya. Thank you!
Oh, this sounds like perfection! ❤️ Looks so good too!
Galicia holds a special place in my heart after a couple of trips there in recent years. I absolutely love the food and wine (both red and white) from there. So, a little homage to Galicia is in the cards for me this weekend – Galician empanada with shredded chicken!
I need to find this precious gem! 🙂
Congrats on the perfect-looking New Year décor! And on that note, I’ve probably drank more ERATH Pinot in my life than almost any other, probably a close second to David Bruce. Last weekend I relied on it to taste an exquisite find – cacao via To’ak Ecuadorian chocolatiers! If you want to experience sophisticated cacao, you gotta try it!
Sounds incredible! Yum!
Yum yum yum! ❤️ There‘s nothing better to sweeten the coldest days than the combination of red wine with chocolate and and red berry desserts!
On a side note: You are my héroe! Keep these cool blogs coming!
Sounds like a wonderful combination!
Thank you so much for giving me the inspiration to give it a whirl again, Rashmi!
This looks incredible! ✨ My “husband chef” is adjusting the menu a little, creating a Christmas menu of distinction. Surprising our guests this year with sensational seasonal produce to go with a phenomenal wine list… It’s truly a season to be celebrating. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
That’s great! Glad to hear it, Reecha.
Festive Season has begun! ❤️ The “Vibha Bhagat” experience… Small dishes with a twist, paired with a glass of fine wine. Ha! By the way, I recently paired my wild rice fried rice with shiitake mushrooms with Peju merlot. Really lovely tannins, full ripe fruit, and strong finish to pair with an earthy dish.
Sounds delicious, Vibha! Keep up the delicious wine and food pairings!
Looks and sounds divine, Tanya! ✨ Yes, it’s officially food and wine pairing season! I’m certainly excited for all the food I will be eating and all the wine I will be sippin’ this month? Haha!
So nice of you, Digraj. Quite reassuring really.
This looks sensational, Tanya! ❤️ Really lovely description and photos! Dessert and wine magic certainly make the world go round!
Thank you, Nayana. So happy to hear this from stylish you!
Ooooh! I think that surprising pairings are the best ones! 🙂 And, I love it when the food is sophisticated without being pretentious and the wines paired without the snobbery (which is saying something hehe)…
…allowing time to immerse yourself in the full experience.
Love! ❤️ Your blog emphasizes that you don’t have to travel far to experience something truly delicious… Here’s to bringing the restaurant experience into your own home!
By the way, I’m like a kid in a candy store whenever I’m on here!
That’s kind of you, Jainam. I don’t ever take what I do for granted.
Love this blog that’s a simple, flavour-forward offering! ✨✨✨
I would like to add that “wine” is not about the big names, but about the passionate farmer and their connection to a unique piece of land. I am lucky enough to know a few of these individuals…
You’re a sensitive soul, Radhika. Thank you for feeling deeply.