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!