Wine & Food Pairing Basics

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Champagne-Fried-Food Steak-Red-Wine

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Now we all know the age old rule of pairing red wine with red meat and white wine with white

meat. While that does apply as a simple thumb rule, a lot many other factors go into pairing wine

and food. We need to think about the dish as a whole and not single out one element to pair the

wine with. We need to think about the dominant flavours in the dish like:

Is it mild or heavy on flavours?

It is lean or fatty?

Is it rich or acidic?

Is it sweet or spicy?

As complicated as that sounds, if you keep a few simple rules in mind you are sure to enjoy your

food and wine.

1) The style of cooking or preparation method: This plays an important role as the preparation

method makes a great deal of difference in the way food tastes. For eg: boiled or mildly

flavoured chicken will taste very different from roasted chicken or tandoori chicken. So while

you may pair a white wine with mildly flavoured chicken dishes, you can enjoy light to medium

bodied reds with roasted or tandoori chicken. Cold dishes like salads or sushi pair wonderfully

with lighter white wines like Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, unoaked Chardonnay.

2) Sauces: Just like how the sauce or gravy can make or break a dish, the wine paired with it will

do the same. For example: Creamy, rich sauces work well with aromatic whites like an oaked

Chardonnay. Sauces with herbs work well with Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier. Mushroom based

sauces have an earthiness to them that make medium red wines a great pairing. Fruit sauces like

a cranberry sauce work with light bodied fruity reds like a Zinfandel or Pinot Noir. Heavier

sauces like black pepper or tikka masala work well with heavier spicier reds like a Shiraz or

Cabernet Sauvignon. Asian or Indian flavours work well with off dry Riesling &

Gewurztraminer.

3) Fat content: Fat content in a food requires a refreshing crisp wine that cuts through the fat and

acts as a palate cleanser. For example: Fried Chicken & Sparkling wine is an unusual but a great

combination.

4) Sweet Foods: Always remember to pair a sweeter wine with a dessert so that the wine doesn’t

taste tart or acidic. You can pair a sweet Riesling with Apple Pie.

5) Opposite Flavours: Port Wine and Blue Cheese is a classic pairing. The intense, savoury

flavours of the cheese work well with the rich sweetness of the wine. It’s like cherries and cream

in your mouth. Other examples include Sauternes – a sweet rich white wine from France – and

Foie Gras.

We can go on and on about wine and food pairings but at the end of the day it is all subjective.

You may pair food and wine according to your personal tastes but following these simple rules

will definitely make sure you stay out of the disaster zone. So go on! It’s all about experimenting

and discovering it for yourself!

From

Wine kart Blog