How to Match Wine to Your Food
Although pairing wine with food may seem to be a difficult endeavor, there are a few guidelines to follow that can elevate your dinner to a new level of flavor and sophistication.
When it comes to the most fundamental level of wine matching, it is important to grasp the differences between each varietal’s acidity, tannins, sweetness, body, and overall flavor. From there, you can figure out which meals would work best with your unique set of attributes.
Check out these easy-to-follow guidelines for matching wine with different types of dishes.
Red Wines and Food Pairing
Red varietals are often combined with recipes that have meat or animal products as their primary ingredient.
Wines with tannins, which are chemicals formed from grape skins that contribute astringency and bitterness to the flavor, pair particularly well with foods that have been barbecued or smoke-smoked.
Red wines, on the other hand, may have varying degrees of “heaviness” to them. This has an impact on how well it will pair with different types of meat and poultry.
Additionally, depending on the meal combination, the mouthfeel (or richness) of the wine may either complement or benefit from a favorable contrast with the cuisine.
For example, a lighter-bodied Pinot Noir that has been matured – and hence will be smoother – would mix very well with charcuterie and cheese.
The finer aromas that can emerge from the spices and cures that are put on the meat would be overwhelmed if you paired charcuterie with a glass of really strong wine.
A rich and robust braised stew or a grilled steak are better matched for medium- to heavy-bodied red wines, such as Malbec, than lighter-bodied reds.
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White Wines with Food Pairing
In terms of flavor characteristics, white wines may be enjoyed with a number of dishes. While fish is the most usual match, there are a few other options that are just as effective.
In order to prevent “combining” with the bitterness and heat of the meal, you should avoid tannic wines while serving spicy foods. In lieu of this, use a somewhat sweet variety such as a Riesling, which would better complement the tastes.
The barrel-aging of certain white wines in oak barrels may give the wine an extra layer of warmth and toasted flavor towards the end.
Grilled meals and hard cheeses that are lighter and leaner in texture and flavor go well with these wines, such as an oaked Chardonnay.
These unoaked whites, which are normally matured in stainless steel vessels, are light and pleasant. These are excellent for serving with salads and seafood, among other things!
Dessert Wines and Chocolates
Was it ever dawned on you that dessert wines may be paired with other beverages? A well-balanced wine and dessert may often be a fantastic way to conclude a dinner or a dining experience.
Generally speaking, your beverage should have a sweetness that is equal to or greater than that of your meal. A fantastic way to enjoy (or pour over) ice cream and strawberries is to combine port wine with them.
7 simple rules for matching food and wine
- Maintain a comparable weight distribution between food and wine.
When we speak about weight, we are not referring to pounds or kilograms. To match food weight to wine, we’re talking about mixing lighter foods (usually lower in fat) with lighter style wines and heavier, richer foods (generally higher in fat) with heavier weight wines.
More delicate wines pair well with lighter fare such as chicken and fish, which are both high in protein. Light, low-tannin reds are also excellent choices, but white wine is the obvious option in this situation.
Prawns and chardonnay are both medium-bodied and rich, making them a good match when served together.
Full-bodied wines, such as shiraz, are required for hearty, heavy dishes such as red meat casseroles.
- Make sure the flavor strength and character are in sync.
Food and wine flavors that are similar compliment one another. In this case, both the fish with lemon sauce and the pinot gris have citrus flavors and complement each other beautifully.
Light dishes should be paired with mild wines. Make a match between large, flavorful dishes and big, flavorful wines. For example, pepper steak and a spicy, robust shiraz are a great match.
Additionally, you should normally pair rich foods with equally rich wines while dining out. For example, a rich chicken in cream sauce and a creamy chardonnay are a good match.
- Consider the acidity of the solution.
When eating oily foods such as Indian curry or thick, buttery sauces, high-acid wines such as young riesling are sometimes served to help cleanse the palate of the excess oil.
In order to complement a meal with a high acid content – such as a salad with a vinegar-based dressing – choose a crisp, dry pinot grigio as a companion wine.
Wines from chilly areas (such as the Mornington Peninsula) will have higher levels of acidity than wines from hot climates (such as the Yarra Valley).
Just keep in mind that a rich, creamy sauce would normally conflict with an acidic wine, such as a sparkling wine. Consider the following scenario… Would you drink a cup of milk if you added a squeeze of lemon juice to the mix?
- Caution should be used when combining salt and tannin.
Crisp, acidic wines are a good way to counterbalance salty flavors. For example, our pal sauvignon blanc complements the salty olives and feta cheese that we served with it.
However, a bit of sweetness might help to enhance and balance the flavor of salty meals. Consider what you think of when you eat parma ham and melon — very amazing!
A similar effect may be produced with wine: Sauternes, a lusciously sweet wine from the Bordeaux area, is a well-known pairing with salty, crumbly Roquefort cheese, but any somewhat sweet wine, such as a cool-climate pinot gris, can be used in the same way.
Caution should be used, however, since salt may interfere with tannin by making it seem bitier; thus, avoid large, gripping reds such as cabernet sauvignon and shiraz.
If you’re looking for a dry wine that will pair well with salty foods, opt for one with low tannins and prominent acids. Savory wines, as opposed to fruity ones, such as a French Chablis, should be sought.
Chardonnay that has been aged for a period of time often has an appealing nutty richness that pairs well with semi-hard and hard cheese.
- Use a richer, heavier diet to counteract the harsh tannins.
First and foremost, what the hell is tannin in the first place? Well, tannins may be found in a variety of sources, most notably the skins of the grapes used in winemaking, but they can also be found in the oak barrels in which the wine is matured. When sucked on, tannin has a flavor comparable to that of a teabag, which is mouth-puckeringly delicious!
Wines such as cabernet sauvignon and shiraz, which have astringent flavors, are excellent pairings with steak because they serve to cleanse the palate after a heavy meal.
- Pour a wine that is at least as sweet as the dish that is being served.
To offer a wine that is at least as sweet as or even sweeter than the meal that is being served, use this basic rule of thumb: Dry wines are made to seem too acidic and sour when served with sweet meals.
The sweetness of sweet wines with a high degree of acidity, such as Sauternes, makes them an excellent complement for rich meals such as pâté. The acidity of the pâté will help to cut through the fat, and the sweetness of the wine will balance out the richness of the dish being served.
Sweetness also serves to counteract the saltiness of blue cheese, which is why sweet wines are traditional pairings with blue cheese. Keep this knowledge in mind the next time you’re drinking a port with Stilton!
- Spicy dishes need the use of spicy wine.
Spicy dishes are made more bearable by sweeter wines.
Strong spices, such as spicy chili peppers used in Thai or Indian cuisine, might conflict with the flavors of wine and ruin the experience. In the majority of circumstances, wine is not the best beverage to consume.
Consider a spicy and sweet wine such as an off-dry Gewürztraminer or Riesling, on the other hand, if you like to drink it with your meal.
- Serve with a side of sauce
Using your congruent and complimentary matching strategies, try pairing the wine with the sauce that has been presented. As an example, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay go well with delicate citrus sauces; cream and mushroom sauces go well with chardonnay; and red and meat sauces go well with shiraz.
Is there no sauce? It’s not an issue! When serving meat, fish, or fowl without a sauce, just match the wine to the meat, fish, or poultry.
The most important thing to understand about food and wine matching is that it is entirely subjective. Yes, there are some easy criteria to follow when pairing food and wine, but they are not hard and fast laws; instead, match to what you like and you will not go wrong.