One of the greatest joys of wine is its ability to elevate a dining experience, however, matching different dishes and flavors can be a daunting task. Wine pairing is a skill loved by gourmets that has been used for hundreds of years. Gone are the days when food pairing was a strict practice with rules written in stone. Today, we no longer adhere to the recommendation to consume only “white wine with fish”.
Wine pairing does not at all times must be a sophisticated endeavor. You haven’t got to learn a sophisticated system to know which wine goes with what food. The rule of thumb with regards to wine pairings is to make the food and wine taste better than they would if they were made alone. A well-matched wine will bring out the flavors and textures of a dish that might otherwise go unnoticed. Some wine and food pairings are classic, but most are versatile and require some sort of experimentation. Below are some easy guidelines for selecting the right wine for a particular dish;
- Drink and eat what you like
Personal preference is an important factor with regards to enjoying food and wine. You should at all times choose the wine you want to drink alone rather than hoping that the food will make the wine taste better. You should have the ability to feel free to enjoy your favourite bottle Sassicaia 2015 wine with the food you like best. This will at all times make sure that even if the setup is not perfect, you can still enjoy your drink and the same for the food.
- Consider the structure of the grapes
In order to properly pair wine and food, you need to assess the structure of the wine and this requires components such as acidity, tannins, alcohol percentage, texture and taste. Delicate foods require as much a delicate wine as a stronger wine. It’s not so easy that red wine at all times goes well with heavy dishes and white wine only goes well with light dishes. For anything in between, think incrementally.
- Look for balance
It is extremely important to consider the weight or content of the wine and food. When we speak about weight, we do not mean kilos or pounds, but we mean matching the weight of the food to the wine. Wine and food should be equal partners, neither overpowering the other. For example, light wine pairs well with foods that are generally low in fat. Serve dry, light, low-alcohol wines such as Pinot noir with light dishes. A full-bodied wine such as a high-alcohol Cabernet Sauvignon should be paired with a heavy meal that’s ideally high in protein, dairy, animal fats or rich sauces.
- Match the wine with the prominent elements on the plate
When pairing wines, it is extremely important to identify the predominant character in the dish rather than each ingredient in the menu. If the dish is prepared with wine, you should consider matching the wine you are drinking with the wine on the plate.
- Progress is key
It is extremely important to take into consideration the time duration of dinner. If you’ll be tasting more than one wine at dinner, watch out to consider the intensity of the wines. The intensity of the wine will become more pronounced as the night progresses. One can start with light raw wines and gradually move on to rich, complex and dry wines and eventually sweet wines.
