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“Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost; united and well-matched they are as body and soul, living partners.” Andre Simon
One of the main goals of combining wine and food is to achieve synergy in order to create a new and superior gastronomic experience. People who are the most committed to this type of hedonism will probably tell you that the biggest “sin” among the hedonists is poor wine and food pairing.
Now, you are probably thinking – does it really matter? Well, we must say – yes, it matters. So where’s the catch? The thing is that when you pair food and wine incorrectly, you can easily ruin the taste of wine and reduce the overall experience of eating.
Wine from different countries
Many countries developed their own unique pairings of food and wine. For example, there are countries that made wines in relation to the type of food they produced, while other countries did the opposite.
For example, the famous French dish Coq au Vin, made in Burgundy, is made with red burgundy; in the province of Alsace (near the German border) the dish is made with Riesling, and in the province of Jura with semi-sweet “yellow wine”(Vin Jaune). In the Loire region, goat cheese is consumed with white wines from that area, etc.
Established rules such as white wine with white meat and fish, and red wine with red meat are outdated. But let’s not be too critical – we recommend that beginners follow these rules in the story of combining wine and food until they develop their own distinctive taste for wine.
How To Pair Wine And Food?
There is an old saying among English wine merchants: “Buy with bread, sell with cheese“, because plain bread keeps the taste buds fresh, which in return helps you to evaluate the taste of wine, while cheese softens tannins and makes wine look fuller and richer.
When combining wine and food, we must pay attention to some very important aromas: sourness, astringency, sweetness, taste, fullness, alcohol, and any overt flavours of wood in wine.
We must say that it’s very important to pair wines with personal taste – we need to know what our guests like, whether they prefer white or red wines. If e.g. they like only red wines, then consider pairing red wine with spice-rich chicken.
Weight Of Wine
It is essential to make sure that the weight of the wine matches the weight and texture of the food. By food weight, we mean fats, proteins, spices, etc., so we have a heavy red sauce on one hand, as opposed to a light salad. And the weight of wine refers to its “body” (eg. cabernet versus pinot noir).
Furthermore, heavy food goes with full-body wines, and light food goes with light. Heavy wines will always overpower light foods. It is good to combine fatty foods with wines that have a lot of tannins.
If you use sauce, then you should combine the sauce with wine. If you don’t use sauce, then you match the wines with the proteins you use.
Strong food flavours soften the flavours of wine, while tannins from wine help cleanse the mouth of grease. It is always a good idea to combine sour dishes with dry or semi-dry wines.
Spicy foods, such as Asian dishes, go well with semi-dry and semi-sweet wines. Wines with high alcohol will increase the impression of spicy food.
Sweet dishes go well with sweet wines, but sweet wines go well with fatty, aromatic cheeses due to their high acid levels. Salty dishes require light white wines.
In addition, wine should be considered the main ingredient of the meal. Yes, food can improve the taste of the wine and the wine can improve the taste of the food. But what is the most important in this “meant to be” relationship between wine and food is – balance.
The skill of combining wine and food with the right company and good mood is the crucial essence that will make every wine better, and every meal tastier. By the way, we buy wines at 8wines.com – they deliver with UPS within 3 days.
Have you ever made amazing wine and food pairing? Let’s hear about it! Leave a message in the comments below.
Other posts you may find helpful
- 5 rules for pairing wine with food
- Choosing low syn wine if you are dieting
- Wine vs Craft beer – which is better for your body
- A guide to wine for vegetarians
- Red wine vs white wine
