How To Pair Food And Wine... Make The Right Match

By Sharon Stajda

I mean what's all the fuss about? Pairing food and wine is actually easy...

Why can't we just drink any wine with any food? Well--after researching the subject of pairing food and wine. I have discovered that wine connoisseurs present a very good case for pairing just the right wine, with just the right food.In theory wine can enhance the flavor of food or obliterate it! So you must make the choice. Do you want a war going on in your mouths or do you want a peaceful dinning experience?

Naturally, it would be impossible for me to cover this vast subject in any good detail, given the small space of my Squidoo Lens. However, I hope to provide enough information to wet the whistle so to speak. To make it possible for you to be able to pick out a good complimentary wine for a restaurant meal, and also to enable you to face that wine section at the grocery store with newfound courage...

It may surprise you, but you may know more than you think, when it comes to pairing wine with food. When it's a chilly night in December, do you reach for a crisp white wine or a deep warm red wine? When you order a white fish, do you prefer light white wine or a dark rich red? Now- its not that easy, you see there are many white wines that would taste as rich in front of that cozy fire as the heavy warm red.

When pairing wine to food, there are some simple rules you should keep in mind. Think- is the food rich in flavor or is it light flavored and lean? Will the food or condiments that have been added to the food be acidic? Will the food be sweet or salty or spice hot? Wines share all of these taste elements. Depending the wine the elements will vary. It is our task to pair these under tone elements with the under tones in any given food. If the pairing is successful the wine will enhance the taste of the food, and the wine itself will shine through with a wonderful flavor of its own.

Let's start with choosing wines that will complement rich heavy foods. Foods such as meat with high fat content or recipes that contain rich fatty sauces, also fatty poultry, such as duck. Foods that are high in fat content will coat the tongue with fat. So when choosing a wine, you will want a wine that will cut that fat coating. By cutting through the fat on the tongue, you will not only bring home the flavor of the wine, but the wonderful flavor of the food. So when you are going to eat a rich fatty food, think tannins? Tannins will clean the tongue so to speak, and let you enjoy the food flavors as well as the good wine.

Wines that are high in tannins will cut the fat. Tannins love protein, and when the wines tannins come in contact with proteins, they bind to them, and clean the tongue. So choose a wine high in tannins. Here are a few wines that are rich in tannins, those are good choices when paired with fatty foods; Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, and Zinfandel (the last two having a slightly lower tannin content than the other two choices).

Tannins are more pronounced in red wines than in white wines. Tannins can come from many sources. Mainly, from the skin and seeds of the Grape in the form of Procyanidin Monomers tannins. This form of tannin is produced naturally from the grape skins and seeds. The seeds being especially harsh. The reason that red wine is more apt to be higher in tannins, come from the way the red wines are fermented. The red wines are exposed for a longer period of time to the seeds and skins. The oak barrel also gives off a form of tannin (Hydrolysable tannin). This fact making the tannins more prevalent in the finished wine. Keep in mind some red wines are lower in tannins, due to being fermented for a shorter period in the seeds and skins, and oak. One such red is Merlot. To compare red wines with white wines. Think white wines are made by extracting the seeds and grapes early in the fermentation period. Making them have far fewer tannins, but more acidic.
Let now consider foods that are of a sourer nature. Foods that would be considered high in acid. Like salad with vinaigrette dressing, or fish with lemon or Dishes made with tomato sauce. The rule of thumb when pairing wine to foods that are acidic is, meet acid with acid...
Wines that are high in acid, to name a few; Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc. Along with Chardonnay, and Champagne, which range medium to high in acidity.( Take note most white wines are acidic).

 

Check Out My Pairing Cheat Sheet Below!

 Please check out my other Lenses...To learn more about wine Under One Pergola !

I love wine, and have had so much fun writing, and building several  Squidoo lenses on the very subject. I wanted to make it easy, and convienent for my wine loving readers to have a look see at all my wine related sites, under one pergola - so to speak.  If you have stumbled into this page, and love wine?  I have put together some great informational lenses. So please stop in.

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