Food and Wine Pairings

Wine is frequently consumed with a variety of foods, and there is a long history of association about food and wine pairings. There really is no right or wrong food and wine pairing yet there are certain entrees and meals that seem to be presented together with the most enjoyable flavor and taste.

Traditional Food and Wine Pairings

Many food and wine pairings are traditional for some countries. One of the more traditional food and wine pairings is drinking red wine with meats, and white wine with fish and poultry.

Food and Wine Pairing Guide

• Highly seasoned foods: Spicy, salty, and smoky flavors are best paired with fruity, low tannin, lower alcohol-content wines.
• Rich foods: Rich and fatty foods often work well with full-bodied Chardonnay, Cabernet sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel or Syrah.
• Sweet foods: The sweetness of the dish should be less than the sweetness of the wine. This is easily accomplished by adding citrus juice or vinegar to the dish.
• High acid: Highly acidic foods such as tomatoes, citrus fruits and goat cheese usually go best with acidic wines such as a Sauvignon Blanc.

Other Factors to Consider in Your Food and Wine Pairings

It's essential to distinguish and deliver the taste of the wine when choosing your food and wine pairings.

Wines are classified as sweet, bitter and sour. Often what we perceive as taste are actually aromas. Such aromas include floral, fruit, nuts, vegetables, spice, herbs, roasted flavors, animal odors and alcohol aromas.

Apart from the classification of the wine; the density and sharpness are characteristics which are a part of food and wine pairing. 

The density of a wine is also important in food and wine pairings whether full, medium or light-bodied should generally match the density of the dish.  Intense flavors in a wine can provide diversity and can be an exception to matching the density of a wine to a dish. The wines flavors need to be intense for this to be a good combination.

When going about food and wine pairing remember it's all about the synergy - neither one should overwhelm the other.  Trust your palate when finding similarities or contrasts in flavors when going about choosing food and wine pairing.