Wine Food Pairing

Most conversations about wine facts begin with Wine Food Pairing. Wine and food pairing is the process of pairing food dishes with wine to enhance the dining experience. Traditionally, wine food pairing has often been either too simplistic or too complicated. Everyone has heard that red wine goes with meat and white wine goes with fish and poultry, but what about everything else in between?

The most basic of wine facts is that food and wine are meant to be enjoyed since they both enhance each other. The purpose of this article is to make the matching of wine and food easy and enjoyable so that even those with basic wine knowledge can become quickly comfortable about which foods to pair with wines.

From an elegant dinner or wine tasting to a casual backyard get together, this wine food pairing guide is intended to provide basic wine information and simple guidelines to use when searching for the best wine to accompany a meal.

Weight, Body and Texture: The most primary consideration to wine food pairing is matching the weight, body and texture of the flavor and intensity of the food to the flavor and intensity of the wine.

Weight, body and texture are present in both wine and in food. The more powerful and flavorful the food, the greater the flavor of the wine accompanying the dish will need to be in order for everything to remain in balance.

For example, the texture, weight and body of an English muffin are more delicate and lighter than a toasted bagel would be. The body and weight of a fish such as Dover sole would be lighter, tender and flakier than the body and weight of a fish such as Swordfish, which would be meatier and more likely to be cut with a knife.

Therefore, the lighter dishes would match well with wines that are light-bodied such as Pinot Blanc, Chablis or
Pinot Grigio . The heavier, meatier dishes would work well with more full-bodied wines such as Sauvignon Blanc, White Burgundy or Chardonnay. Heavier wines will overwhelm a lighter dish. Lighter wines served with heartier meals will cause the food to be underappreciated.

Sauces and Spices: Food would be boring if there were no sauces and spices. For many dishes, it is the sauce that provides the primary flavors for the food. When preparing a dish with sauce, be mindful of how the sauce will interact with the entrée. Is the sauce intended to be a subtle addition or a powerful, integral part of the overall flavor of the dish? Whatever the primary flavoring of the dish is, it becomes the key component to choosing which wine matches the food.

Similar to which sauce is used, it helps to also consider how a certain spice or a combination of spices will affect the overall flavor of the dish. Wine can either complement spicy dishes or clash with others. Keep in mind that spices are often present in sauces. The main wine matching should take into account the overall flavor of the dish.

The following wines pair well with dishes that are seasoned with spices:

Types of White Wine:

Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio, Riesling

Match best with: Clove, sage, black pepper, nutmeg, dill, chives, fennel, thyme, white pepper, orange peel

Chenin Blanc, Vouvray, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc
Match best with: Chives, black pepper, tarragon, rosemary

Chardonnay, White Burgundy, Sémillon
Match best with: Mustard, clove, mint, tarragon, sage, cumin, lemon, thyme, dill, mint, ginger

Types of Red Wine:

Chianti, Nebbiolo, Beaujolais

Match best with: Oregano, basil, ginger, mint, chives, thyme, tarragon, fennel, juniper

Zinfandel, Syrah, Shiraz, Rioja

Match best with: Rosemary, black pepper, chives, tarragon

Pinot Noir, Burgundy, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux

Match best with: Bay leaf, parsley, dill, fennel, mint

No matter which wine you choose, make sure that it is a wine that you will enjoy. Cheers!