Pair Wine with Food

To Pair Wine with Food……..

The Old Saying is “Red Wine with Red Meat, White Wine with White Meat”.

This is the basic rule of thumb that has been around for years when you are trying to pair wine with food. Red wine can stand up to red meat and white wine works well with lighter, oilier foods without overpowering them. That being said there is nothing set in stone, so always make sure you drink what you like best, not what you been told is the “proper“ wine with your food pairing.

So if you prefer white wine then drink white with the steak or red with the chicken. What is worse, drinking a wine you do not like or drinking supposedly the wrong wine with your food? Oh, how people will talk! Improper pairing of wine with food…..

Red wine, Red meat!

Lets take a look at what happens. The tannin in the red wine will cut through the spices and meat flavor, cleansing your palate. You take another bite of steak . Because the wine cleansed your palate, you get to taste that steak all over again. You take a sip! You cut another piece! Oh Ya! You paired the proper wine with food !!

Red wines have the tannin to cleanse your palate and to cut through the spices. (tannin is felt along your cheeks) Be somewhat careful when pairing a red wine, a robust red wine could work well with BBQ sauced ribs but might be to much for BBQ sauced or rubbed shrimp. Maybe a light red such as a Pinot Noir slightly chilled would work with the spicy shrimp and would be a better pairing of wine with that food.

White wine, White meat!

A dryer white wine has some acidity to cut the oils of fish or seafood, sauces, salad dressings, tomato and cheese base sauces/dishes. Higher acidic wines work best with dishes that have some acidity in them for excellent pairing of the wine with food.

Balanced (low acidity) or slightly sweet white wines go well with cream based foods. Foods that are low in acidity and oils work well with low acidic wines for a good pairing with the food.

Spicy (hot) foods I prefer a slightly sweet wine such as a Riesling , Chenin Blanc or Pinot Grigio. The main reason I choose a sweeter wine is that the spices have made my tongue a little raw. Acidity or tannin is hard on my raw tongue and the sugar helps. Sweet pairing of wine with spicy food, you will be surprised.

Caution when having a sweeter wine with some foods. A sweeter wine won’t cleanse the palate but in fact will leave a sweet taste in your mouth which could effect the taste of the food.

Cleanse the Palate

Many wines are designed by the wine maker to cleanse the palate which is a key element for good pairing of wine with food. Your main concern is that your wine doesn’t overpower the food. This should always be your main concern when pairing wine with any food. Lets say you have a nice BBQ pork chop on the grill. It is a very nice cut and you marinated the meat in your favorite spices and oil with lemon. The BBQ pork is done perfectly, you take a bite of the meat and the inside of your mouth is coated with the delightful flavor of the meat, all the spices and sauce. (To me nothing is better than that first taste of meat) You take a small sip of your favorite red wine, which is a nice deep red color with a interesting hint of wood in the nose, your tongue picks up a little oak, some tannin but a nice smooth finish.

Question you should ask? Did your wine add to the meal! Did it cleanse the palate, without overpowering the food. If yes, it was the proper wine to pair with the food.