Wine and Food Pairings
The whole purpose for finding good wine and food pairings is simple. Since wine can change the way your food tastes and vice versa, you want to pick a combination that will make the whole dining experience a pleasurable one.
At best, you will find a combination that makes both the wine and the food taste better together than they ever would by themselves (a phenomenon you have to experience for yourself to believe).
At worst, you will find a combination that makes an otherwise great wine or entrée completely unpalatable. You may like garlic toast, and you may like ice cream, but you eat them both at the same time and… I think you get my point.
Before I start mentioning guidelines and pairings I must first express my opinion about rules and wine. Taste is more art than science. Just because something tastes good or bad to you, does not mean that they will taste bad to others.
Take the suggestions for what they are worth, but don’t be afraid to bend the rules to your liking. If it tastes good to you, that’s all that matters. Although, if you’re planning a dinner party, it’s usually best to play it safe and stick with combinations that have proven to be favorable among a wide group of people.
What Can Happen?
Here are a few of the things that can occur when wine and food are consumed together:
Amplified or Diminished Traits – sometimes the acidity, sweetness, or tannin in wine can be amplified or diminished by certain foods.
Overpowering – a strong wine will overpower a delicate dish (and vice versa) creating an unpleasant balance.
Transferring Flavors – the wine can seem to transfer some of its flavors into the meal and vice versa.
New Flavors – sometimes flavors that are not present in either the wine or the food are perceived when consumed together. (Sometimes these are unfavorable metallic or mediciny flavors)
Some Suggested Wine and Food Pairings
Don’t Forget the Sauce – Sometimes a strong tasting sauce or seasoning is more important than the meat itself.
White Wines Recommended Foods, Sauces, etc. Avoid
Chardonnay Salmon, Grilled Chicken, White Creamy Sauces, Veal Very Spicy Foods
Gewurztraminer Chinese, Swiss Cheese, Pork, Ginger, Foie Gras Light Foods
Pinot Grigio Creamy Sauces, Turkey, Shrimp, Veal Tomatoes, Spicy Foods
Riesling (Dry) Chicken, Shrimp, Lobster, Smoked Trout Sweets
Sancerre Trout, Goat Cheese, Shellfish, Sea Bass Sweets
Red Wines Recommended Foods, Sauces, etc. Avoid
Barberra Pizza, Lasagna, Lemon Chicken, Pasta ???
Cabernet Sauvignon Steak, Lamb, Roasts, Dark Chocolate, Duck Tomatoes, Fish
Merlot Grilled Meats, Barbeques, Chicken Sweets
Pinot Noir Duck, Salmon, Tuna, Beef Sroganoff, Lamb Very Spicy Foods
Syrah or Shiraz Peppered Red Meats, Sausage, Stews, Barbeques Fish
Again, the art of wine and food pairing is a very personal thing. Experimentation is the best way to figure out what works for you. Many of the wine of the month clubs will have suggested food pairing information related to that month's selections.
Good Luck!
