Have you ever been at a restaurant, perhaps trying to impress your date with your wine knowledge, only to be completely at a loss with where to start? Here are 5 fool proof tips for pairing wine and food guaranteed not to lead you astray.
1. Whites are generally a safe bet with seafood, especially shellfish. They also work very well with spicy food, especially in the Asian realm. Mexican or Spanish spices tend to work better with reds because of the heavier nature of the food.
2. Reds are generally a safe bet with red meat and heavy winter dishes. Think stews, roasts, and earthy root vegetables.
3. Taste different wines often and pay attention to descriptions. Often nicely detailed wine descriptions will give you a clue as to what they should be paired with. For example, if you might normally garnish a grilled meat with a sweet chutney, try a wine with bright fruit tones.
4. Pairing wine and food is all based on chemistry. Certain foods pair better because their chemistry matches up in a different way to certain wines. Don’t let this scare you though. If you’re daring, let it free you rather than defeat you. This is especially true with cheese pairing. While I wouldn’t suggest trying any super deep reds, you could certainly pair light reds, roses, whites, sweet and dry wines with cheese. This is a perfect food to experiment with and find what YOU like.
5. There are no mistakes. Most of the “rules” you may have heard of, like the ones mentioned above, are challenged and played with constantly in todays modern food world so you really can’t go wrong. Hey, you might even discover a radical pairing that works better than the suggested pairing!
Do you have any hard and fast rules you follow when pairing wine and food? In my opinion, Rose is one of the most difficult wines to match with food. What are your suggestions?
Eat Well, Travel Well ~ Samantha