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Wine and Food: Tips on the Right Wine and Food Pairing

By Karen Karila

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Published: 29Dec2008
Word count: 803
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There are some basic wine and food pairing rules that will help you mix together the right combination of flavors that will improve your dining experience. A great wine pairing can make your dining memorable and a wrong combination can contribute to a poor dining experience. Of the basic wine and food pairing rules, the number one rule for you to remember is to pick a wine that you will enjoy. If you really have a preference for white wines versus red wines, then its okay for you to choose your favorite type of wine with your meal.

To choose the right wine for dining, consider these four questions.

There are four question that will help you make the best wine decision for your meal. (1) What is the main dish? Is it fish, chicken or beef? (2) Will it be roasted, grilled or pan-fried? (3) Does the dish come with a sauce and if so, what kind of sauce? (4) Will there be any side dishes and how will their flavors impact your wine choice? There are many different types of wine choices available today, so the basic wine rules may not always apply, but generally speaking these rules remain for the most part, still accurate for helping you make the right wine choice: white wines with poultry and fish, and red wines with beef.

Keep "wine power," in mind, when choosing your wines.

Generally speaking, red wines will work best with dishes that are rich, heavy and have a big flavor. When choosing a beef dish, you should consider the powerful strength of beef and choose a wine that has equal power. This rule also is effective for dishes that are served in rich, thick, heavy, full-of-herbs types of sauces. The reason why red wines and beef goes well together is that red wines contains tannins which mixes with proteins, allowing the flavors to blend well together. As a rule, white wines and red meats do not work well together, because white wine lacks tannins that enables this flavorful combination to occur.

White wines works best with light foods, such as chicken, turkey or fish. Color and the aromatic smells of the flavors influence taste buds and wines that are lighter, such as white wines, will complement the meal and not overpower the flavors of the foods. Sometimes even foods that are light in nature, can be paired with a sauce that is heavy or spicy. This changes the definition of light, and now that dish might be better paired with a red wine or Rose or a wine that has a bit more spice.

A multiple choice meal, requires more than one wine choice.

To truly experience the proper pairing of wines with a multiple course dinner, you should pair your wines to the many courses of the meal. It would be difficult for one wine to work well with every dish because of the variety of flavors. If possible, choose a wine that is appropriate for the appetizer or first course, and then change the wine for the main dish, and then change the wine again for the dessert choice.

Start off with a lighter wine (usually white, or light tasting wines) and then move to the more full-bodied types of wine (red wines and burgundy's) and then move to the dessert wines (ports & muscats.) Keep in mind that wines that are low in acid can often overwhelmed foods even those foods that are deemed light in taste. Wines that are high in acid works best with most foods, even though in some occasions they may not work well as a sipping wine without being accompanied by food. The following examples of going from light to more full-bodied wines are: White Zinfandel, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewrztraminer and Chardonnay. And among reds, from lighter to fuller: Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Choosing a wine that you know you like, works every time.

The four questions guideline will help you to pair the right wine with your meal selection. Until you feel comfortable in making those wine choices for yourself, ask your server to suggest a wine for you. Be sure and tell them the type of wine you prefer, so they can keep that in mind before coming up with their recommendations. They should provide you with at least three to four great wine pairing choices in different price ranges. If you get a bottle or a glass of wine that you don't like, then feel comfortable in sending it back and requesting a new bottle or a new wine pour. Of all the wines rules to follow when it comes to wine and food pairing, the number one rule to remember, is to always choose the wine that you like.

The Backyard Wine Enthusiast is a wine lover and traveler who have sampled great wines worldwide and is the owner and writer for http://www.thewineofthemonth.com which has a complete selection of fine wines, wine accessories, and wine gifts. The online wine store provides a convenient one-stop shop for red and white wines, sparkling wines, wine of the month club recommendations, and great advice and tips on wine.

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