Wine pairing is a delicate technique where you match complementary food dishes with their perfect wine to maximize the value that each component has to offer. It is important to pair your food with the right wine if you want to accomplish a perfect dining experience. At first glance, wine pairing can seem very complex, especially if you are a beginner. However, wine pairing is not that difficult. When choosing wine, there are six main flavor profiles you should look for: acidity, fattiness, bitterness, saltiness, sweetness, and alcohol percentage. Each flavor profile you can mix and match to create a perfect balance between the components of the dish and the characteristics of a wine. There are two basic principles that are practiced in wine pairing. The first one is the contrasting pairing, where you achieve balance by pairing contrasting flavors. The second one is the congruent pairing, where you pair flavor profiles to create balance by amplifying each other. In order to achieve the perfect combination, you do need to have a few bottles of wine at home so that you have a selection to choose from. If you want to avoid constantly going to the market, you can join a wine club that delivers straight to your home. To find the perfect wine club for you, take a look at these monthly wine club reviews.
This article will go over the three major types of wines: red, white, and rose, and help you learn what their best pairings are.
Red wines
Red wines are made from black grapes. During the production of the wine, the skin of the grape remains in contact with the juice throughout the fermentation process. This makes the wine richer and fuller, with more complex flavor profiles. Red wine can taste a hundred different ways depending on the way the wine is made and the tannins in it. Red wines can be fruity, dry, earthy, silky, bold, etc. But because of its complex taste, red wine can pair with rich, substantial foods because it’s strong enough to hold on its own while still letting other flavors shine through. Fruiter red wines pair best with salty and spicy flavors like potato chips, pretzels, french fries, and jalapeno peppers but also with bitter foods, such as artichokes, citrus, pickles, sprouts, and sauerkraut. Dry red wines pair well with cured meat like bologna, liverwurst, chorizo, roasted vegetables, and rich fish like salmon. Earthier reds pair best with earthy ingredients like wild mushrooms roasted in light herbs. Wines that are silky, slurpy, and sessionable pair beautifully with meals like lamb, pork & apple, duck & hoisin. Meanwhile, the bolder red wines pair with the most complex dishes so you can pair them with cheese, roast beef, lamb, pork, pasta dishes, pizza, chocolate, and desserts.
White wine
Many dishes are more complementary to white wine because they can provide a great balance of refreshing flavors to the palette. Light white wines go well with light dishes, so the less complicated the dish is, the lighter the wine should be. Dry white wines do not contain residual sugar from the grapes, so they tend to be crisp and not very sweet. This makes them pair great with dishes like fresh cheese, white fish, shellfish, chicken or turkey, pickled vegetables, and spicy Asian meals. Sweeter white wines pair well with both hard and soft cheese, cured meats, and different kinds of sweets. A richer white wine gives great flavor to rich fish dishes, and white meat like chicken, duck, and turkey. Sparkling white wine pairs perfectly with potatoes, pasta, rice, vegetables, and cheese.
Rose wine
Rosé wine can be made with a wide variety of grapes, so it can be both sweet and dry. Rose wine is made by allowing the juice of mixed, mashed grapes to rest with the richly colored grape skin for a few days. This way, the grape skins lightly color the juice. Rose wine can be paired with numerous appetizers like anchovies, salads, hummus, and flatbread but also with many seafood dishes, fried or grilled fish, grilled chicken or turkey, veggie pizza, and soft cheeses, like brie and goat cheese. In warmer climates, rose wine goes great with Greek dishes, Mexican food, Thai food, and Indian food. A chilled rose is also a perfect option for a picnic.
Final take
Even though there are some rules when it comes to wine pairing, the most important rule is to stick to what you love. If you do not enjoy some of the classic food and wine pairings, you can explore and get creative in order to create your own wine and dish pairings. The easiest way to do this is to join a wine club. Wine clubs provide a lot of information about the products they sell, but they can also provide you with recommendations about some dishes that complement their products. Not only will you get some unique bottles of wines that you can explore and pair on your own with different food. Some wine clubs even offer wine tasting events, classes, and seminars for their members where experts can teach you about good wine and food pairings.
Disclosure: This is a featured post.