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| How to Choose What Wine Types to Have With Meals |
Wine and Food Pairings Explained
Does it matter what wine you serve with dinner? Do certain wines help bring out the flavor in certain foods, while understating flavors in others? The answer to both these questions is yes. All wine connoisseurs portend that local wines from a specific geographic region always blend best, and make the most of the flavorings, with foods grown in that same geographic region.
If you are unfamiliar with pairing wine and food, it is especially important to plan your meal ahead of time. Research and experimentation will ensure your dinner will be the best it can be.
Easy Rules to Remember When Serving Different Wine Types
One basic rule is to serve a lighter wine (generally white wines or sparkling wines) with the salad or appetizer portion of your meal. Serve lighter wines before heavier, more full-bodied wines (typically red wines). There are also a few lighter red wines, such as a Pinot Noir, that work well early in the meal, before the main course. Sauvignon Blanc makes a nice pairing with fruit and mild cheeses as well.
When pork or fish is the main course of your meal, lighter wines work best when trying to match the flavors of the food. White wines, such as a Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, or a Pinot Grigio, work well with fish or pork. When serving beef or lamb, think red wines such as a Bordeaux, Burgundy, or a Cabernet. These wines help bring the flavors in the cuisine to their fullest potential.
As discussed earlier, if you are preparing a particular cuisine, say French or Italian foods, and if the ingredients you are using were truly grown in those countries, definitely try pairing the foods with wine made in the same region. The same dirt or soil, in which food is grown and grapes for the wine are grown, can enhance the experience of both the food and wine because they tend to complement each other better as they are so similar.
If your meal includes sauces of a lighter nature, the ideal wine to serve with them would be a lighter white wine, or perhaps a red Burgundy wine. Heavier sauces tend to blend best with a heavier wine, perhaps a Bordeaux that is more full-bodied.
If you are preparing a meal that includes Italian pasta, try to pair it with a similar Italian wine. This combination will enhance the flavors of both and bring out the best result possible in your meal.
Another factor to consider is the complexity of your food. The more complex your cuisine is, the simpler the wine should be that you serve with it. The simpler the food, the more complex the wine can be. The idea, of course, is that each should complement the other. To gain that idyllic result, neither should overwhelm the other. The type of food served with a wine can actually change the way that wine tastes because ingredients and spices interact to bring out certain flavors in the wine that ordinarily you may not taste. Concentrate on trying to find a balance between your food and wine. Think about opposing ingredients, such as sweet or sour, spicy or mild, and pair the food with a wine that is opposite to find a balance between the two tastes.
When concluding the meal with your dessert dish, the appropriate wine to serve is generally a dessert wine, such as a sauterne or port wine. A sauterne is a white wine, whereas a port wine is a red wine. These wines specialize in bringing the most from your dessert offerings. A sauterne is a French dessert wine typically from the Bordeaux wine region. A port wine is a red wine from northern Portugal and is sweet in taste.
The right wine can turn your dinner, whether it is a romantic dinner for two or a dinner party with several friends, into a huge success instead of just an ordinary dinner. Knowing how to pair wine and food is essential for the ultimate dining experience.
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