A good food and wine pairing enhances our experience of both so they end up tasting better together than when consumed on their own. Food that is salty and acidic is more friendly to match with wine while food that is sweet, spicy and bitter (umami taste-think mushroom, soy sauce…) is more challenging.
Food changes the perception we have of the wine we’re drinking. Salty and acidic food give us the perception that the wine is fruitier and less bitter when experiencing them together. And it’s important that the wine should be more acidic than the food or else the wine will feel flat. Think salad (lemon dressing) and Sauvignon Blanc/ or oyster and Champagne (🍗fried foods are also a good match with sparkling wine).
🍰Sweet food makes the wine feel less fruity and more bitter that’s why we need to match it with wine that is sweeter than the food and that’s why sweet wine/dessert wine works well with…well…dessert.
There is a general rule that red meat work well with red wine and white wine work well with fish and chicken. However the sauce in the red meat or white meat play a bigger role in choosing the wine to pair it with. And this also applies to Pasta.
🍴Here are some classic examples of food and wine pairing, subject to individual preferences of course:
🍖Grilled meat – Cabernet Sauvignon
🌯Hummus – Pinot Grigio, Rose, Sauvignon Blanc
🥑Guacamole – Sauvignon Blanc
🐟Mild fish – Chardonnay (no or little oak), Chablis
🍔Hamburgers – Beaujolais, Cabernet Sauvignon
🧆Lamb: Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz/Syrah
🦞Lobster: White Burgundy, Champagne, Chardonnay (especially oaked)
🍝Pasta – Lasagna: Merlot, Chianti; Bolognese: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Chianti; with Butter/creamy/seafood sauce: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio; with Pesto: Sauvignon Blanc
Experiencing a good food and wine match is very eye opening in a way that you will never choose your beverage lightly again, always keen to replicate that beautiful marriage of flavors.
Cheers!
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