When it comes to wine and food there are some basic rules that do apply, but the number one rule for pairing wine with food is that your personal preference is always the right choice. However, there are wine choices that can enhance your meal when paired properly with the foods you have selected for dining. A great wine pairing can make your dinning experience unforgettable and a wrong choice of wine can bring together a poor mixing of flavors that can spoil the flavors of your meal.
These four questions will help you choose the right wine.
When you are considering which wine to order for your meal, keep in mind the following four questions. (1) What is the main dish that will be served? Is it beef, fish, or chicken? (2) How will it be cooked? Will it be grilled, baked, lightly fried, or pan-fried? (3) Is the dish accompanied by a sauce and if so, what kind of sauce and what are its flavors? (4) What are the sides dishes being served and how will their flavors impact the wine? Today there are so many new varieties of wine that the old standby wine and food pairing rule may not always apply, but until you become better at matching the right wine with your meal, stick to these basic wine rules, red wines with beef, and white wines with fish and poultry.
Think "wine power," when choosing your wines.
Big, rich, heavy, meaty, full-of-herbs types of dishes work best with red wines. When choosing wines, you want to think about "wine power." To improve the flavor of a beef entre, it should be served with a powerful wine. The same rule would apply for any entre that is served in a thick, heavy sauce. Red wines contains tannins, and when tannins mixes with the meal's proteins it will blend together enhancing the flavor of the foods when combined. White wines do not contain tannins and therefore generally do not work well with red meats.
White wines are better suited for light foods, such as grilled halibut (fish-type dishes) or chicken breast (poultry-type dishes) grilled or pan-fried in a light sauce. Color and aromatic flavors influence taste and lighter wines will complement the meal and not overpower the flavors of the food. Even in light types of foods, the type of sauce that is paired with the dish can influence the taste of the wine with the food. If the poultry was cooked in a heavy, thick sauce, or a spicy flavored sauce like paprika or full-of-herbs type of sauce, then it would be better served with a more powerful fuller-bodied red wine or perhaps a Rose or a spicy flavored wine.
Choose more than one wine with a multiple course meal.
You should choose more than one wine if you are eating a multiple course dinner. Multiple course means many different types of flavors and it would be difficult for one wine to taste great throughout the entire meal. Consider ordering by the glass with appetizers or for the first course and then order a bottle of wine for the main dish, and then finish off the meal with a glass of wine appropriate for your desert 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.
You can't go wrong, when you choose what you like.
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.
These four questions will help you choose the right wine.
When you are considering which wine to order for your meal, keep in mind the following four questions. (1) What is the main dish that will be served? Is it beef, fish, or chicken? (2) How will it be cooked? Will it be grilled, baked, lightly fried, or pan-fried? (3) Is the dish accompanied by a sauce and if so, what kind of sauce and what are its flavors? (4) What are the sides dishes being served and how will their flavors impact the wine? Today there are so many new varieties of wine that the old standby wine and food pairing rule may not always apply, but until you become better at matching the right wine with your meal, stick to these basic wine rules, red wines with beef, and white wines with fish and poultry.
Think "wine power," when choosing your wines.
Big, rich, heavy, meaty, full-of-herbs types of dishes work best with red wines. When choosing wines, you want to think about "wine power." To improve the flavor of a beef entre, it should be served with a powerful wine. The same rule would apply for any entre that is served in a thick, heavy sauce. Red wines contains tannins, and when tannins mixes with the meal's proteins it will blend together enhancing the flavor of the foods when combined. White wines do not contain tannins and therefore generally do not work well with red meats.
White wines are better suited for light foods, such as grilled halibut (fish-type dishes) or chicken breast (poultry-type dishes) grilled or pan-fried in a light sauce. Color and aromatic flavors influence taste and lighter wines will complement the meal and not overpower the flavors of the food. Even in light types of foods, the type of sauce that is paired with the dish can influence the taste of the wine with the food. If the poultry was cooked in a heavy, thick sauce, or a spicy flavored sauce like paprika or full-of-herbs type of sauce, then it would be better served with a more powerful fuller-bodied red wine or perhaps a Rose or a spicy flavored wine.
Choose more than one wine with a multiple course meal.
You should choose more than one wine if you are eating a multiple course dinner. Multiple course means many different types of flavors and it would be difficult for one wine to taste great throughout the entire meal. Consider ordering by the glass with appetizers or for the first course and then order a bottle of wine for the main dish, and then finish off the meal with a glass of wine appropriate for your desert 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.
You can't go wrong, when you choose what you like.
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.
About the Author:
The Backyard Wine Enthusiast is a wine lover and traveler who have sampled fabulous wines worldwide and is the owner and writer for; The Wine of the Month.Com. Visit the website The Wine of the Month.Com for a completion selection of fine wines and wine accessories. The online wine shop provides you with a convenient one-stop shop for red and white wines, sparkling wines and monthly wine club suggestions.
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