The importance of great food and wine pairing cannot be overemphasized for those who want tohave memorable moments during their next BBQ. When it comes to successful food and wine matching, you can never go wrong when you use your initiative and follow your instinct.
Everything about food and wine pairing needs balance. The key to any successful wine pairing with food is balancing the body with alcohol and flavours.
We have listed some helpful tips for you on the best food and wine pairing in this article. This will help you avoid the costly mistakes associated with this process and give you the necessary experience you need to match food and wine perfectly.
Follow our tips below for matching food and wine that would thrill your guests.
- Keep food and wine at a similar weight/Look for balance
Balance is essential everywhere. And while we are talking about matching food and wine, balance is what we should keep in mind. But what kind of balance? Balance in terms of pairing lighter style wines with lighter food and vice versa. Light meals refer to those which are essentially lower in calories. The structure and complexity of the dish must match the structure and complexity of the wine.
A glass of white wine coupled with light foods such as rice, black bean, salad, sweet potato, and chicken works superbly in all respects. Red wine may also work if they’re low in tannins. They will definitely be a treat for your taste buds.
Fatty meats that are on the heavier end need to be combined with heavier and intense wines like Shiraz or Sauternes.
- Complex wines gels with complex foods
For an exquisite experience of tasting yourfavouritecomplex wine, try gelling it up with complex wines. Complex wines go with complex foods. The same way simple wines go with simple foods.
When you’re pairing wine with food, do not forget about foods that actually would mask the taste of your wine rather than enhance itsflavour. These foods include Olive, Vinegar, Yogurt, and asparagus, to name a few.
- Oily food and acidity in wine
There’s no other way to this but, acidity in wine intensifies each & every bit of the fatty food that you’re too excited about. The whole reason why white wine butter sauce is so famous is this. It makes the overall experience delightful.
Fatty food needsacidic wines in order to hide its sloppiness. Wine with high alcohol content works equally for such foods.
Acidic wine also balances the salt in the foods. To add on, fats balance the bitterness in food.
- Tannic wines and fatty food go well together
Tannins are supposed to make your mouth dry. So what’s better than pairing tannic wines with rich fatty foods?
Opposites attract, and this applies here better than nowhere. Tannic wines and fatty foods are so different from each other, yet make an amazing combination.
- Does spicy food require wines?
This is one question that cannot be answered directly. The answer is based on one country and region to another. For example, in the United Kingdom, a lot of people take spicy food with wines, and they are okay with it, while in some countries, especially in Asia, they do not like to take spicy food with wines.
But if you’re a fan of wine and can’t let go of it even with spicy foods, then we’d suggest you go with fruity and low- alcohol content wine such asRiesling and Gewurztraminer.There is no proven harm to it.
- Desserts and wines to choose
Who doesn’t love desserts? And while we’re on it, who doesn’t love a perfect amalgamation of sweet and wine? My mouth is already watering.
Well, desserts redefine the whole dining experience, and having it with wine takes it to a whole new level.
- Follow the sauce
It’s a well-known practice to use a similar sort of wine as the sauce that is in your food. Use your pairing techniques and balance out the taste of the wine and the sauce.
Extremely buttery or creamy sauces taste fantastic with intense and rich wine. Try out the Italian sparkling wines with cheesy pasta sauce or lasagna and relish the taste of heaven.
What to avoid
It would be best if you maximally tried to avoid clashes of bitterness, for example,
- Dark chocolate and tannic wines like Barolo
- Spicy food and tannic wines
- Wine covering the dish or dish covering the wine - Food like asparagus mask the taste of the wine.
- Cigarettes and cigars should never be paired with wine. It will kill the flavour of the wine, to say the least
Conclusion
Having given you the must-know tips, we would tell you to figure out what suits you and your taste. After all, your likes and dislikes matter the most when you’re matching your food and wine.