One of wine's greatest pleasures is its ability to enhance the dining experience, to join its solid counterpart at the table and to transform a meal from simple nourishment to sensual pleasure. At its best, a well-matched wine will enhance the tastes and textures of a dish, or elicit subtle flavors that might otherwise go unnoticed. Some wines and food pairings are classic—it is almost as if certain wines were designed to accompany particular foods. Most, however, are flexible and versatile—the fun comes in experimentation. Here are a few classic pairings as well as some general guidelines for selecting a befitting wine to accompany your meal.
General Pairing Guidelines: Things to Consider when Pairing Food and Wine
Balance: Use the dominate flavor of a dish, often the sauce, as your guide in pairing. For example, use the wine used in the sauce as the compliment drink with the dish.
Contrast: Opposites attract, therefore sweet wine goes with sour or acidic food. Subdued, complex older wines deserve simple foods not heavy sauces.
Highly seasoned foods: Spicy, salty, and smoky flavors are best paired with fruity, low tannin, lower alcohol-content wines.
Rich foods: Rich and fatty foods often work well with full-bodied Chardonnay, Cabernet sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel or syrah.
Sweet foods: The sweetness of the dish should be less than the sweetness of the wine. This is easily accomplished by adding citrus juice or vinegar to the dish.
High acid: Highly acidic foods such as tomatoes, citrus fruits and goat cheese usually go best with acidic wines such as a Sauvignon Blanc.
Suggestions for pairing with country specific cuisine:
Chinese: Seasonings include ginger, garlic, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Sauces include sweet-and-sour, peanut, ginger, and oyster. These ingredients match the sweet and salty flavors – so a sweet, spicy, fruity white or possibly a low tannin red wine such as Rose of Syrah, French Colombard, or Muscat Canelli.
Japanese: Bitter and vinegar ingredients are common, therefore, avoid acidic wines and utilize dry, fruity whites or sparkling wines. Try Viognier,
Thai: Aromatic and spicy flavors are common. These combine well with a crisp, dry, white or slightly sweet wine like a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay or a robust red, such as a Petite Syrah or Zinfandel (with beef dishes).
Mexican: Chile-dominated cuisine that can affect your palate is best coupled with a spice wine that has a touch of residual sugar. Chilled, fruity whites, like Viognier, Rose of Syrah or Muscat Canelli.
Indian: Common ingredients include curry, coconut, cumin, creamy or milk based sauces. These combine deliciously with low tannin, fruity wines with little oak, like a Merlot, Zinfandel or Syrah.
Middle Eastern: Figs, raisin, nuts and tumeric are common ingredients. These would match well with the soft fruity reds or whites. Try
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