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The basics of pairing food & wine!

Matching wine with different cuisines and flavor can be confusing. This article will cover some of the key facts to assist you to become a more knowledgeable judge in selecting the wines with the food you are eating.

Focus on balance with flavors of food & wine

Wine and food should be best buddies, with neither over powering the other.

For example:

The lighter foods requires there partner to be a delicate wine, so the flavors in the dish are not being overpowered. This means having lamb with a white wine would not match traditionally, with each having such distinct flavors in their own ways. You would not have a red wine with a creamy white pasta sauce, as the flavors and taste of both wine and the dish will stand out in their own characteristics.

WINE GRAPES & FOOD PAIRING WITH CATEGORIES

WITH EACH WINE MENTIONED BELOW, WE HAVE LISTED CERTAIN TYPES OF FOOD IN THAT CATEGORY. YOU WILL NOTICE, UNDER THE SHIRAZ AND PINOT GRIGIO, I HAVE NOT ADDED ANY INFORMATION, SO YOU CAN ATTEMPT TO MATCH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THOSE WITH THE FOOD, AT YOUR LEASURE

Pinot Noir

Earthy flavors like mushrooms and truffles taste great with reds like Pinot Noir, which are light-bodied wines.

Cheese/nuts: goat cheese, walnuts
Meat/poultry: lamb, sausage, chicken
Seafood: ahi tuna, salmon
Fruits and Veggies: mushrooms, figs, strawberries
Herbs and Spices: truffle, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove
Sauces: mushroom sauces, light-medium red sauces
Desserts: creme brulee, white chocolate
Shiraz (red)
Spicy Asian cuisine goes well with a
Shiraz (red), both containing black pepper
and hints spice for your palate. Cabernet Sauvignon

Lamb chops with herbs. The firm tannins in these wines refresh the palate after each bite of meat.

Cheese/nuts: cheddar, gorgonzola, walnuts
Meat/poultry: Lamb Chops, rib eye, beef stew
Fruits and Veggies: black cherries, tomatoes, broccoli
Sauces: brown sauce, tomato sauce
Desserts: bittersweet chocolate, dark chocolate

Pinot Grigio

The crisp flavors of Pinot Grigio accompanies well with a Chicken salad drizzled with a vinaigrette dressing that show cases a perfect match.

Chardonnay
Accompanies well with chicken in a creamy sauce or fatty fish such as salmon.
Cheese/nuts: mild, semi-soft cheeses, almonds and nearly any toasted nut
Meat/poultry: chicken, pork Seafood: halibut, shrimp, lobster
Fruits and Veggies: potato, apple, squash, mango
Desserts: banana bread, vanilla pudding

Sauvignon Blanc

Fatoosh Salad, a perfect blend of the citrus flavors and the fruitiness of the salad spice ‘sumak’ with the fruity & citrus flavors in the wine.

Cheese/nuts: feta, goat cheese, pine nuts
Meat/poultry: chicken, turkey
Seafood: fatty white fish, scallops, sushi
Fruits and Veggies: citrus, green apple, asparagus
Sauces: citrus and light cream sauces
Desserts: sorbet, key lime pie Sumak – This spice comes from the Mediterrane an and Middle East, from the berries of a wild bush. Quite aromatic, they are sour, fruity and astringent in flavor.

Try an Indian Estate winery and pair the wine with Indian snacks or main dishes?

You can start with matching the ingredients in the food and testing them with some of the mentioned characteristics of the grapes:

Key characteristics of Wine to remember:

Tannins: A wine with high tannins can be described as bitter and astringent. Tannins are derived from the skins, stems, and seeds of the grapes used to produce the wine.

Acidity: In wine tasting, the term “acidity” refers to the fresh, tart and sour attributes of the wine. Sweetness: That sweet sugar sensation is mainly due to the sugar content in the wine. This ranges typically form 0 % to 20 % in both red & white wines. Alcohol itself is also a sweet liquid, so higher alcohol wines can give the perception of a ‘sweet’ taste.

Bitterness: Bitter tastes in wines should be very limited. Bitter tastes can come from extremely young wines that have not matured.

REMEMBER, YOUR PALATE IS YOUR MOST TRUST WORTHY FRIEND WHEN IT COMES TO MATCHING THE CORRECT WINE WITH THE TYPES OF FOOD FATOOSH SALAD YOU EAT.

 

 

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