Selecting the Perfect Wine to Go With Food
Introduction
Wine is as diverse as the people who drink it and the foods they eat. As such, it can serve many purposes. Some wines are good on their own, but most need a food pairing to bring out their best qualities. A real connoisseur will serve a different wine with each course of a meal, but this usually isn't practical for most folks. Everyone should be guided by their own palate, which means the so-called rules are really just guidelines, and breaking them is perfectly fine if that's what you like. There's no substitute for experience and knowing the wine you're working with, and over time, most wine drinkers will find the wines and pairings that work best for them.
Red Wine
Red wine gets its color because it is fermented with the skin of the grapes still in contact with the juice. However, this lets not only the color of the skin to infiltrate the wine, but also the flavor, which is dominated by a tart-tasting group of chemicals called tannins. It is tannins that give red wine its distinct flavor. Because the general purpose of wine and food pairing is to have the flavors of both components complement instead of overpower each other, pairing with red wine means choosing foods that have stronger, more savory flavors. Red meats, red sauces and spicy, more intense dishes tend to augment the flavor of red wine. Of course, within the category of reds there is a spectrum, from delicate pinot noirs to hearty cabernets, that should be respected.
White Wine
Good white wine tends to be crisp and acidic, with apple or butter flavors. These wines go well with white meat, seafood, cheese and white sauces--blander flavors that benefit from the punctuation of a crisp, acidic white. When preparing a meal or conducting a tasting, white wines and the foods paired with them should be served first, so they are not overshadowed on the pallet by the heavier, more intense red wines and their food pairings.
Other Wines
Though many may not be aware, there are several other types of wines that also can benefit from the pairing of food. Late harvest wines, port wines and ice wines are all sweet wines with high sugar content that are often served along with desserts. Some of the more hearty ones, such as a late harvest red, will go well with chocolate and more pronounced dessert flavors, while the more delicate, such as ice wine, pair well with fruit or light cakes. Mexican dishes and most highly processed foods, such as fast food, are notoriously difficult to pair with wine. These can often benefit when the wine is not similar to, but rather balances, the qualities of the dish. Acidic wines with higher alcohol content usually work best in these situations.
Tags: well with, benefit from, crisp acidic, food pairing, more intense, Perfect Wine