THE 20 GENERAL TIPS FOR WINE FOOD PAIR
1. FOR SALTY GO SWEET, BITTER OR ACIDIC: Sweet and salty have an intrinsic cohesion in food-wine pairing. Salty foods can make a sweet wine appear slightly sweeter and acidic wine can stand up to the salts. Look to dry, crisp wines with a little sweetness to them such as off-dry white wines and sparkling wines such as Champagne, Prosecco, Gewurtztraminer, Riesling, Vinho Verde and Vouvray. Salty food also reduces the bitter sensation of a wine high in tannins, softening the tannins nicely and reduces the astringency
2. ALCOHOL FOR SALTY IS LIKE SALT IN THE WOUND: The saltiness of food will accentuates the alcohol in wine making a wine higher in alcohol seem hot. Avoid a wine higher in alcohol content (above 12.5% abv) with salty food to avoid an overpowering heat sensation.
3. ALCOHOL AUGMENTS SPICE: Higher alcohol usually means higher tannins, and tannins increase the sensation of spice and heat. Accentuating the heat does not necessarily complement the heat, especially when it comes to wine. Spicier dishes should be paired with lower alcohol by volume (ABV), usually less than 11%.
4. SWEET CURBS SPICE: Sweet wine has the ability to tone down the spiciness in a flavourful spicy meal. Choose a sweeter wine that can match the bold flavour elements of a spicy dish. Look to wines like a sweeter Riesling or Gewurtztraminer, Champagne or Sauvignon Blanc. Sweeter wines also tend to be less in alcohol which accentuates spice unhealthily.
5. SPICY COMPLIMENTS SPICY: for spicy dishes you can bring out the spices by choosing a wine similar in spice such as peppery notes in a meal being matched with a Merlot, Shiraz, Syrah, Malbec or Zinfandel. A White Gewurtztraminer carries slight spice for a white wine
6. MATCH SWEETS WITH SWEET AND BOLDLY FRUITY WINES, BUT MAKE THE ALCOHOL, TANNINS AND ACIDS LOW LOW LOW:Sweet food increases the perception of bitterness, sourness and astringency in a wine so avoid wines that are overly bitter and astringing with high tannins or overly acidic with high acidity. This ability to make a wine appear more acidic and dry means the wine will appear less sweet, less fruity and stronger in alcohol as well. This is why it is best to pair sweeter, boldly fruity, low in alcohol wines containing lower acids and tannins with sweet foods. They will appear less sweet and tamer in fruitiness while bringing out a nice alcohol and the bitter tannins and dry acidity to balance nicely. Look to dessert or ice wines which display as richly sweet, boldly fruity and low alcohol content
7. RICH MEAL, RICH WINE: A rich meal is one high in fats and proteins as well as flavour. Flavourful meals need flavourful wines or the wine will fall flat with the meal. Wine high in acidity can balance the fats and protein while a wine high in tannins can cut the fats and a wine high in alcohol can compete with the richness. Choose a wine that is full-bodied, oak matured, with healthy tannins and acidity and a full deep fruitful flavour for those rich meals. This is a job for your full bodied reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Shiraz/Syrah, Malbec and whites like an oaked Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc or Viognier.
8. FOR LEMON OR LIME UN-OAK YOUR WINE: dishes accented with the simple yet effective flavours of lemon or lime are usually dishes with light and delicate flavours. Don't crowd these flavours with heavy-bodied and full wines. Oaking often adds creamy thick flavours to the wine that can overcrowd the lighter elements of the meal. Stick to an unoaked, light bodied white wine with crisp refreshing acidity and citrus notes when pairing with zesty citrus dishes. These include an unoaked Chardonnay, Muscadet, Pinot Grigio, Riesling or Vinho Verde.
9. WHEN CHARRED OR SMOKED GO OAKED: The process of oaking infuses flavours into the wine. These flavours often take on the characteristics of smokiness, toastiness, or hints of wood that couple well with smoked and charred meats. Other flavours infused into wine through oaking, such as vanilla, spices, coffee, chocolate, licorice and more, also tend to compliment charred or smoked foods.
10. HERBACEOUS MEET HERBACEOUS: a herbaceous meal needs a herbaceous wine. For foods highlighted by their herbs such as tarragon, dill, rosemary, parsley and sage, they pair very well with a wine that shares those same flavours. You might look to a Gruner Veltliner or Chenin Blanc or Sav Blanc, or Semillion blend which contain more herb, grassy, musky aroma and flavours. You may also turn to more floral based wines such as Viognier or a Dolcetto with its licorice and almond flavours.
11. EARTHY? GO EURO: for more earthy flavored dishes such as potato, mushroom or truffle based cuisine, turn to the right Pinot Noir or Dolcetto that highlights as containing earthy tones, tobacco flavors and herbs. European wines tend to highlight more earthy tones than wines from other regions in the world so don't be afraid to turn to a wine import from Europe, look for those blends named by their regions.
12. KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY: Pairing a wine from the same cultural region of the dish often works well, if not perfect.
13. ADD ACID TO ACID, BAN BITTER FROM BITTER: Acidic wines pair nicely with acid meals while bitter wines clash with bitter meals. Sour and acidic meals will reduce the experience of sourness in the wine, making them taste more mellow. Sourness in the meal will also reduce the bitter aspect of a wine. Bitter meals will increase the bitterness in a wine and therefore should wines high in tannins should be avoided with bitter meals.
14. THE MILDER FLAVOURED THE FISH, THE LIGHTER COLOURED THE WHITE: match white wine body with flavour, leanness and flakiness of the fish. For flakier, milder tasting, leaner cut fish pair a light bodied, zesty, refreshing white to balance the flavour and not overpower its delicacy. For medium leanness and flavour pair a medium bodied, highly aromatic white or a lightly oaked white. For oilier, more firmer, salty and fishier flavoured fish, choose a heavy bodied white full of flavour or even go rose or red.
15. FISH NEEDS A RED THAT MIMMICKS A WHITE: if a red is your standard with every meal type, try a more acidic, lighter bodied, lighter coloured red with your fish. Whites go better with fish because white wines contain higher levels of acidity. You have to choose a wine that mimics the whites in acidity.
16. FRIED FOODS DESERVES A FESTIVE FRIEND: with fried foods its sparkling wine. carbonation lifts the heavy oils of deep fried foods. Look to Champagne, Cava, Prosecco, A Brut, or Lambrusco
17. WHEN ITS CHEESE AND WINE, MATCH ACID AND REGION OR CONTRAST FLAVOR: with cheese you want to match acidity levels of the cheese and the wine or the region the cheese and wine are from. Going the complete opposite way with contrast, contrast flavors such as salty with sweet, creamy with bubbly, hard with bold.
18. THE DESSERT WINE MUST RULE THE DESSERT: when it comes to pairing a dessert wine with the dessert the wine must be sweeter than the dessert or it falls flat on its ass. the rule of thumb for chocolate is that the wine must be as sweet as the chocolate is hard.
19. ROSE CAN GO ALL THE WAY: dont forget the rose, a blend of white and red wine that is almost always overlooked. It's uniqueness lays in the fact that it possesses qualities of both white and red wines. Being the best of both worlds it has crisp refreshment and high acidic levels of a chilled white and the bolder fruitiness of the red. It is traditionally served with the first course (the hors d'oeuvres) but can be used with rich cheesy dishes and makes a fine wine for BBQ season due to its qualities.
20. NEVER UPSTAGE THE STAR: expensive, aged, special vintage bottles of wine tend to be delicate, subtle in flavor and should never ever ever be paired with a meal that is even half as extravagant. Keep the food pairing minimal and simple, let the wine shine and be the indisputable center of attention. a failure to adhere to this rule may result in the ruins of a once in a lifetime bottle.
FOr Reference:
Tina Caputo @ winereviewonline.com
Tim Hanni @ Components of Food and WIne Flavor
Cork Hound @ corkhound.com
Wine Folly @ winefolly.com