When Matching food with wine, the first thing you need to do is take into account the following: Acidity: An acidic wine will cut through fat like a hot knife through butter, making a dish seem less rich. An acidic wine can also heighten the flavour of the dish too – just as a squeeze of lemon may do. Talking of lemons, or vinegar or any dish packed with citrus fruits – the accompanying wine must have equal acidity or the wine will taste bland. This usually means you have to have a white wine, as there are not many high acid reds. You could choose a red with little tannins such as a Pinot Noir or Fluerie as tannins clash with acidic foods. Sweetness: A general rule is that the wine must be as sweet as the dish. It can actually be sweeter if you want to. Tannin: There is only one real partner for a tannic wine – meat this smoothes out the tannins perfectly. A gutsy Italian red or a big spicy Shiraz will do the trick. Avoid Cheese and fish with tannic reds. Getting the right food/wine match when eating, can make the difference between a good meal and a great one! Please find some great food/wine examle for your perusal and next time your cooking, think 'does the wine match the food?' Nibbles: The perfect partner for olives and salted nuts is a Fino or Manzanilla Sherry. If you’re not a sherry person then there is not much better than a bit of sparkle to get the juices going ready for the meal ahead. Fish: Fish needs white wine, right? – Wrong! Also, it can’t just be any white wine. What type of fish are you having? Sole and Swordfish are mile apart in terms of flavour. Are you planning to grill it, steam it, poach it or fry it? Are you having a sauce with it? A vinegary caper butter for a skate wing, for example? Char-grill a piece of salmon and a wooded white will do the trick far better than a neutral Pinot Grigio. Apply the weight rule: match the weight of the food and the weight of the wine. Clean, fresh sea food needs a clean, tangy wine: you could choose a manzanilla sherry, with its salty tang. So, we said its not just about white wines with fish. So how about reds? Pan-fried tuna would go well with a Pinot Noir. Salmon and Merlot works really well too. Meat: Like fish, it depends on how you cook it. Roast lamb with just rosemary, your worlds your oyster: Rioja, Bordeaux, Burgundy – almost any red with a bit of weight. But if you coat your meat in Moroccan spices, then you have start thinking. With this type of dish you will require a red that is low on tannins and full of fruit. Try a Californian Zinfandel or a Grenache from the south of France. For anything gamey, think of gamey and earthy flavours such a Pinot Noir or Nebbiolo. Vegetables: Vegetables need tangy whites, such as an Aussie Riesling or a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Again, think on how you are going to cook them. If you plan to roast the veg, then go for something more intensely flavoured and aromatic with good acidity: Alsace Riesling would be perfect. If the vegetables are just served on the side then, the meat will be centre stage, so concentrate on matching that rather than the veg. If they are served with a salad in a zippy dressing then a zippy and zesty wine would be best: A crisp Muscadet sur lie, a Soave or a Pinot Grigio. Desserts: there are only a couple of things to remember here. The first is to drink a wine that is as sweet as or sweeter than the desert or you will lose the flavours of the wine in the sweetness of the pudding. Secondly, forget matching up a wine with anything frozen – ice cream and wine just don’t mix. Cheese: there is one myth that needs blowing out the water: red wine and cheese go together. They mostly don’t. white wine is generally a far better match and the stronger the cheese, the sweeter the wine. Goat’s cheese loses its way completely with a tannic red – its far better with a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley. Ripe Camembert – types need a wine with a bit more oomph – some oak, even. Australian Liqueur Muscat’s are great with blue cheeses too!
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