Key Rules for Perfect Pairing – Food and Wine
Winter, spring, summer, who cares what season it is? You still love to drink wine when you serve your meals, and no one can take this passion from you.
The truth is that there is nothing better than paring a glass of wine to a delicious meal. But, many people have no idea what wine they should pair to their meals, and there are not few the cases when they are disappointed by their choice.
But you should not forget that you live in a world where the Internet offers all the information you need. You can decide for yourself how to pair the wine and meals, but you can also check some guidelines. Yes, it is more enjoyable to experiment and test different combinations, but if you want to avoid the times when you are not satisfied with the association, you should at least check the following tips.
You should try to find a balance between meals and wine characteristics
When it comes to wine and food they have to either contrast or complement, but you should make sure that they do not overpower. In order to enjoy your meals, you have to try to make them contrast or complement each other, because if you do not pick them carefully the result may be disastrous, and you will not like to feel that taste in your mouth.
The key is to choose them in such a way to not distract the taste of the other. You can enjoy the pairing only if you feel both of them.
What characteristics are important when pairing wine and food?
Before deciding the components of a pairing you have to make sure that you know their characteristics. When it comes to the beverage you will have to check the fruit, alcohol level, acidity, tannin, and sweetness.
For food, it is important to focus on sweetness, fattiness, saltiness, bitterness and acidity. And if you want to pair them with a pro, you should also pay attention to their texture, weight and richness.
For example, if you serve heavy fish then you should pair it with Carnivor Cabernet Sauvignon. If the dish is heavy then you should have a heavy wine, and if the meal is light then the wine has to be light too.
Tips to pair wine to your food
If you prefer dairy products and meat, then you should associate them with a wine that can balance their fat with tannin or acid. Or you can match their richness with the alcohol levels from the wine.
If you serve an acid meal then it will be difficult to find a wine to serve, because in the majority of cases the acidity of the food overpowers the beverage flavor. But you can try a red wine because acidity makes bitterness and tannin disappear.
If you like salty meals, then you should not consume high alcohol wines, because you will feel them bitterer than they actually are. You can opt for a sweet wine because it will complement the food.
If you are eating dessert then you should have a wine with a higher level of alcohol, because they will balance perfectly.