Despite the fact that wine is one of the most popular food or drink items on the planet, many of us actually fall short of enjoying it to its fullest. Of course, wine can be enjoyed in many different ways – on its own, with a meal, sampled at a tasting, etc. But to truly get the most out of a great bottle of wine, it’s necessary to understand the flavours involved and to pair them appropriately with an accompanying food dish.
Learning expert wine pairing can take years of practice, sampling and studying. However, there are some basic rules and concepts that can serve as a strong foundation if you’d like to begin pairing your wine and food more effectively. So before your next trip to M&S for a few bottles of wine, take the following pairing tips into account.
Don’t Overpower
The most important single consideration when pairing wine and food is not to let one overpower the other. A food dish with a robust flavour will dominate a more delicate wine, and the same is true in reverse. Not only do these kinds of unbalanced pairings fail to maximize the potential of a meal, but they can also completely ruin your enjoyment of the wine or food – whichever is overpowered.
Judge Wine By Body
Often, people assume that colour is an important factor in pairing wine and food. For example, one might assume that red wine with red meat and white wine with fish are always proper choices. And, in many cases, this is indeed the way it turns out. However, a more appropriate way to judge wine is to consider its “body” rather than colour. The body of a wine is essentially how rich or heavy the wine tastes. Again, often darker wine is more full-bodied. However, as TLC notes, there are exceptions – for example, a Beaujolais is a popular red wine with a relatively light body, and can pair well with more delicate meals such as fish dishes. Additionally, pinot noir – another popular red – is considered one of the most versatile types of wine available due to its medium body, and can pair well with a variety of dishes both light and heavy.
Determine The Dominant Food Flavour
Sometimes, too much attention is paid to the meat or side dishes included in the food, instead of its actual flavour. What’s most important, however, is determining what the dominant flavour will be. Sometimes a combination of sauces and spices, for example, can alter the complexion of a dish. In the end, the most important thing is to match similar, dominant flavours. For instance, a chicken dish wit ha lemon sauce may call for a more acidic wine to match the citrus flavours.
