From the dining table to the wine glass, wine and food pairing is a subject that is both exquisite and artistic. Here’s a professional guide to help you pair your food and wine better:
1. Basic principles
Compatible tastes: The tastes of wine and food should be coordinated with each other to avoid excessive conflict. For example, light food goes well with light wine, and rich food goes well with rich wine.
Complementary flavors: The flavor of the wine should complement the flavor of the food to achieve the best taste. For example, wines with higher acidity can neutralize oiliness and make meat more flavorful.
Ingredients and wine body: Generally speaking, red wine is suitable for pairing with red meat because of its rich fruity aroma and mellow taste; while white wine is more suitable for pairing with white meat or seafood because of its light taste and moderate acidity.
2. Specific matching suggestions
Appetizers and Sparkling Wine/Champagne: Appetizers are often refreshing and go well with sparkling wine or champagne to whet your appetite.
Salad and white wine: The freshness of the vegetables in the salad complements the light taste of the white wine.
Seafood and rosé/white wine: The meat of seafood is delicate, so pairing it with rosé or white wine can remove the fishy smell and add flavor.
Meat and red wine: The tannins and fruity aroma of red wine can relieve greasiness and add flavor, making it especially suitable for pairing with red meat.
Desserts and dessert wines: Desserts usually taste sweet, so pairing them with dessert wine can balance the taste and add flavor.
3. Combination skills of special ingredients
Dishes with thick oily red sauce: For such rich and greasy dishes, you can choose red wine with rich flavor and high tannin content to match it to reduce the greasiness and add flavor.
Barbeque ingredients: Barbeque ingredients usually have a smoky and spicy flavor, so they are suitable to be paired with spicy red wine or rich white wine to achieve a balanced taste.
Spicy Dishes: For spicy dishes, sweet wine is a good choice because the sweetness can relieve the spiciness, while the acidity of the wine can also relieve the greasiness.
4. Pairing Principles of Liquor
Strong-flavor liquor: suitable for pairing with dishes that are rich in oil and water, such as braised prawns, shredded pork in Beijing sauce, etc.
Maotai-flavor liquor: suitable for pairing with delicious dishes, such as West Lake vinegar fish, boiled cabbage, etc.
Light-flavored white wine: Suitable for dishes with light flavor and refreshing taste, such as vegetable salad, dried shrimps and cabbage, etc.
5. Things to note
Avoid drinking tea and coffee together: Liquor cannot be drank together with tea and coffee to avoid stimulating blood vessel dilation and increasing the burden on the cardiovascular and heart.
Control the amount of alcohol you drink: Whether it is red wine or white wine, you should drink it in moderation to avoid excessive damage to your health.
Respect personal tastes: Although there are certain matching principles, everyone’s taste is unique, so when pairing wine and food, personal preferences and choices should also be respected.
To sum up, wine and food matching is both a science and an art. By mastering the basic principles, specific pairing suggestions, and techniques for pairing special ingredients, you can better enjoy the delightful experience of food and wine.
