We have all been in a situation of picking out wine at one time or another. We’re sitting in a nice restaurant, overwhelmed at the wine list trying to figure out which wine should go with our meal. But you may not be that familiar with particular wines that are on the list or even worse; you have little knowledge of anything to do with wine!
It could be worse – you could be on a date when this happens to you (you were?! Sorry.) Well, keep reading; this article could save you a good deal of awkwardness next time you’re in charge of ordering the wine.
If you’re the experimental type, we recommend joining a wine of the month club so you can experimenting with wine pairings from the comfort of your own home.
Many know the old thing of having the red wine with meats such as beef or sauces that are red, or have white wine with fish, white meats and sauces. There is a bit of truth in this statement, but that is not all to know when it comes to choosing the wine to go with foods.
There are certain red wines that are great to serve with seafood, one of them is Cote Du Rhone, that is made from Syrah, Mourvedre and Grenache grapes and gives you a pleasantly smoky, mineral flavor that compliments more than one type of fish dish just as good as the Sauvignon Blanc does. Also the wines made from Gamay grapes go well with seafood, duck and even turkey dishes.
Then you have the whites that can go with even the heavy tomato sauce dishes. One of these happens to be the Sauvignon Blanc (which is good in the sauce if you don’t happen to want to drink it with it! Remember this for when you fix it at home next time). This particular wine happens to go with so many foods, remember cream and lemon at this point. It goes beautifully with the cream sauces that are a bit heavy. Then anything that is served with lemon on it as in salads, poultry, and seafood goes with this particular wine.
One of the rules of pairing wines with foods is to consider the flavors in the food itself. Suppose that you’ll be having barbecue (wine with barbecue? Really?). You want a red here, one which has both enough acidity and/or enough body to not be drowned out by the strong flavors of the sauce. A cabernet is just a little too soft for this, although it is certainly done. A better choice, however would be something more assertive such as an Italian Barbera (with its relatively high acidity) or a Valpolicella (which has the body to stand up to any BBQ). Another good and popular choice for this meal would be a red Zinfandel, which has pepper and black cherry flavors which are excellent paired with grilled meats.
What about the white wines? We will use grill foods again since they are big right now in the restaurants (and the fact that spring is near). Use the Semillon or the Pinot Grigio for the grilled salads, fruits (especially melons), and vegetables. These wines can also be served with a wide range of cheeses from the mild Havarti and Gouda to the stronger blue varieties.
There’s a lot more to know about pairing wines with food, but this article should help you get started exploring on your own – remember, if you like a particular pairing, then it’s a good one. And with a research project this delicious, you won’t mind testing out different things. An easy way to start testing out new wines – two words – wine clubs! Bon appétit!
