There are
many articles about pairing wine with meals.
The basic answer is white wine with fish or chicken, red wine with steak
or pasta but there’s more involved. Someone
ask which white wine goes better with fish well it depends on what type of fish
you are having and the flavor style (mild or spicy) as well as your taste
preferences.
Many wines are vinited in a range of styles from light to full texture,
depending on the producer so a heavy oaked Chardonnay may go well with a cream
based pasta but an un-oaked Chardonnay might pair well with a mild fish or
poultry. Since there are many
wines and so many cross over the lines for basic food pairing due the unique
vintages and blending it is nearly impossible to come up with a complete list
that is simple and straight forward.
There are some people that only drink red wine and others that only
drink white and still others that drink both but a limited selection. No matter what your preference is there is
either a red or white wine that you will find compatible with your main course
whatever that may be. So don’t stress,
work within the boundaries of your taste preferences and gradually experiment
to expand your taste palate.
Think of it
this way, the food and wine you’re having needs to compliment each other or
balanced by their flavor, texture and acidity.
Spicy foods
pair best with a sweet or flavorful wine.
Beef dishes
pair well with a bold full-bodied wine. (Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel)
Pasta with
tomato sauce (Acidic) goes well with a wine with higher acidity like Chianti or
Sauvignon Blanc if you prefer white wine.
Pasta with a
creamy white sauce works very well with a Chardonnay. Cream based pasta contains milk so acidic
wine would not be a good match.
If you’re
having a fish dinner with a lemon sauce I would suggest something like Sauvignon
Blanc but with a mild fish dinner Riesling would be a better choice. There are
many varieties of fish, some are mild and flaky and others are more like a
steak (swordfish). When I have
swordfish I like a medium body wine like Pinot Noir, it seems just bold enough
for that texture and taste. Pairing
wines with meals should not be stressful, relax and enjoy the process, try
experimenting you might discover a great combination.
Here’s a no
stress basic wine-pairing list. This is
by no means a comprehensive list and there are some that may dispute some of my
selections but that’s ok.
Steak, Beef Dishes Cabernet
Sauvignon, Shiraz,
& Barbeque Zinfandel, Malbec,
Norton (Missouri), Bold Reds
Poultry Riesling,
Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Noir, Chianti, Merlot, Rioja, Burgundy, Medium
Bodied
Pork Pinot
Noir, Chianti, Merlot, Rioja, Riesling
Fish Semillon,
Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Noir (swordfish)
Shellfish Chablis,
Riesling, Burgundy, Chardonnay
Tomato based
Pasta (red) Chianti,
Sangiovese, Italian wines, Merlot, Zinfandel (red)
Creamy Pasta Chardonnay,
Pinot Grigio, Merlot
Spicy foods Gewurztraminer,
Riesling, Pinot Noir, Rose’
Matching food and wines from the same country work well because they
are produced to enhance the local fare.
Let your server, or the menu guide you to a wine selection. The restaurant wants you to come back so they
don’t want to steer you wrong with a bad wine pairing.
Sometimes the season can lead you to a wine selection. Personally, I drink more white wine in the summer
that red because it’s just more refreshing in the Missouri heat. I love Cabernet Sauvignon but sometimes it’s
just too heavy on a hot summer day.
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