Everyone hears about pairing wine and food but with so many varieties of wine and the wide range of flavors and cuisines, it can seem daunting and overwhelming. Why bother even doing it at all? Wine pairing may not be for everyone, but for wine lovers and foodies, the right combination of wine and food can elevate the dining experience and heighten the enjoyment of the whole meal.
Where to Start
There are a few things to remember when pairing wine.
First, the wine and the dish should balance each other out. Neither one should overwhelm the other. A bold, heavy red would overwhelm a simple salad with a light vinaigrette dressing.
Second, match the wine to the most prominent element of the dish. You often hear about pairing wine and protein, but if the most prominent flavor is the sauce or seasoning rather than the main protein, pair to the sauce instead. White wine would pair better with chicken served in a lemony sauce over chicken served in a creamy mushroom gravy.
Lastly, start with what you already know and like! Pairing wine and food won’t magically change your palate and even the most perfect pairing probably won’t make you like a wine if you didn’t before. Feel free to experiment – there are no hard rules! These are just guidelines to aid you along your wine pairing journey.
The Key Elements of Wine
There are five key elements to consider when discussing wine: acidity, body, tannins, sweetness, and alcohol content.
Acidity refers to how tart and crisp a wine tastes – similar to lemons or other citrus fruits. Acidic wines can pair well with fresh salads or serve to balance out rich or fatty foods.
The body of the wine refers to its weight or richness on the palate. You want to match the weight of the wine with the weight of the food. Remember, a heavy, bold red can easily overwhelm more delicate flavors.
Tannins are chemical compounds found in the skins, seeds, and stems of grapes and are also incorporated into wine during the barrel aging process. They are responsible for the dry feeling left in your mouth when you sip wine. Wines high in tannins are often paired with rich proteins. Tannins bind to and break down proteins and fats in food and in turn, the proteins and fats can smooth out a wine’s bitterness.
Residual sugar and how sweet a wine is perceived is another important consideration. A wine can range in sweetness from dry to off-dry to semi-sweet to sweet. Sweet wines help to balance out spicy or salty dishes – cooling the palate and highlighting flavors – and pair well with desserts. A good rule of thumb is that the wine should always be sweeter than the food.
Wine can range in alcohol content from 5.5% ABV to 20%, however most wines average between 11% and 15%. (Most wines here at Zorvino range in ABV from 11-14% and the desert style wines at 18%.) The alcohol content on a wine also has an effect on the mouthfeel. Wines higher in alcohol content are associated with a warming feeling in the back of the throat. These wines pair well with bold and flavorful foods, think a hearty beef stew.
Wine Pairing Methods
There are two methods for pairing wine: congruent (ex. sweet & sweet) or complementary (ex. sweet & salty). Congruent pairings allow similar flavors to amplify each other and create balance – for example, pairing mac & cheese with a rich and buttery Chardonnay. In complementary pairings, however, one flavor cuts through and balances out the other to create middle ground – for example, pairing mac & cheese with a light and crisp Pinot Grigio.
Let’s Recap
We’ve already discussed some of these principles above but to summarize:
Match the weight of the wine to the weight of the food. You often hear about pairing white wines with fish and red wines with meat. This doesn’t always have to be the case but at its core, it’s about matching weights. A light white wine with its light texture and bright flavors, pairs well with fish and white meats. A full bodied, darker red works well with flavorful red meats.
Balance the flavors. Like doesn’t always need to pair to like. Use a crisp white wine to cut through the richness of creamy dishes or pair a sweet wine with spicy dishes to calm the heat and enhance the complex flavors. Likewise, pairing an ethnic cuisine with wine from the same part of the world is never a bad idea i.e. an Italian varietal wine with an Italian dish.
Match intensity. You don’t want to over or underwhelm any part of the meal. For instance, a light white wine would get lost and be unable to stand up to the bold flavors of a marinated steak.
Common Pairings
- Red meat
- Steak – full bodied red with ample tannins & acidity
- Pork – medium bodied reds or full bodied whites
- Chicken – very versatile and depends on the dish & how it’s cooked
- Seafood
- Light fish (cod, tilapia) – bright & citrusy whites
- Rich fish (salmon, tuna) – whites with some body to hold up to richness
- Salads – light & crisp whites and rosés
- Grilled & roasted veggies – medium bodied reds or oaked whites
Tips
- Don’t be afraid to taste test and experiment, remember this is your meal!
- Keep it simple – if it sounds like it’ll pair well together, it probably will.
- “Grows together, goes together” – regional dishes will pair well with regional wines. Regional flavor profiles of both wine and food and have developed together over decades and centuries. Pairing them is usually a safe bet.
- Consider the occasion and the vibe. A casual beach picnic probably isn’t the place for a robust red just as a sophisticated dinner party might not be the place for a sweet fruit wine.
- Have fun and enjoy!
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