Wine Education Wednesdays: Pairing Food and Wine
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! To celebrate, todays post will be all about pairing food and wine – arguably the greatest lovers of all time. A match made in heaven.
Just as food can influence the taste of your wine, wine can also influence the taste of your food, and knowing exactly which wine to pair with your food is why sommeliers go through years and years of training. It’s a topic that is tricky to get your head around, so we will keep things simple with the basic rules:
SWEETNESS in your food will make your wine taste more bitter and acidic – make sure the wine you’re serving alongside sweet dishes is sweeter than the food.
UMAMI flavours in your food (think dried porcini mushroom vibe) will also make your wine taste more bitter, acidic, and alcoholic – make sure the wine you are serving has plenty of concentrated fruit and consider adding salt and acid to your dish to help balance the umami-ness.
CHILLI heat in your food can be tricky, enhancing the perception of alcohol – surely you can recall trying to eat a spicy meal with a high alcohol wine. Really burns the old throat. Try pairing spicy food with lower alcohol white wines with a bit of sweetness to help balance the dish. Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer are great options here.
SALT and ACID are very wine-friendly components to have in your food and will enhance the fruity flavours in your wine whilst softening any bitterness and acidity.
