Stage 1
Food & Wine Matching
Most wines are produced with the intention of accompanying food. Traditionally, wine styles developed to complement the cuisine of a region and this is a good starting point for finding a good wine and food pairing.
There is no single rule for matching particular wines with a certain dish but it is true that there are some combinations that work better than others.
Basic considerations:
The basic principles of food and wine matching involve trying to find a balance between the components of both the wine and the food so that neither one overpowers the other.
The main elements to consider are:
Weight/richness
This is the first and most important element to consider.
Rich foods such as hearty red meat casseroles, game or roasted meats need full-bodied wines. Red wines are the usual choice but it is actually more important to consider the body and weight of the wine rather than then colour and full bodied, rich white wines will often match many meat dishes better than a light red wine.
For lighter, white meats and fish, more delicate wines are appropriate. White or red wines will be suitable although reds must be low in tannin and light bodied.
Finally, it is important to consider the weight and style of the sauce that is served with the meat. An example is a rich creamy sauce with chicken that will require a wine which has enough body to complement the smooth and buttery flavours of the sauce.
Flavour intensity
The second element to consider is the intensity of the flavours in both the food and wine and the basic rule is to match the intensity of both so that neither drowns the other out.
Remember also that even if a food or a wine is intensely flavoured, it is not necessarily heavy in weight and vice versa.
The method of cooking also has an effect on the intensity of flavours as methods such as steaming or boiling will lessen the intensity whereas roasting or slow-cooking will increase the flavour intensity.Wines also follow these rules; for example, Riesling often produces a light weight wine with intense flavours but Chardonnay will usually be fuller bodied with less intensity of flavour.
Acidity
Again, the acidity of a food should be matched with a wine with similar levels of acidity, as some flavours in food will make wines taste less acidic.
Foods such as tomatoes, lemons, apples and vinegar are all high in acidity and can be difficult to match with wine as they will often be too overpowering. However, Italian wines often have high acidity as they are traditionally produced to match many of the high acid ingredients, such as tomatoes, which are common in Italian cuisine.
Sweetness
Sweet food is best when served with a wine that has similar levels of sweetness. If a dry wine is consumed with a sweet dish, it will seem too tart and acidic. A good example of this is a sparkling wine for a toast at the end of a meal: a demi-sec or similar style will be far more pleasant on the palate than a brut style which will seem far more acidic and tart after a sweet dessert.
Ideal combinations for puddings are late-harvest and sweet Muscat-based wines.
Oil, salt and tannins
Tannins can produce an unpleasant metallic taste when combined with oily fish so wines with high levels of tannin are best avoided. The combination of highly tannic wines and salty foods is also best avoided as it will cause the wine to taste bitter.
Salty foods and sweet or high acid wines
Salty foods are enhanced by hints of sweetness and this rule can also be applied to wine. Roquefort cheese and sauternes is an example of an excellent combination of this type.
A small amount of acidity will also complement salty foods so foods such as oysters and olives match well with crisp, dry and light bodied white wines.
Another classic match is Fino sherry with olives or salted nuts.
Fatty/oily foods and high acid wines
Wines with good levels of acidity can cut through the rich and oily or fatty character of foods such as pâté. A classic example of this is the combination of Sauternes with Foie Gras. This combination is also a good example of how to match the weight and intensity of flavours as well as how to make a sweet wine work with a savoury dish.
Other good combinations are Barbera or Riesling with fatty meats such as duck or fried food.
Chewy meat and tannins
Tannins in red wines react with protein and foods with high protein will soften the tannin in a wine. For this reason, red meat is an ideal match with a wine produced from highly tannic varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah/Shiraz.
At the other end of the scale, red wines with low levels of tannin such as Valpolicella, will be well matched with lower protein white meats.
Key flavours
Smoked:
These foods need wines which have character and enough strength to stand up to the smokiness. Brut Champagne is a classic match for smoked salmon and smoked meats can match well with wines with a touch of sweetness such as a German Riesling.
Smoky flavours from barbecued food match well with fuller bodied, oaky reds such as Australian Shiraz as the oak will compliment the smokiness.
Spiced:
Spicy foods combine very well with wines made from well-ripened, juicy grapes such as Chilean Merlot or New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.
Another good combination is spicy wines such as Gewurztraminer which compliment the spiciness of the food.
Be careful with dry red wines as hot and spicy foods can reduce the acidity in the wine and make it seem more astringent.
Fruity flavours:
Fruity wines such as Muscat are the ideal match for fruity flavours in food, for example Muscat and melon.