Wine and Food Pairings: How to Overcome Confusion

Wine and food pairings can be confusing, particularly for those unfamiliar with wines or who are just starting to experiment with different types. Whether you are planning a dinner party and want to have a complimentary wine on hand or you want to impress a business contact while you’re out for dinner, knowing a bit about how to pair wine and food can help you feel more confident. It’s important to remember that wine and food pairings are suggestions and not hard and fast rules.

One tactic that many people use is to consult with a wine and food pairings chart. You can find these at many sites online. The charts give you example of which types of wine will generally go well with particular types of food. In most cases, you’ll find that a type of food or meat can be paired with at least several different wine types.

You can also visit with your local wine merchant and ask for suggestions. You can either start with the wine or the main food and work from there. If you have a favorite type of wine, you may want to use that and get suggestions for recipes or dishes that will compliment the wine. You can also find sites online that allow you to pick a recipe based on a type of wine, which is helpful for many people in deciding.

If you decide to try your hand at pairing on your own, here are a few tips to help you out:

• Balance flavor intensities. For example, if you are serving lighter food, try lighter-bodied wines.
• Consider how the food will be prepared. Poached or steamed items often have a more delicate taste and will go better with lighter-bodied wines. You should also keep in mind the sauce or seasonings that will be used.
• Match your food and wine by geographical region. Wines and foods that come from the same part of the world often pair well together. If you’re serving something French, try a French wine with it.
• Try opposites. Hot Thai foods often do well with sweet dessert wines, for example. This can be a great way to get new interesting taste sensations from both the food and wine.

If you want to worry about food and wine pairing, doing some simple research can help you figure out what to buy or serve. Keep in mind, though, that the pairings really are just suggestions and if you don’t want to go with them, don’t. However, trying to do some interesting pairings can be a fun way to try new foods and wines.