13.4.08

Food and Wine Pairing Part 1




Food and Wine Pairing is not really a difficult task. When it comes down to it, food and wine pairing is about synergy/balance: they should be in harmony, one shouldn't overpower the other. Use your sense of taste or smell to find similarity or contrast in the flavors, aromas, intensity or basic taste of the food and the wine. Don't be afraid, you don't have to be an experienced chef, just trust your senses to make the best match.

Here are few basic guidelines to keep in mind when pairing food and wine.

Match Quality with Quality
If you having a grand banquet with multiple well prepared dishes, make sure not to serve them with low key wines.

Don't match strong with delicate
Pairing a high-alcohol or strong smelled wine with a light, delicate dish is not a good idea. Pair light wines with lighter foods; bolder and fuller wines with heartier and fattier dishes.

Opposites Attract
In food and wine pairing the more extreme the better, opposite attracts. Sweet wine goes with sour or acidic food. Complex older wines deserve simple foods not heavy sauces.

Some things are better when left unchanged
There are many foods and wines that go well together but there are certain foods and wines that are made for each other and don't do well apart. Such foods are: Charcuterie with Beaujolais Cru; oysters and Chablis; roast lamb and Bordeaux, goat's cheese with Sancerre; caviar with Champagne ect. When serving, make sure to keep them together.

Cont. Part 2...