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...

Food and Wine Pairing Part 2

Food and wines that are usually serve together

Fruity, low tannin, lower alcohol-content wines: Spicy, salty, smoky flavors, highly seasoned Foods.

Fruity white or low tannin red wine: Chinese food, sweet and salty or sweet and spicy flavored food.

Chardonnay, Cabernet sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel or Syrah wine: Rich and fatty foods.

Spice wine or a Beaujolais: Mexican and Chilean food.

Sauvignon Blanc – white or light fish and mild cheese.

Chardonnay – grilled chicken, salmon, shellfish, grilled fish and anything with a cream sauce.

Pinot Noir – light meats, chicken, salmon and anything grilled.

Merlot – pasta, red meat, duck, smoked or grilled foods.

Zinfandel – tomato pasta dishes, pizza, pesto, red meats, chicken with heavy sauces.

Cabernet Sauvignon – red meats, especially a juicy barbequed steak, grilled and smoked foods.

Syrah – red meats, spicy pizzas, herbed sauces on red meat and turkey.

Dry Rosé - salads, pasta salads, bbq chicken or fish and light spicy foods.

Don’t Stress about It

Don’t get too stress about food and wine pairing. When it comes down to it, the best pairing you can do for an event is good food, good wine and good guests.

How to Pronounce Wine's name/Wine-related terms Correctly

Even though you don't speak French, you can still score points in a social gathering by pronouncing your wine's name or wine-related terms correctly. For example, most English/non-French speakers pronounce Paris as Pair-is, but the correct pronunciation for Paris is Pa-ree, the "s" is not pronounce and there is a stress on the final syllable. In French pronunciation, stressing the final syllable is very common.
Here is a list of common wine names and terms you may encounter, and this article will help you have a head start on pronouncing them right. Here we go!

1- Chateau: shah-toh
- A specified viticultural holding

2- Anjou: Ahn-j'hoo
- Vineyard area in the Loire Valley

3- Chablis: Shah-blee
- White wine region north of the Cote d'Or

4- Auxey-Duresses: Ohk-zay-Du-ress
- Small red wine commune in Cote du Beaune

5- Bordeaux: Bor-doh
- Major city in the department of Gironde

6- Le: Lai ("ai" as in laid)
- The - masculine in French

7- Les: Leh ("eh" as in lead)
-The - Plural in French

8- Loire: L'war
- Vineyard area along the Loire River

9- Les Preuses: Leh Pruhz
- A Grand Cru in Chablis

10- Barrique: Bah-reek
- Bordeaux wine barrel containing 54 gallons

11- Bourgogne Aligote: Boor-goy'n Ah-lee-go-t
- A lesser wine from the Chablis region

12 - Merlot: Mair-lo
- A red wine grape of Bordeaux

13- Beaujolais: Boh-joh-leh
- Red wine region of Southern Burgundy

14 - Beaune: Bohrn
- The capital of Burgundy

15- Passe-tous-Grains: Pahss-too-Grenh
- A red wine made from both Pinot Noir and Gamay

I hope this article was helpful to you!

Top 10 Of The World's Finest Wines

If you are traveling the world and you have a taste bud for fine wine, I have put together for you a list of the world’s finest wines that you should sample on your trip around the world or if you can afford it, just keep them in your wine cabinette at home!

1- Katogi Averoff Traminer
If your destination is Greece, the best way to start and end your trip is with a bottle of Katogi Averoff Traminer. This 2006 Grecian bottle will make your trip to Greece very pleasurable.

2- The Krug Champagne
Chosen for its complexity and longevity, This 1998 French bottle will bathe your taste buds in the complexity and longevity of French winery.

3- The Domaine de la Romanée Conti “La Tâche” Grand Cru
This 1990 Burgundy bottle stand for all the secrets of Burgundy wines. One sip and you will no that it is no lie.

4- The Aldo Conterno Barolo Riserva “Gran Bussia”
This 1989 bottle comes from the finest vineyards of Piedmont, Italy.

5- Kiedricher Gräfenberg
If you end up in Rheingau, Germany and you looking for a rare and magnificent bottle of wine to complement your desert, then the Kiedricher Gräfenberg will do you just fine. It is one of Germany’s rarest wine, fewer than 50 half-bottles were made!

6- The Muga “Prado Enea” Gran Reserva
This 1994 bottle is from Rioja, Spain. It is your best friend when you have hard to pair dishes!

7- Trimbach Clos Sainte Hune Riesling
If you are at Alsace, France in a fine seafood restaurant, ask for a bottle of the 1996 Trimbach Clos Sainte Hune Riesling to complement your meal. It is the finest seafood wine you will ever taste!

8- Burgundian Pinot Noir
If you want red, the Burgundian Pinot Noir is your finest choice. This 1999 Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru bottle will delight your scenes with a tinge of vanilla, herbs and spices.

9- Blandy’s Verdelho Solera Madeira
If you want old wine, look no further, a bottle of the 1870 Blandy’s Verdelho Solera Madeira is all you need. This Bottle is a century old! It is the finest in the market. If you end up in one of Europe’s upscale sushi restaurants, a bottle of Blandy’s Verdelho Solera Madeira is the best way to wash that sushi down.

10- “Gaston”
Last but not least, if you visiting the US or returning to the US from your trip abroad, a 2002 bottle of Napa Valley’s “Gaston” is the finest wine to include in your welcome/ Welcome Back party to the US.