Let’s talk about wine and food pairing and combining wine with food.
Poultry likes white wines – but what kind of wines? And what kind of poultry – grilled chicken breast, duck in oranges, guinea fowl? Exactly… It’s all a bit more complicated… There is no ready-made recipe for the perfect food and wine pairing, everything is a matter of final seasoning, serving, and the taste of the consumer. However, knowing some rules, we can limit the scope of the search to a minimum and find the perfect combination faster. So, let’s get to work!
1. Geographical similarity, it means, food and wine from the same region. This is an old rule, one of the most romantic, but also the most unpredictable. It assumes that historically local wine accompanied food made from local products, so the marriage of these flavors should create harmony. It is difficult to consider this method universal, but there are regions where it works perfectly: like wine Syrah with Beef Chianina sliced steak, Red of Montepulciano with the famous Tuscan style livers or a bottle of Sangiovese with red pizza!
2. Balance, both wine and food have their strengths and weaknesses. Distinct features, as well as hidden ones. By choosing them properly, we can help both play in our mouths like a harmonious orchestra. You should look at both the heaviness of the wine and the dish, as well as their leading flavors, and match them accordingly (light salad with delicate Pinot Grigio or Fiorentina steak with Brunello. The acidity of a dish affects the acidity of the wine and vice versa. Salty dishes accentuate tannins – watch out for wines with a high level of tannins. Salt, on the other hand, likes acidity or a bit of sweetness in wine. Also watch out for spicy dishes and wines with a high level of alcohol – it can make the dish spicier twice! Among the red wines that best lend themselves to being combined with spicy dishes are Merlot for its softness and Sangiovese for its astringency.
3. How about contrast? A slightly more adventurous, but interesting and often rewarding method is to combine wine and food based on contrast. The most famous examples of such a combination are very sweet wines, for example Vin Santo with Gorgonzola cheese.
We already know something; we can start testing specific combinations. Let’s start with the most popular ones:
Which wine goes with fish?
We associate fish and seafood with white, and rightly so, in most cases it is white wine that will go best with them. Delicate fish, pan-fried shrimps sprinkled with lemon will go well with fresh, fruity wine with clearly marked acidity, for example Lugana del Garda DOCG. For more specific fish dishes, when sauces appear (e.g. cream), it is worth choosing wine with a slight accent of barrel maturation. We tend to avoid red, only if you have a unique “meaty” fish on your plate, such as tuna, you can try a light red with a low level of tannins or rose wine.
Which wine goes with meat?
Red wine and beef steak are one of the most famous culinary combinations, and in fact, this combination is successful. Animal fats and proteins are linked to the tannins of wine, smoothing them and balancing the composition in our mouths. Therefore, if you have a specific piece of red meat on your plate, choose a well-structured, red, tannic wine (the heavier the dish, the more substantial the wine can be). The classics in this case are certainly wines based on Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Pork and veal, depending on the toppings and the method of preparation, can go well with both red and white wine.
Which wine goes with chicken?
Chicken usually goes well with white, but, as it happens with chicken, the main role is often played by additives. So, if you are serving a fresh, delicate dish (chicken salad) in general, let’s also match it with a mild white wine. A more solidly composed dish, for example chicken alla cacciatora (with olives and tomatoes) may go well with Chianti.
Which wine goes with duck?
Classically prepared, roasted duck, served with e.g. red fruit sauce, goes perfectly with not too heavy red wines, for example Pinot Noir.
Which wine match with pizza?
This is a very common question heard by sommeliers. The matter should be simple, after all, pizza is such a popular dish. But it’s not so obvious! Further ingredients, from the sauce to all the toppings, are limited only by our imagination. A classic, mentioned earlier, is Tuscan Sangiovese combined with a traditional pizza with tomato sauce and Italian ham. For classic pizzas, red, light wines with marked acidity will work well (if the tomato sauce also has it).
What wine to wear with desserts?
Someone might think that having a sweet cake on your plate, sweet wine with it would be an exaggeration and nausea… Nothing could be further from the truth! The combination sweet – sweet in this case does not equal ultra-sweet, but one sweet eliminates and soothes the other, creating a beautiful harmony in our mouths. So, let’s choose wines that are sweet, and what kind of wines? Red desserts go with chocolate desserts – an interesting combination is, for example, Porto Ruby. Chocolate desserts that are not overly sweet are also accompanied by delicately sweet Amarone della Valpolicella. Light fruit desserts (e.g. salads) will go well with prosecco.
Food and wine pairing is a great adventure, allowing you to discover new flavors, combinations and multiply the pleasure of our meal. It is worth remembering a few rules but remember one iron rule of pairing wine with food – it is your plate, your glass, your taste. Don’t be afraid to experiment, break the rules, look for your perfect set – it’s exciting fun, making your heartbeat faster every time we test the combination.
ENJOY YOUR MEAL!