1. What should you think about when matching wine with food?
2. Is there a list of food and wine matches that are safe bets?
3. What sort of wines go with what sort of foods?
4. What sort of wines should I serve with fish?
5. What sort of wines should I serve with meat?
6. What sort of wines should I serve with cheese?
7. What sort of wines should I serve with dessert?
8. What sort of foods should I be wary of when serving wine?
Here are some simple things to bear in mind, (remember it is easier to think of wine as a sauce);
A) Firstly assess the weight and strength of the flavour of the food. Choose a wine that is similar in character.
Four Main Types of Foods:
Lightweight Dishes with Intense Flavours
(eg Thai):
Choose a wine that is light in body but has powerful flavours
(eg Sauvignon Blanc)
Rich dishes with Intense Flavours
(eg Lamb Casserole):
Choose a wine that is full-bodied with lots of flavour
(eg Australian Shiraz)
Lightweight dishes with Delicate Flavours
(eg Oysters):
Choose a wine that is light in body with subtle flavours
(eg Chablis)
Rich dishes with Delicate Flavours
(eg Pheasant):
Choose a wine that is full-bodied but mature
(eg Mature Burgundy)
B) Sometimes a dish has dominant flavours (sweetness, acidity etc) that need addressing. You can either complement or contrast these flavours with the wine you choose.
Acidity:
Choose a wine with equal acidity levels
Sweetness:
Choose a wine with equals or more pronounced levels of sweetness
Salt:
The classic combination is contrasting salt with sweetness,
eg Port and Stilton
| Strawberries and Cream | Sweet Vouvray |
| Melon and Parma Ham | Pinot Grigio |
| Roast Pork | Zinfandel |
| Saucisson | Beaujolais |
| Pigeon | Chianti Classico |
| Fresh Salmon | Chinon or Beaujolais |
| Roast Goose | Riesling Spatlese |
| Christmas Pudding | Muscat Beaumes de Venise |
| Goats Cheese | Sancerre, Pouilly Fumé, Menetou Salon |
| Swordfish | Portugese reds |
| Roast Lamb | Red Bordeaux |
| Roast Duck | Rioja |
| Scallops | Alsace Pinot Gris |
| Lobster | White Rhône |
| Oysters | White Bordeaux |
| Smoked Salmon | Riesling Kabinett, White Burgundy |
Whites;
Fresh and Dry
Examples; Côtes de Gascogne, young Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon, unoaked Chablis, Sancerre, Muscadet
Ideal with; salads, grilled fish, chicken, seafood pasta, oysters (Chablis), seafood
(Muscadet), delicate fish, goat's cheese, prawns
Rich and Full-bodied
Examples; New World Chardonnays, Fine Burgundy, White Rioja, White Rhône, Pessac Leognan
Ideal with; fish such as turbot and lobster (New World Chardonnays), oily fish (mackerel, sardines), smoked salmon, poultry particularly in sauces, pork and veal, creamy pasta, crab, lobster, prawns, scallops
Aromatic and Medium Dry
Examples; Riesling, Muscat, Viognier, Gewurztraminer, Tokay Pinot Gris, Vouvray
Ideal with; Spicy Eastern Flavours, Foie Gras (Tokay Pinot Gris), soft cheeses
Reds;
Light and Fruity
Examples; Beaujolais, New World Pinot Noir, Valpolicello, Dolcetto, Gamay, basic Burgundy, Loire reds
Ideal with; summer picnics and barbecues, pasta, pizza, fish, cold meats, ham, salami, patés
Smooth and medium-bodied
Examples; Rioja, Bordeaux, Merlot, Shiraz blends, Burgundy, Zinfandel, Chianti, Côtes du Rhone, Crozes Hermitage
Ideal with; Mild flavoured game (pheasant, boar, rabbit, quail, duck), Camembert (Pinot Noir), pork, veal, poultry, red meats, meaty pasta, meat casseroles
Full-bodied
Examples; Châteauneuf-du-Pape, New World Shiraz, New World Cabernet Sauvignon, Côte Rôtie, Barolo
Ideal with; stronger flavoured game (hare, venison, pigeon) red meats such as beef and lamb, hard cheeses
Sweet
Examples; Muscat Beaumes de Venise, Tokaji, New World late-picked Semillon, Coteaux du Layon, Sauternes, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, Eiswein, Muscat/Moscato/Moscatel, Vendange Tardive (late picked) Gewurztraminer
Ideal with; desserts, foie gras, blue cheese
Oysters, Mussels, Prawns;
Crisp lively whites (Chablis, Muscadet, Picpoul de Pinet)
Shellfish (crab, lobster, scallops, mussels);
Richer wines such as Chardonnay, dry Riesling, Viognier
White Fish;
Light soft reds (Gamay, Loire reds)
Salmon or Tuna;
White Burgundy, Pinot Noir, Merlot
Oily Fish (mackerel, herring);
Wines with good levels of acidity to cut through (Muscadet, Sauvignon, Aligoté)
Smoked Fish (salmon trout);
Aromatic, medium dry (Riesling Kabinett, Tokay Pinot Gris) and Chablis
Cold Meats;
Light fruity whites (Côtes de Gascogne, young Chenin Blanc)
soft reds (Beaujolais, Loire reds)
Roast Chicken, Turkey;
Whites (white Rioja, Bordeaux, Pinot Grigio) or reds (Burgundy, Côtes du Rhône)
Duck & Goose;
The rich and fatty flavours need big wines (new World Pinot Noir, top Burgundy, St Emilion, Italian reds, Barbera)
Strong Game (hare, venison, wildfowl, pigeon);
Demand the biggest red wines (Barolo, Hermitage, Amarone, New World Syrah, top Burgundy)
Milder Flavoured Game (pheasant, boar, rabbit, quail);
Older vintages of Barolo, Bordeaux, Rioja, Burgundy, Aussie Shiraz and Californian Pinot Noir
Pork and Veal;
Like chicken, as well-suited to white wines (French and New World Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Alsace Pinot Blanc) as red (French and New World Pinot Noir, Côtes du Rhône, Languedoc Roussillon) wines. Choose soft and fruity examples of both.
Hard Cheeses (Cheddar, Beaufort Vieux Comté, mature Gouda, Brebis cheeses);
Best with fullbodied reds
Soft Cheeses (Brie, Camembert);
trickiest to match due to their gluey mouth coating texture. Choose a mature mellow red like a soft fruity Merlot (St Emilion or New World) or Pinot Noir
Pungent cheeses (Munster, Pont l'Eveque);
Aromatic medium dry such as Gewurztraminer
Blue Cheese (Bleu de Bresse, Roquefort);
Work well with sweet wines eg Sauternes or Muscat
Goat's Cheese;
Wines with high acidity eg Sancerre, Pouilly Fumé
Fruit-based Desserts;
Fresh fruity honeyed flavours with good levels of acidity (Muscat Beaumes de Venise, young Sauternes, German, Loire, Tokay Pinot Gris, Coteaux du Layon)
Toffee/Treacle Based;
Sweet caramel and toffee flavours (Tokaji, Orange Muscat, Trockenbeerenauslese)
Chocolate Based;
Need to be very sweet and powerful (New World Semillon, Banyuls, Tokaji, Tawny Port, Bual Madeira)
Ice Cream/Sorbets;
PX Sherry, Muscat, malmsey Madeira, Demi Sec Champagne
There are some foods that do not bring out the best in wine making it taste thin and metallic. Here is a list of wine
unfriendly foods:
Artichokes
Asparagus
Capers
Cheese
Chocolate
Chilli
Eggs
Fennel
Horseradish
Lemon/Lime
Oily Fish (mackerel, herring, kippers)
Olives
Spinach
Tomatoes
Truffles
Vinaigrette
Yoghurt
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© BB&R Limited, 2006 |