Good food always needs good company. In our country, wine is one of the most favorite drinks that complements meals. You choose the wine based on someone's recommendation, how long it has aged and many other qualities and characteristics.
But the most important thing is to consume it with pleasure. Are there rules about the different types of wine and what wine goes with what food? Of course, but the main rule remains your taste and preferences. Still, there are a few guidelines to follow when you want to enjoy the taste of food and wine to the fullest.
The texture of food versus the texture of wine
To make the perfect combination of flavors is the following example. If your menu consists of fish that is lighter and full-flavored, choose a wine that is white and suits the texture of the fish like Pinot Grigio, for example. When consuming oilier and heavier fish such as salmon, choose a richer and denser white wine such as Chardonnay.
Balance of food and wine intensity
When your dishes are more aromatic and include meats like chicken and turkey, choose white and red wines like Sauvignon Blanc and Beaujolais. When there is a blueberry or other fruit sauce with the meats, combine with a white wine such as Gewürztraminer or red Syrah wine.
Balance the intensity of aromas in food and wine
There are five basic tastes which are sweet, sour, s alty, bitter and umami. Each food additive, such as sweetness, s altiness, sourness, changes the taste of food in a different way.
Salinity
The s altiness accentuates the bitterness and hides the tannins. Sweet dessert wines go well with savory foods. Fruity red wines are also suitable for s alty foods.
Sour
Strongly acidic foods are not particularly suitable for a combination with wine, because they would rather harm its good taste. Acidic food hides the bitterness and tannins of the wine and makes it taste sweeter. If you still want to pair acidic foods with wine, choose one that is lower in acidity.
Bitter
Bitter foods such as olives and chicory dominate in taste over all other tastes. Bitterness hides the wine's acidity and tannins. Young red wines are a great match for bitter foods, vegetables and herbs.
Sweetness
Pair a wine that is not overly sweet with sweet-tasting food, as sweet food will reduce the aromas and flavors of the wine. If you consume chocolate, combine it with Muscat wine.
Umami
This is a flavor reminiscent of roast meat, miso soup, mushrooms and more. It removes the tannins and emphasizes the sweetness of the sipped wine. Combine such foods with wines with a high tannin content.
With beef and lamb choose a full-bodied red wine such as Shiraz or Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot.
For chicken choose Chardonnay.
For oysters a suitable wine is a sparkling wine like Sauvignon Blanc. For fish and seafood – Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc.
For ducks and other wild birds choose wine like Pinot Noir and Shiraz.
For cheeses – full-bodied wines go well with hard cheeses. Soft cheeses go well with dry Riesling, Marsan wine. Blue cheese loves sweet wines.
For desserts choose sweet wines when the dessert is not too sweet.
