Wine pairings with food can be confusing if you’re new to the wine-drinking world. Some people don’t believe that you should limit yourself to certain wines with certain foods. However, wine experts will tell you that knowing which wine to pair your food with can bring out the flavors in your dish and take it to another level. Traditionally, white wine should be paired with lighter meats like fish or chicken. Red wine is often served with darker meats like steak. Bubbly is always a good option when celebrating, but can also be a good match with salty foods and fried foods. And finally, you can pair beer with a lot of different foods depending on its heaviness. Pairing your drinks with your meal can help enhance the flavors of your food and take your whole meal up a notch.
Wine Pairings with Food: Tips to Improve Your Experience
White Wine
When looking at wine pairings with food, white wine is typically paired with lighter foods. Green vegetables, fish, and chicken are all great with white wine. This is because of the acids in the white pair well with the flavors of these dishes. The acidity in lemon pairs well with fish. White wine acts similarly to bring out the freshness of a seafood dish.
Red Wine
Red wine and red meat are one of the easiest wine pairings with food to remember. The red wine has tannins that help soften the proteins in the meat, and bring out the flavor in the fat. This can enhance the meat’s overall flavor. When dealing with meat served with a sauce, it’s best to pair the wine with the sauce rather than the meat. So if you’re eating chicken with a heavy bourbon sauce, red wine will suit you better.
Bubbly
While we typically think that sparkling wines are only for celebrations, they can be one of the wine pairings with food that you maybe never knew about. The carbonation in sparkling wines can cut through the saltiness of particularly salty or fried foods, it can help balance out their strong flavor. Many people think that sparkling wine goes great with roasted veggies or seafood.
Beer
What if you prefer beer? There are plenty of helpful tips for pairing beers with certain foods. But the easiest to remember is that they work similarly to wine pairings with food. If you are opting for lighter meats like fish or poultry, pair them with lighter beers. A darker, heavier beer should pair better with red meat or heavier foods. And of course, many feel that stout goes well with chocolate for dessert.
Wine pairings with food are a great way to enhance the flavor of your meals and take your dining up a notch. It’s best to pair a glass of white wine with lighter foods like fish or chicken. A glass of red wine goes best with heavier foods like red meat. If you are a fan of sparkling wine, it goes great with salty foods or roasted veggies. And finally, if you are strictly a beer drinker, you can still pair your beer with appropriate foods. Hopefully, you can find a combination of alcohol and food that brings out the flavor in your meals and elevates them to a new level.
