Facts and Fallacies on Wine Pairing
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No More Food and Wine Color-Coding
Food and wine pairings are no longer limited to color-coding. Nowadays, certain white wines like some Chardonnay are more full-bodied than many Pinot Noirs from California
The tradition of pairing wines goes well beyond color-coding. Pairing wines is a matter of employing your senses, palette and basic understanding of wine. Nevertheless, there are three ways to pair food with wine:
| Off-white Wine Fallacies
Sweet or off-dry wines do NOT complement food.
Although, certain people may scoff at the idea of drinking a sweet or off-dry wine with dinner, consider how may people drink sugary carbonated beverages or iced tea with a meal. On the contrary, off-dry wines can balance food; as long as the wine has enough natural acidity, the food pairing works. |
Traditional
Traditionally, wines are color-coded but not limited to the following pairings.
- White wine with fish and white meats (poultry, pork).
- Red wine with red meats.
Mirror
- Use the body and/texture of the main entrée’s characteristics to match a similar bodied wine. Since a heartier meal can overpower a lighter wine, rich foods are better suited with full-bodied wines.
- For example, a Pinot Noir is the perfect match for Veal Marsala. An oaky Chardonnay complements a Coq Au Vin or a poultry entrée.
Difficult Pairings
- Fruity wines give balance to sweet foods.
- Contrasting flavors creates harmony with the wine and main course.
- Cool down spicy and salty meals with refreshingly light wines or even champagnes.
Food Pairing Tactics for Uncorking Better Tips
- More than 70 percent of your customers want food and wine suggestions
- As condiments and sauces may substantially change the dominant characteristics of a food, keep this in mind when making wine glass suggestions
- Try to make wine and food suggestions based on equivalently bodied entrees and main courses.
- Since the “customer is always right” A-L-W-A-Y-S make the customer feel comfortable about their food and wine pairings (regardless of how unusual it maybe).
- Extend professional service by following up with the patron to determine whether they like the match. Keep the feedback in mind for future food and wine pairing suggestions and sales.
Remember that many reds and white wines have many flavors in common:
- Spicy
- Buttery
- Earthy
- Leathery
- Floral
However, they both have their own distinctive fruit flavors that rarely show up in the other:
Red Wine White Wine
Currant Apple
Cherry Citrus flavors
Stone Fruit of red grapes Pear
Wine-and-food suggestions are made easy when you focus on the size and weight. For an understanding of the hierarchy of the size and weight of wine, review the spectrum of grape varietals – with the lightest at the top of the list and the fullest bodied wines at the bottom:
Dry – off-dry white wines (Lightest to weightiest):
- Soave, Orvieto, Pinot Grigio
- Off-dry Riesling
- Dry Riesling
- Muscadet
- Champagne and other dry sparkling wines
- Chenin Blanc
- Unoaked Chardonnays and French Chablis
- Sauvignon Blanc
- White Bordeaux
- White Burgundy
- Pinot Gris (Alsace, Tokay)
- Gewürztraminer
- Chardonnay (United States, Australia) Barrel-fermented or barrel-aged
Red wines (lightest to weightiest):
- Valpolicella
- Beaujolais
- Dolcetto
- Rioja ( in some instances)
- California Pinot Noir
- Burgundy
- Barbera
- Chianti’s/Bruncilo’s
- Barbaresco
- Barolo
- Bordeaux
- Merlot (United States)
- Zinfandel
- Cabernet Sauvignon (United States, Australia)
- Rhône, Syrah, Shiraz
