Pair Food and Wine the Right Way - Examples
Pair food and wine is not easy task. Let's
face it: the selection of a wine to go with dinner is often limited to what
wine happens to be in the house that evening. Still, a consensus has developed
over the years that the taste of many of the foods we eat is enhanced when the
food is matched with certain wines.
Since the pairing of food and wine is a subject that seems to be a source of
anxiety for many people, we have tried to lay out some general thoughts on the
subject. We have also listed a number of common dishes with wine suggestions
(many of which we have in stock).
 |
| Picture Credits - www.adamswineguide.com |
Examples of pairing food and wine
In general, the weight and intensity of the food should match, or complement, the weight and intensity of the wine you have selected. That's essential when trying to pair food and wine correctly.
Example 1:
A grilled New York strip steak is a heavy dish with a lot of flavor. A dish of this type needs to be paired with a full bodied, flavorful wine like a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, or a red wine from France's Rhone River region, such as a Gigondas from the south or a Cotie Rotie from the north.
Example 2:
Broiled filet of sole served with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice is a very light dish that would be blown away by the wines described above. A dish of this nature needs to be paired with a lighter, more delicate wine like a Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Vouvray, or Pinot Grigio.
Relatively fatty dishes, fried foods, or dishes with cream sauces, can benefit by being paired with wines with a relatively high acidity that can cut through the fat and cleanse the palate. In this case, the wine acts more as a contrast to the food, rather than as a match.
Example 1:
Fish served with a rich cream sauce can be paired nicely with a dry Alsatian Riesling or with a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand or France's Loire River Valley.
Example 2:
Grilled sausages go really well with red wines such as Chianti or Beaujolais, that are relatively acidic.
Foods that are acidic themselves (tomato sauces, vinaigrettes, the above mentioned filet of sole with lemon juice) also benefit from matches with acidic wines.
Example 1:
Pasta or pizza served with a tomato sauce naturally goes well with Chianti (what a surprise!).
Example 2
The lemon juice in the filet of sole seems to call for an acidic white wine like a French Sauvignon Blanc (Sancerre, Pouilly Fume). In this case, the pairing serves as a contrast rather than a match or complement. Note that Chardonnay is generally not very acidic, and may not perform well in this example.
Simple foods are best matched with simple wines unless you are really trying to showcase the wine. Conversely, complex sauces go well with complex wines, as they can make simple wines taste bland or flat.
Example 1:
A simple roast chicken dish could go well with an un-oaked Australian Chardonnay or a French Chablis, but would be overwhelmed by more complex white Burgundies or high-end California Chardonnays.
Example 2:
Escalopes de Veau Sautées a l'Estragon (Sauteed Veal Scallops with Taragon) would be a great match for full-flavored white Burgundies or high-end California Chardonnays.
Use these examples of pairing food and wine and enjoy your time. Try some wine cocktails like sangria and you will get instant summer portion of refreshness for sure.
How to Make Sangria with Red or White Wine
Find out how to make sangria - Red wine sangria recipe and
white wine sangria recipe that you can easy prepare at home. The traditional
sangria is among the top wine cocktails that can refresh your summer days and
evenings like never before.
Check below what kind of ingredients you will need for preparing red wine sangria, peach sangria, classic Spanish sangria, watermelon sangria and white wine sangria. Keep in mind that you can change the type of wine according to your taste. The below sangria recipes can be always modified, because finding the right taste of the best red or white wine sangria is a personal task of every wine lover.
Dry Red Wine Sangria Recipe – Classic Spanish Sangria
 |
| Pic Credits - edibleduchess.wordpress.com |
How to make sangria with red wine? What type of red wine? You
can use any type of dry red wine, so don’t worry that you have to buy any
special wine edition.
Ingredients per 6 servings:
1. 1 bottle of dry red wine (your favorite brand)(750ml)
2. Rum – 150 ml (sweeter is better)
3. 1 lemon, orange and lime (you can add apples and pears if
you want)
4. 3 tablespoons of sugar
5. Orange Juice – 400
ml
Preparation – Cut the fruits, put them into a large bowl and
pour in the wine, rum, juice. Add the sugar and put your ready wine cocktail
into the fridge to chill. You can enjoy it after 2 hours. Add some ice into
your glass if you want to improve the level of sweetness.
Dry White Wine Sangria with Peaches, Grapes and Some Vodka
 |
| Pic credits - pumpsandiron.com |
Again, you can use your favorite dry white wine brand or any
white wine that you have at home(not recommended if you want to feel the real
taste of this sangria recipe)
Ingredients per 6 servings:
1. Bottle of dry white wine – 750 ml
2. Vodka – 200 ml
3. ½ pound sliced
peaches
4. Seedless grapes – red, white
5. Lemonade (freshly squeezed lemons and water) – 500 ml
Preparation – Make fresh lemonade by squeezing several
lemons and adding water and sugar. Then slice the peaches and grapes. Mix all ingredients
into a large bowl and your summer sangria punch is ready. Put it in the refrigerator
for 3 hours and all substances of the recipe will combine their divine
properties.
How to make sangria? – check out more sangria recipes.
Traditional Spanish Sangria Recipe
Another Famous Spanish Sangria Recipe
Watermelon Sangria Recipe with White Wine
 |
| Pic credits - betteleecrosby.com |
It’s amazing to refresh and satisfy the thirst of your guest
with homemade watermelon sangria. It’s a wine cocktail that can make your
summer days and parties memorable.
Ingredients for 12 servings:
1. Watermelon – 1,5 kilograms, divided and blended in a
blender.
2. White wine – 1 bottle
(750ml)
2. Vodka - 150ml
3. Fruits – 1 orange, lime and some blueberries
4. Triple sec – your favorite brand – 200 ml
How to prepare this watermelon sangria? Put the divided
watermelon in the blender and then strain the juice. Slice the orange and lime into
slices. Take large bowl and add the watermelon juice, sliced fruits and blueberries.
Then add the alcohol – wine, vodka and triple sec. Put in the fridge the large
bowl with all mixed ingredients for 3 hours and you are done. The antioxidant
properties of the watermelon combined with the taste of flavorful white wine
will reveal you the real identity of this amazing watermelon sangria recipe.
How to make sangria? That question should not bother you
anymore. You can find above red wine sangria recipes and white wine sangria
recipes that can easy fulfill your weekly schedule of delivered freshness and
pleasure. Enjoy all summer sangria punches and have fun with your family and
friends. Don’t forget to find the right food and wine pairing according to your
taste, and make sure that you always have fresh wine cocktail in your fridge.
Top Grape Varieties for Making Red Wine
Knowing the top red
grape varieties will help you to choose better the wines which you are going to
make or enjoy, so spend a minute of learning more about top famous grape
varieties around the world. The characteristics of all grapes are different and
if you learn their most important qualities then you will be able to make the
right choice according to your flavor, food, friends and mood.
Merlot grape
variety
Merlot is top grape
variety for making red wine and the top region that produces Merlot wine is Bordeaux,
France. It is also widely popular in parts of USA, mostly California and
Washington, but Italy and Chile are also huge producers of Merlot wine. The main
characteristics of Merlot grape variety are the juicy body and color, low
tannin quantity and the high percent of alcohol. People really love to produce
Merlot wines because it’s somehow easier to take care for the whole production
process of Merlot wines compared to other wine grape varieties, according to
many wine masters. The reason that all Merlot wines contain less tannin is one
of the biggest factors why so many people prefer that grape variety rather than
Cabernet Sauvignon for example.
Merlot Vintage
Cabernet
Sauvignon grape variety
Cabernet
Sauvignon is probably the most famous grape variety and the reason for that is
pretty simple. Cabernet Sauvignon grows completely careless almost everywhere
in the world where the climate is mild and not so cold. This grape variety
contains much more tannin than Merlot and the grapes are somehow medium size. The top countries that produce Cabernet Sauvignon wines are France, Australia, USA (California), South Africa and South
America (Chile and Argentina). Many wine producers mix the Cabernet Sauvignon
grapes with other grape varieties because of the high tannin content, so the
aroma of blackcurrant is something usual that you can experience when drinking
Cabernet Sauvignon wine no matter where it is produced.
Pinot Noir grape variety
Pinot Noir
grape variety for making red wine is somehow magical and loved wine grape
variety and many people around the globe say that it is the best wine grape
variety that can be found on the planet. Well, it can be true, but everyone is
free to make his choice, so such general conclusion is hard to be made. The
reality is that Pinot Noir wine are among the most desired and bought wines.
Due to the specific weather conditions that need to present during the growth
Pinot Noir production is limited. Top wine regions that make Pinot Noir wines
are Burgundy in France and California in US.
Other countries from where you can
expect high quality Pinot Noir wines are Australia, New Zealand and Chile. The low
and medium tannin content of this grape variety and the amazing flavor make
Pinot Noir perfect wine for lunch, dinner or other special event. It is really
good grape variety and most wine makers just don’t mix it with other grape varieties.
Pinot Noir Grape Harvesting
These three grape
varieties for making red wine are among the best and highly used for the
production of quality wines. There are also other grape varieties like Zinfandel,
Riesling and Shiraz, so it’s up to your choice and curiosity which wine to
present on your table. Try them all and you will easily find your winner.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
