Food and Wine Pairing
During the holidays there is often a debate about what goes well with turkey – red or white wine – forget about the type of red or white wine! Many people have the same debate when serving ham.
So I thought we’d look at some great food and wine pairing, and not just by your basic red or white wine but by wine type, because there can be quite a range of tastes in wine types that affect how they interact with the food.
I know that the phrase “interact with food” sounds rather inelegant, but the fact is that there is certain chemistry involved in food and wine pairing. Not that we are going to analyze the chemistry of wine, but suffice it to say there are sweeter wines, acidic wines, dry wines, etc., and they don’t all go well with the same food tastes.
Red Wine Food and Wine Pairing
Red wine connoisseurs enjoy many food and wine pairing options. Take a look at the following suggestions but you might find some delicious pairings of your own that you can easily add to the list. Don’t limit yourself, if you find that you enjoy a certain pairing, go with it!
Hint: most red wine tastes best when served anywhere from 58 to 67 °F, a range that is neither as warm as room temperature nor as cold as refrigerated temperature. This is a good rule of thumb for food and wine pairing as well as just enjoying a glass of wine all by itself.
Cabernet Sauvignon is a rather dry, medium or full-bodied wine with hearty, complex flavors. It typically pairs well with medium to heavy dishes like those with beef, goose, and lamb. It’s also delicious with cheese, like Cheddar and Brie. And chocolate, Cabernet is excellent with chocolate bars (milk or dark, but particularly dark) or desserts.
Merlot is milder and less tannic than a Cabernet; however, it still delivers complex, rich, even chewy flavors. Merlot is a good choice for the medium or heavy foods like beef or lamb. It also pairs well with pasta dishes served with a hearty red sauce. It’s another great complement to chocolate, any way you want to serve it.
Shiraz is a little different grape than our Merlots and Cabernets because depending upon where it’s grown this wine can render different flavors and aromas; however, a nice Australian Shiraz pairs well with steak, wild game, and stews, as well as spicy food dishes like Mexican and Indian cuisine.
Malbec is a medium-bodied, dry wine that, because of its high acidity, is usually blended with other wines. However, a Malbec bottled in Chile or Argentina will pair well with roasted chicken and turkey. It’s also a delicious complement to spicier dishes like those found in Cajun, Mexican, or Indian cuisine.
Pinot Noir is a light-medium bodied wine that pairs well with grilled foods, such as chicken, salmon, or lamb. Try it with wild game, goose, or a lighter beef dish. It’s also great with Japanese dishes, particularly sushi. Red sauce pasta dishes, perhaps on the less hearty end of the spectrum are also nice options.
Zinfandel is a hearty, spicy, jammy wine (if you follow that) and is known to go very well with food that is typical to America, such as burgers, pizza, and spaghetti (along with other red sauce pastas).
Sangiovese is your typical Chianti wine and is a good choice for pairing with Italian and Mediterranean cuisines, as well as pizza, and vegetarian eggplant parmesan.
You can finish reading this article on our website about Food and Wine Pairing.