Food and Wine Pairing Stolen from the Wine Folly
- The wine should be more acidic than the food.
- The wine should be sweeter than the food.
- The wine should have the same flavor intensity as the food.
- Red wines pair best with bold flavored meats (e.g. red meat).
- White wines pair best with light-intensity meats (e.g. fish or chicken).
- Bitter wines (e.g. red wines) are best balanced with fat.
- It is better to match the wine with the sauce than with the meat.
- More often than not, White, Sparkling and Rosé wines create contrasting pairings.
- More often than not, Red wines will create congruent pairings.
But it is also very subjective in terms of the likes and disk likes of individuals. The above set of sort of golden rules are important to remember, but that does not mean you can not alter any of those. This goes back to when people said that You had to serve white wine with fish and red wine with meat I am very glad that semi-rule has basically been eradicated. You drink the wine you like with the food you like. That being said, follow some tips/rules and principles you can create a marriage in heaven between food and wine.
I have paired this wine types with food types over the years. While they might not be everyone’s first choice, it was the marriage between both the food and wine that made me select what I did.
Pinot Noir: You can serve this with just about any meal, meat, fish, spicy, etc. I like to use it for most of my barbecues. Be it pizza grilled , salmon grilled, or a simple burger.
Chardonnay: I love it best with Roasted Chicken
Sauvignon Blanc: My shell fish wine. I especially love it with Lobster, but I have enjoyed it so many times with steamed clams, clams and linguine
Sancerre: Even though a Sancerre is essential a Sauvignon Blanc, to me it has more body and a bit of French crispness that is lacking from most other Savigunon Blancs. I love to pair his with Shrimp, especially Shrimp Scampi.
Zinfandel: My favorite pairing. A bold Zinfandel from Lodi and a Rack of Lamb. The Rack of Lamb I serve with a Fresh Rosemary/Garlic Zinfandel reduction. The fullness and spice/pepper from the Zinfandel just goes great with the Lamb.
Cabernet Sauvignon/Bordeaux: I love this wine with any red rich piece of beef. Prime Ribs, Filet Mignon, NY Stip Steak, etc. My favorite pair is a French St Emillion Bordeaux with a perfectly cooked Chateaubriand. The first time I had this was at a French restaurant in Manhasset, Long Island. The meat just melted in my mouth, no need for a knife and the wine was a 1964 Chateau Clos Fourtet.
Pinot Grigio: I serve this with almost any light pasta dish, especially those with a cream sauce. I like the crisp and acidity when served with something like Fettuccine Alfredo.
Syrah or Shiraz: With a real spicy BBQ dish. I love making Chicken wings that are marinated in a wine glaze containing Ghost Chili Peppers. Now, since those are the HOTTEST peppers in the world, I really needed something to tame the heat. If it wasnt for a Shiraz, I would probably opt for a crsip IPA!
There are so many more, as time goes by, I will probably add to this list.
For several years I ran 7 course wine dinners for about a hundred people. I would select the wine theme (ie Champagne, CT Wines, Wines from Argentina, etc) and then I would work with the caterer in coming up with the best food course to serve with my wine. This was a give and take procedure with several trials before I got exactly what I wanted. I was fortunate enough to be able to tap into my son’s skills, since he is an established formal chef.
I still remember one dinner when I was serving Susana Balbo Signature Malbec with Bife de lomo (tenderloin) along with a Chimichurri sauce.
Everyone who tasted the meat and drank the wine thought it was one of the best combinations that they have ever had. That is what I always strive for when pairing food and wine
Some Food and Wine pairing I have enjoyed over the years
Oysters with a French Loire Valley Muscadet
Rack of Lamb with a California Old Vine Zinfandel with fresh rosemary sauce Clams over Linguine with a chilled Italian Gavi
Any Italian pasta dish (with or without cheese) with a Barbera d’ Asti
Caviar with Champagne
Lobster with Sauvignon Blanc
Roasted Chicken with a full bodied, medium oaky Chardonnay
Escargot with a French Sancerre
The list could go on and on. But again its really up to your taste. Try to look for wines that will compliment the food. To get really in depth knowledge of Food and Wine pairing, I suggest you visit
https://winefolly.com/tutorial/getting-started-with-food-and-wine-pairing/
One last statement, one of the best marriages made in heaven is
Rich Chocolate with a Full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon