Remember... Rule number One, there are no rules, except that… you must enjoy food and wine, fun, and the ability to break free of convention and experiment, as many excellent combinations have been discovered this way. Get straight into the tasting, take note of the ingredients or key ingredient being used in a dish and sought a likely grape variety to suit.
Having said that… there are a few things to keep in mind when matching food and wine, and even people, which will make your experience of food and wine all the more enjoyable!
Understand the basic tastes of wine:
sweet,
bitter and
sour. Much of what we perceive to be taste, are actually aromas, which include floral, fruit, spice and alcohol aromas. Apart from the basic tastes of wine, the
weight,
intensity and
texture of a wine are also important factors when pairing food and wine.
Remember that it is a matter of personal taste and many people do have their preferred style of wine, and stick to that style regardless of the occasion or the food on offer.
As with people, the trick to matching food and wine is to match like with like (complimentary), and occasionally take a gamble that opposites will attract (contrasting).
Here are two approaches you can take to get you on the way to an enjoyable food and wine combination; these are:
Complimentary flavours: It’s all about like with like, striking harmony between flavours and textures on the plate and in the glass or matching the weight of a wine, whether full, medium or light-bodied, should match the weight of the dish. For example, matching a ripe, full-bodied Shiraz with a grilled fillet of beef served with a red wine reduction; and a dry, crisp wine to match a delicately flavoured dish, like poached sole.
Contrasting flavours: It’s all about pitching wine and food at opposite ends and striking a balance of flavour intensity and texture through their interaction. For example, matching a zesty young Riesling with pan roasted sea scallops in a rich butter sauce; and a fresh and acidic white wine to match a rich, oily fish dish.
Don’t get hung up on colour. The diverse array of wine on offer beckons you to break free of convention and experiment. Each wine is unique, regardless of variety and region, and each vintage has its own character plus subtle shifts in wine style can make big differences in the way wines interact with food.
Here are some of the ways in which wine can react with food: -
A wine high in tannins mated with a food high in tannins (like walnuts) will render the wine almost undrinkably dry and astringent.
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The tannins in Red wine, in combination with a fish dish for example, will impart a metallic taste to the wine.
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Protein tends to calm tannins, so a very tannic wine will be most complimentary when enjoyed with rare beef or lamb.
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Delicate foods will be overwhelmed by a full-bodied red wine. By the same token, a hearty dish will virtually cancel out a dry, medium-bodied dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc.
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A wine can add its primary flavour to a dish, giving food a layer it didn't start out with.
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Tannic wines can make sweet foods taste less sweet.
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Salty foods dull the sweetness and enhance the fruitiness of a sweet wine & emphasise tannin in a red wine.
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Wines that are high in acid taste less acidic when matched with salty or sweet food; acidic wines also can offset oily foods.
Summary:
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Remember, there are no rules!
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Know the basic tastes of wine (sweet, bitter and sour) and understand the different aromas.
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Taste and texture (weight and intensity) are important factors in food and wine pairing.
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Take note of the ingredients being used in a dish and select a grape variety to suit.
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Complimentary or Contrasts: strike harmony between flavours and textures and marry like with like OR create balance through the interaction of food and wine from opposing ends of the scale.
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Don’t get hung up on the colour of the wine.
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Experiment and enjoy food and wine the Australian way.
Most importantly… A successful pairing of food and wine is all about serving and discovering combinations that are pleasing to you!
Enjoying food and wine the Australian way is seriously great fun!