Marby Murillo

FOOD AND WINE PAIRING There are certain elements of wine. There’s sugar, acid, fruit, tannins and alcohol and there is also flavour components of food. There’s fat, acid, salt, sweet, bitter and texture. So when we think about pairing, so we need to think about how these flavour elements are going to work together. Let’s talk about the basic rules of wine pairing. Rule #1: Hors D’ouvres need a dry rose. The reason is, a rose is combines the light crispness of a white with the fruitiness of a red and if you have a table of hors d’oeuvres, there’s many different flavours and textures that you need to accommodate. Rule #2: Acid needs acid. So any food that has a high-acidic level. Something that you would want to squeeze a lemon on to. That’s a great pairing with a light citrusy acidic white wine. If you have a dish, like chicken, pasta or a roasted fish with citrus which will pair with a bright citrusy pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc. It will be a zap of fresh lemon in your dish. Rule #3: Tannins need fat. If you have food with a higher fat content , say, a marbled ribeye steak or a braised duck or grilled sausages, you will need a wine with a textural element that will balance it out. If you pair with a bold red wine, like a syrah or cabernet, the tannins in that red wine really balance out the fat elements. Rule #4: Heat needs sweet. If you are serving a dish that has a little kick, or a little bit of spice, you are going to need a lighter slightly sweet wine to pair with it. A good example would be a Riesling or a White Zinfandel. Rule #5: Salty needs bubbles. It can be a little hard to pair salty or fried foods with a wine. But similar to a beer, the carbonation of sparkling wine adds a whole different texture and brings a whole new flavour to. Rule #6. Earthy needs earthy. If you have an earthier food, like mushrooms, lentils or meats, they are gonna be greatly paired with an earthy wine . A good choice would be a syrah or a pinot noir. You really want to think about your dominant flavours. Is it sweet? Is it salty? Is it citrusy? These are the elements that you want to consider when you pair the wine with your entrée. Here are some more tips that we have found to help you more: 1. Complement Flavors Complementing flavors means you are matching the structure of the wine with the structure of the food. Some examples are: Match creamy with creamy – Creamy wines, such as Chardonnay or Viognier, matched with cream-based sauces (pasta or poultry) or a creamy cheese. 2. Contrast Flavors Contrasting flavor means you are trying to offset a taste or structural element in the wine and food. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t. 3. Color Code This is a great shortcut if you’re running out of time and into the wine shop for a quick buy.  Look at the color of the wine – it will help you determine what it pairs well with. For instance, a light bright white that may even have hints of green would be great with light green dishes like lettuce salads, fresh green vegetables, light white fish, etc. On the other hand, a white with more of a deep lemon or gold color would be able to take a dish with a bit more weight – perhaps a lemon butter or caper sauce. A rosé, or “pink,” wine, is a great pairing for pink food – like a tuna steak or charcuterie of salami and prosciutto. Source: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/house-home/entertaining/wine/5-secrets-to-great-food-and-wine-pairing