OK, the first big important point here is: don’t stress about it!
Most of the time you can just match whatever food and wine you like, and both will be delicious. (Trust us.)
That said, there are some combos that are simply breathtaking, and one or two that you definitely want to avoid, so here’s a bit of a starter for ten. After that, do some exploring yourself – after all, it’s your dinner.
What to avoid:
Ok, let’s get the real stinkers out of the way first. A couple of basics: don’t pair a really strong, rich wine with light, delicate food – or vice versa. Either way, you’ll lose some of the flavours.
Red wine and fish isn’t always wrong – some meaty tuna or swordfish dishes actually go quite well. By and large though, you’re best off sticking to whites.
Really spicy food can be difficult to match with wine – it tends to emphasise the alcohol and reduce the lovely fruitiness. Best bet if you’re going spicy is to look for a lower alcohol wine with masses of flavour. Something like Stonewall 9.5% Sauvignon, or an off-dry German Riesling such as S.A. Prüm Essence Feinherb, would be ideal.
What’ll make your taste buds sing?
Eating seafood or shellfish? There’s a wine that’ll absolutely dazzle you, and that’s Muscadet. Bone-dry, crisp as you like and full of delicate apple flavour that’ll work perfectly with the salty food. La Nantaise Réserve is a great place to start.
We all love a roast chicken, and there’s a wine that’s a real no-brainer to match it with: Chardonnay. Rich, buttery, full flavoured, and it’ll just cut through all that succulent meat. Get hold of a bottle of La Balade de JMS or Don Cayetano and you’ll see just what we mean!
Italy has a reputation for making wine that pairs brilliantly with food. Your best bet of course is to match it with good Italian cuisine. Pillastro Primitivo will set a hearty Bolognese off perfectly, whilst Collezione di Paolo Chianti should be your first port of call for anything lighter.
It’s a tough call on the best wine for steak – any big, rich red will do. Left up to us though, we’d go in the direction of Argentina. They’re the world beef capital, and they like their wines to match! One real winner is The Waxed Bat – so intense with black fruit flavour it’ll win you over with whichever red meat is on your plate.
So there are a few tips, but the main message is: experiment! Food and wine pairing isn’t an exact science, and you never know what winning flavour combinations might be just around the corner…
What is your favourite wine-food combination? Let us know below!
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