Sunday, August 5, 2012

Pairing Food And Wine-What You Must Know

By Bill Bridges


Are you the type of person who often finds themselves taking too long in the custom wine cellar trying to decide which wine to pair your meal with? Food and wine pairing can be very challenging. The food and wine you pair can make your meal delightful or ruin it entirely.

It is important to know that there is actually no strict rule when it comes to pairing food with wine. What matters is that the food and wine that you pair appeals to you and to your guests. Some people might find a certain pair good while others can find it unappealing to their taste. It is good to experiment with different food and wine pairs but keep in mind to choose the pair which appeals best to your personal preference.

Although the right wine and food pairing is really based on personal preference, some people opt to have a guideline to follow. Sometimes it can be very difficult to experiment with pairing food and wine and so having a guideline can be very helpful. Learn a few things to remember when pairing food and wine by reading the rest of this article.

When pairing wine with seafood appetizers like crab cakes and oysters, it is good to choose wines that are light and fruity, like Chardonnay. On the other hand, if you are going to have red and white meat appetizers, like chicken wings or antipasto, try pairing them with Pinot Noir or other wines that are also red and spicy.

When it comes to choosing wine for dinner, it is very important to know what food you will be serving. If you are serving meats such as ham, veal or pork, try pairing them with Pinot Grigio. This type of wine also pairs well with certain types of seafood dishes like fish and shellfish. Shiraz is a very versatile type of wine. Because of its sweetness, it can complement almost all types of dishes.

When choosing a wine to pair with a type of dessert that is not very sweet (e.g. souffle or angel food cake), consider a Madeira. If you are going to have cheesecake or a rich chocolate dessert, try pairing it with Port wines. Sherry wine is best paired with mousse or peanut butter-based desserts.

These are merely suggestions on how to pair food and wine. Keep in mind that the perfect pair really depends on what suits your taste. It is advisable to experiment on pairing different kinds of wine with different food so that you can observe which ones appeal to your personal preference.




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