| long ago, serving white wine with red meat or | | | | In addition to the lightness or heaviness of the |
| serving red wine with a plate of fish or poultry | | | | meal, the flavors of both the wine and the food |
| was considered almost as inappropriate as eating | | | | should be taken in consideration. You can either |
| a soup using your hands. Although the food and | | | | select a wine to contrast the main flavor of the |
| wine pairing rules are less strict than they used to | | | | food or to compliment it. Since there are no rules, |
| be, many people still tend to be puzzled when | | | | both ways it can work out fine. |
| selecting a bottle of wine to match their fancy | | | | However, bear in mind that both food and wine |
| dinner. If you are one of them, here you can find | | | | react differently when tasted together than apart. |
| some useful tips and guidelines to help you match | | | | For example, if you drink wine following a sweet |
| wine to the food. | | | | flavored food such as a honey mustard glazed |
| The first and the most important tip is that the | | | | breast chicken, any wine would taste drier than it |
| ancient wine and food pairing rules are not valid | | | | would if it tasted apart. Therefore, an off dry, |
| anymore. In fact, there are no rules when it | | | | slightly sweet wine like a Riesling or a white |
| comes to your personal taste. Your kitchen is | | | | zinfandel would be the perfect choice to a food |
| your private chem. laboratory, so allow yourself | | | | that its dominant flavor is sweet. |
| to feel free to experiment new recipes, and | | | | More examples: |
| creating unique wine and food pairing as much as | | | | 1) If you are serving sour foods such as fish with |
| you want. | | | | lemon, high acid wines such as sauvignon blanc or |
| A successful wine and food pairing is like a good | | | | pinot noir would be a great match. |
| relationship: the two different personalities has to | | | | 2) Pair fruity wines such as merlot or chardonnay |
| live side by side peacefully without having one of | | | | to foods that contain a bit of bitterness like a |
| them standing out on the expense of the other | | | | green salad. |
| one. For example, pairing a beef stew with a | | | | 3) Salty foods like anchovies would go well with |
| chardonnay would be like matching a fat man with | | | | sauvignon blanc or a light red Chianti. |
| a skinny girl. The heaviness of the stew would | | | | 4) A Riesling or a dry rose would balance a spicy |
| take over the light, delicate nature of the wine | | | | food such as an Indian curry. |
| and erase its presence. Therefore, it is | | | | Bottom line, nothing can go wrong when pairing a |
| recommended to pair a fuller bodied wine to a | | | | good bottle of wine to a good dinner, especially if |
| heavy meal and the opposite: serve a light dish | | | | you add pleasant company to the equation. Bon |
| such as chicken and vegetables with a light bodied | | | | appetite! |
| wine such as chardonnay or pinot noir. | | | | |