A Guide To Pairing The Perfect Wine With Your Dinner Selection

Whether you are cooking at home or having a meal at your favorite restaurants, choosing the right wine pairing can be daunting. This guide will give you some simple rules to follow when pairing wine with food, regardless of the dinner selection.

Understanding Wine And Food Pairings

When pairing wine with food, there are 6 food taste profiles: salt, sweet, acid, fat, bitter, and umami. Wine, on the other hand, has 3 taste profiles: sweetness, acidity, and bitterness. The wines with higher acidity are White, Rose, Champagne, and Sparkling wines. Sweet wines contain more sweetness, whilst red wines contain more bitterness.

Guidelines For Pairing Wine With Your Dinner Selection

A successful food and wine pairing is about creating a balance between the wine characteristics and the components of the dishes:

Wine Acidity Must Be Greater Than Food Acidity

Acidity is one of the most important factors when choosing wine. If you are planning to eat highly acidic dishes such as tomato sauce, salads with vinaigrette, seafood, shellfish, green spring vegetables, cheeses, white meats, or herbs, choose a slightly chilled Pinot Noir or a high-acidic wine like Sauvignon Blanc. When it is grown in cooler climates the herbaceous, highly aromatic, grassy flavors are perfect.

The Wine Should Be Sweeter Than The Dish

Sweetness balances spice, tartness, and heat. It can serve as a contrast to the burning sensation of spicy Asian cuisine. It can also accentuate the mild sweetness in certain foods. Wines that would pair nicely with spicy foods are off-dry Riesling or rose. Dessert wines are wonderfully paired with rich foods.

The Wine Should Have Equal Intensity Of The Food Flavors

If you are eating a curry or chili dish, an off-dry white wine works. If the food is light, such as a salad, check the dressing before choosing the wine.

Red wines pair best with full-flavored red meat, such as venison and beef. The leaner your red meat, the lighter your red wine should be. However, fatty red meat will require a bold red wine high in tannins, like Barolo or a Cabernet Sauvignon. Tannins are astringents that work as a palate cleanser to rid you of the fatty taste inside your mouth.

Lamb has a more delicate flavor than beef, so choose a medium-body red wine such as Petit Verdot or Malbec. White wines pair best with light meats, such as chicken and fish. A wooded or un-wooded Chardonnay will pair wonderfully with a huge variety of food. It is always better to match the wine with the sauce on the meat.

Some Foods Do Not Pair With Any Wines

Some foods just do not pair with wine because of their chemical compounds. These foods are artichokes, asparagus, vinegar, anchovies, and blue cheese.

At the end of the day, it’s about finding out what you love. Enjoy experimenting by pairing the different foods with different wines. If you like red wine with your fish, that’s fine! Try a light-bodied red wine such as Pinot Noir or Beaujolais; both will work. If, on the other hand, you feel like a good steak washed down with white wine? Why not? Order a full-bodied Viognier or a wooded Chardonnay.

Dinner Selections And More In South Florida

Whether you’re dining with the whole family or enjoying a dinner for two, contact Galuppi’s to make your dinner reservation.  Don’t forget to plan your visit during our happy hour to enjoy one of our many specials.  Call us at 954-785-0226 to make your reservation today.