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THE NOT-SO-SECRET RULE OF WINE PAIRING
Many people look to wine labels and restaurant menus for guidance on the perfect wine to accompany their meal. But the truth is that there’s no need to follow the exact suggestions given on a particular menu and there’s no big secret to wine pairing. Rather, keep one word in mind when choosing a wine to flawlessly compliment your meal (or vice versa): balance. It’s as simple as that.
Keep balance in mind
Let’s say you are cooking meat in a rich cream sauce. Better yet, you’re making a beef tenderloin in Gorgonzola cream sauce. It’s a heavy, rich meal and, keeping balance in mind, these same characteristics should carry over into your choice of wine. Look for a full-bodied red wine to compliment your flavorful meal. Full-bodied red wines also contain larger amounts of tannins, which help to break down fat and, thus, cleanse the palate. Think about pairing your delicious meal with a wine from the Bordeaux region of France, or a Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz. Each wine has hints of different flavors, perhaps leaning more towards a fruity flavor, or perhaps towards an oakier one. Your individual preference will play a role in narrowing down your selections, so enjoy the experimentation!
Details are up to you
Just as it is important to pair a rich meal with a rich-flavored wine, it is important to keep light and acidic meals balanced with equally light wines. Seafood is a common example of a lighter meal, but, again, let’s use our imagination. You’re cooking up scallops in a lemon butter sauce. The scallops add a richer tone to the meal, although the sauce is a bit acidic. A perfect accompaniment to this meal would be a medium-bodied white wine with a touch of acidity such as a Chardonnay or a Chablis. Again, the details are up to you, but remember that balance is key: If your meal is in a light butter sauce, look for buttery notes in your white wine. If you are cooking heartier tuna steaks, think about switching to a medium-bodied red wine.
Your wine should never overpower your meal
While a lot of wine pairing comes down to personal preference, if you keep the basic characteristics of your meal in mind and try to carry them over to your choice in wine, you’ll enjoy a well-rounded and harmonious meal. Your wine should never overpower your meal, nor should your meal overpower your wine. Rather, wine pairing is about balancing two equally important components in gastronomical pleasure.
Elizabeth -
Keep balance in mind
Let’s say you are cooking meat in a rich cream sauce. Better yet, you’re making a beef tenderloin in Gorgonzola cream sauce. It’s a heavy, rich meal and, keeping balance in mind, these same characteristics should carry over into your choice of wine. Look for a full-bodied red wine to compliment your flavorful meal. Full-bodied red wines also contain larger amounts of tannins, which help to break down fat and, thus, cleanse the palate. Think about pairing your delicious meal with a wine from the Bordeaux region of France, or a Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz. Each wine has hints of different flavors, perhaps leaning more towards a fruity flavor, or perhaps towards an oakier one. Your individual preference will play a role in narrowing down your selections, so enjoy the experimentation!
Details are up to you
Just as it is important to pair a rich meal with a rich-flavored wine, it is important to keep light and acidic meals balanced with equally light wines. Seafood is a common example of a lighter meal, but, again, let’s use our imagination. You’re cooking up scallops in a lemon butter sauce. The scallops add a richer tone to the meal, although the sauce is a bit acidic. A perfect accompaniment to this meal would be a medium-bodied white wine with a touch of acidity such as a Chardonnay or a Chablis. Again, the details are up to you, but remember that balance is key: If your meal is in a light butter sauce, look for buttery notes in your white wine. If you are cooking heartier tuna steaks, think about switching to a medium-bodied red wine.
Your wine should never overpower your meal
While a lot of wine pairing comes down to personal preference, if you keep the basic characteristics of your meal in mind and try to carry them over to your choice in wine, you’ll enjoy a well-rounded and harmonious meal. Your wine should never overpower your meal, nor should your meal overpower your wine. Rather, wine pairing is about balancing two equally important components in gastronomical pleasure.
Elizabeth -
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