Which wine goes best with which food? What is the optimal wine storing and serving temperature? Should red wines only be served with red meat? Which wine to choose with a desert? When should champagne be served and when sweet wines, such as ports? How to choose the right wine for a certain occasion? These and many other questions about wines often inflict quite a headache, especially if you’re expecting guests or are invited to a fancy celebration.
Pairing wine and food is not a special skill, but rather pleasure that results in sensational harmony of different flavors. The good news is that it is not necessary to take wine courses or cooking classes to master this skill. Selecting the right wine for your dinner or a friend’s party is very subjective and largely depends on your personal taste, therefore, you can hardly make a mistake. Follow few of our tips below and you’ll surely make a right choice, regardless of whether you buy wine online or in a liquor store.
If You Will Not Drink It, Don’t Buy It – Always buy a wine that you know you’ll drink. Just because you read certain wines go best with certain foods is not good enough reason to purchase a wine. This is especially true when you’re shopping for wine online. Do not take retailer’s “this wine suits this dish” literally. Remember, food will never fix the taste of wine you drink, so it’s important that you choose a wine that will satisfy all of your tongue sensors.
Balance Is A Key – This means that the heavier the food (more fatty), the stronger the wine (greater alcohol percentage) and vice versa. Thus, have a cup of good quality Cabernet Sauvignon or Petite Sirah with your grilled filet mignon and a nice dry Rose or Pinot Grigio with a dish of grilled salmon or tuna steak.
Taste Is Everything – This means that sour, more acidic foods require sour wines, while sweet food is best paired with fuller, sweet wines. For example, foods that are extremely rich in protein, go well with strong wines such as Shiraz.
Please note, serving wine in the right glass is also important. Therefore invest in a set of nice, high-quality wine glasses and enjoy. And remember, it is up to you to find the right relationship between wine and food, regardless of whether it’s taste, texture or something else.
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