Thursday, February 17, 2011

Pairing the proper wine with your dinner is important to taste

The right wine bottle is hard to find. It can be a difficult decision. When organizing a social supper function, having the "right" bottle of wine is crucial. The meal needs to be looked at together with personal preference in these cases. Wine pairing is the idea of picking out a wine with a taste profile that flatters the flavor profile of the meals. One strategy is to pick a wine that has comparable characteristics as the food, so they "go well" with each other. Contradicting profiles is another option. This makes it so the food is balanced out by the wine. There are many things to note when choosing the best wine even though there is not a perfect way to do wine coupling.

When pairing, do you choose red or white?

An entrée that is quite heavy will most likely be better off with red wine. A white wine is something more for lighter meals. In case you are having a light meal including salad and seafood, for instance, you really should try Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Chardonnay. There are many heavy red wines for instance Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot and Zinfandel. In case you are having a BBQ, veal, lamb or beef, these could be better choices.

All in the details

There are other things to consider in these "rules." One example is the spices food preparation use. For instance, a past with a white sauce such as alfredo or parmesan can be something you would want a Merlot or Chardonnay with while pasta with a red marinara sauce would be better off with Zinfandel or Chianti. Lemon chicken would be an entrée that would pair well with Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, while the popular dish chicken marsala would be better matched with a Pinot Noir or even Merlot.

The sweeter side

Some wines also go well with dessert. Any fruit or citrus desserts would go well with ice wine and late harvest Riesling. Cabernet Sauvignon is a good choice with chocolate desserts that are darker without red meat. Champagne is something you may want to get with chocolate. Port wines go well with chocolate also though.

Wine partnering is an exhilarating way to make meals more intriguing. The thing to keep in mind is that there is no right or wrong mixture. Making up different combinations of flavor profiles is part of the fine with it. Any meal can be enhanced with a nice glass of wine, and of course, wine is best liked with friends and family. What are you waiting for? Drink up!



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