FOOD FLAVORS AND TEXTURES
Methods of Cooking
- Steaming, poaching or boiling vs. lighter bodied wine
- Barbecued, grilled or roasted vs. fuller bodied
- Pan fried, stir fried, or deep fried vs. lighter wines with good acidity.
Service Temperature
The temperature at which the food is to be served can also be important when choosing wines. If a food is to be
served cold it will need a lighter wine that can be chilled. However, this does not mean white wines only. Rose and
red wines that can be chilled such as a light fruity red like Beaujolais could be used
Seasoning
The stronger the flavors of the seasonings used in a dish the more flavor and body the wine will require to balance
with the food. Imagine that you have a dish of steamed breast of chicken. Served as it is would need a dry, light-
bodied, fairly neutral wine. But if it seasoned with chili and garlic or other strong seasoning, its character would
change and you would need a fuller-flavored and bodied wine to stand up to the seasoning. The neutral wine would
seem bland if it were served.
Your food may be plainly cooked but could be accompanied by a full flavored vegetable dish or garnish. If you think of a
traditional Christmas lunch of roast turkey, the turkey is quite bland in flavor. It is the chestnut stuffing, the sprouts, etc. that
are the strong flavors which will influence your choice of wine. Always match to the strongest flavor on the plate, which in
many cases is the sauce that accompanies the dish.
KEY FLAVOURS IN FOOD
Sour
Dishes dominated by tart acidic flavors like lemon, lime or vinegar can be difficult and require care when matching. Acidic
foods require wines with high acidity; in the case of tomatoes which are naturally high in acidity, Italian wines are a good
choice as the wines have been developed to match the cuisine which is dominated by the use of tomato.
Sweet
Sweetness in food can make a wine seem drier. Sweet wines should always be sweeter than the dessert they
accompany. If you have a savory dish which is accompanied by a fruity or a sweet sauce it is important that the wine
has good fruit to mach.
Salty
Salty foods such olives, oysters and other shellfish go best with crisp, dry, light-bodied white wines such as Muscadet,
Chablis and Fino sherry.
Spicy
Hot spices like chili reduce the sweetness in wines and can make dry red wines seem more astringent. Spices can also
accentuate the flavors of oak. A good match for spicy food are wines that are made from really ripe juicy fruit, either
unoaked or lightly oaked. Wines like New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc can work well with spiced foods, as can ripe Chilean
Merlot.
Smoky
Smoked foods need wines with enough character to cope with the strength of the smoking. Lightly smoked salmon is a
classic partner of Brut Champagne, smoked meats like pork can benefit from some slight sweetness in wine like that
found in some German Rieslings, smoky barbecued flavors suit powerful wines like Australian Shiraz.
