Although each dish has a wine, there are principles allowing you not to make mistakes in your food and wine pairings. Here are my tips…
From aperitif to dessert, it is not uncommon to try to put a bottle of wine on the table. The possibilities are numerous and unfortunately we are often wrong about the wine we offer to our guests. Whether it is the aperitif, of a meat or fish dish, until the chocolate dessert, there are many errors. Here is the TOP 10 essential advice to never miss the marriage of a dish to a wine.
1 – No alcoholic drinks high in sugar as an aperitif
Food and wine pairings begin with the aperitif ! Often, we end up with a glass of strong alcohol or alcohol rich in sugar for the aperitif. Yet, it is better to avoid this kind of drink. Sugar and too strong alcohol will crush your taste buds. They saturate the palate even before the meal has started. Instead, consider offering a white wine, a champagne or other sparkling wines.
2 – Food and color wine pairing
If you don't have time to look for the best food and wine pairings, remember this rule that works – almost – every time. White dishes will go more easily with white wine, while red dishes will go more easily with red wine. For example, a fresh cream pizza will require a white wine, whereas a pizza with tomato sauce will more easily go with red wine. It is not, however, an exact science, So remember to check which wine to buy to accompany your dish.
3 – Gain strength
Ideally, it is important to build up power during the meal. As I explained to you for the aperitif, it is better to start with a simple little white wine as a starter to start the festivities, to finish with a powerful red wine, then a sweet wine, richer in sugars.
4 – Spices require aromas
Very spicy dishes are real taste bud killers. In large quantities, they make it easy to hide the bad taste of a dish – that's my opinion anyway – but they also tend to smell strongly on the palate. For example, curry goes very well with Gewürztraminer.
5 – A great wine with a meal can be bad taste
You want to open a great wine that you have pampered and kept for several years ? Instead, open it outside of the meal. Fine wines for aging do not need any recipe to sublimate them. Even with superb cuts of meat or good cheeses, serving it with a meal could destabilize it. Just have a few drinks, some good friends and voila.
6 – It's not just white wine to accompany fish
We often see white wine as the best friend of fish and that's normal. But, it may happen that some people just do not like this type of wine. There is no need to panic, red wine can go very well with your fish. For the agreement to be successful, favor the old vintage of a light and fruity wine like a Burgundy.
7 – With cheese, dare white wine
Ah, The ideas received… Whether you like it or not, white wines go better with cheese than red wines. If you are having trouble finding the right wine for your piece of cheese, remember a rule that works almost every time : associate a wine with its regional cheese.
8 – Champagne for dessert, a bad idea of food and wine pairing
To continue in the errors, we tend to serve champagne with dessert. It's festive at the end of the meal, but the idea is nevertheless very bad for your little taste buds which will be totally destabilized after tasting red wine - you know, the one you served on the cheese —. Champagne bubbles are much better to whet your appetite before the start of the meal. But, at the end of dinner, It's a disaster. To drink champagne for dessert, better to drink it throughout the meal.
9 – A natural sweet wine with chocolate
Often, the dessert is chocolate : cake, mousse… To accompany them, it is better to favor a Natural Sweet Wine like Banyuls or Port. Personally, I have a little preference for Maury which I find quite simply perfect to pair with chocolate. Once again, champagne will not match chocolate : the aromas of a sparkling wine are too fine to support the power and bitterness of chocolate.
10 – Follow your instincts and your tastes
Make a success of your food and wine pairings, above all, it is about trusting and trying. If you want to drink red wine with your cheese or a champagne for dessert, it's your right, as long as it makes you happy. A successful deal, it is above all to have fun. Never hesitate to try new vineyards to discover what you like the most !
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