Wine & Food Pairing Tips

There are no hard and fast rules about wine and food pairing. Red wine can be paired with fish, and white wine can be paired with beef. Whatever combination you like is a good combination.

Although there are no rules for pairing wine and food, there are some basic guidelines which can help to choose a good wine/food pairing. Generally, the wine should be complimentary to the food.

An acidic wine, such as a dry German Riesling, will pair well with sour, acidic foods. The sourness of the wine, will be negated by the sourness of the food, leading to a pleasant match. Acidic wines also match well with salty foods.

Sweet wine will go well with sweet foods. Again, the sweetness of the wine, and the sweetness of the food will cancel each other out. However, if you are having a sweet wine with a sweet dessert, the wine should be at least a little bit sweeter than the dessert, so that the wine will retain its sweetness.

Bitter wines, with a high level of tannins, will make bitter foods taste less bitter. Tannic wines are also calmed by protein, so they would match well with rare beef.

The best advice when pairing wine with food, is to experiment, and discover for yourself which food and wine combinations you like the best.