Food Pairing Wine - Do's & Don'ts

Pairing wine with food is easier said than done. Today, we're sharing our knowledge so you can avoid the common pitfalls. How cold should you serve white wine? Does red wine pair well with fish? And which glass should you serve your wines in? With our ten best food pairing tips, you'll create the perfect dinner for your personal bubble.

1. Don't serve white wines too cold

We need to distinguish between crisp white wines and rich, often barrel-aged wines. We serve crisp wines at around 10°C (50°F), and aged wines at around 12°C (52°F). If we don't keep this in mind, we lose a lot of aromas and flavors. Here are some tips that can work wonders:

• The inside of your refrigerator door is cooler than the inside. The difference is about 2°C. Therefore, store aged wines in the door. Most refrigerators have an interior temperature of about 6°C, and the inside temperature is 8°C.
• The glasses you use to set the table reflect the ambient temperature . This means the wines will warm up by a degree or two after serving. This helps you achieve the perfect wine temperature.

2. Be careful with an ice bucket

Ice buckets often cool your white wine too much, resulting in a loss of flavor and aroma . This is especially important with full-bodied, mature white wines. These are best enjoyed slightly warmer than crisp, crisp wines.

3. Do not serve red wines too warm

Red wines served too warm become harsh and bitter . Moreover, alcohol is released in both the nose and the palate.

4. Room temperature

The term "room temperature" often leads to misunderstandings. At the beginning of the last century, "room temperature" was 18°C. Now, it's often 22 to 23°C. The term " rooming " isn't new. That's why many red wines are served too warm, even in restaurants.

So, store your wines in a cool place (16 to 18°C) and only bring them to the table when serving. The glasses will warm the wine slightly, ensuring the perfect temperature in your glass of red wine.

5. Can red wine go with fish?

The secret lies in the tannins and proteins. Red wine contains more (bitter) tannins : these come from the skins, grape seeds, grape stems, and the wooden barrels in which the wines are aged, whether or not.

Because red wine undergoes a different fermentation process than white wine, tannins are primarily found in red wines. Moreover, fish is rich in protein, and this is where the problem lies. Proteins intensify the tannins , often resulting in an unpleasant flavor when pairing red wine with fish.

Thanks to new, more modern techniques, wines are now made differently than in the past. As a result, red wines are often smoother than before. These smooth wines can be a good accompaniment to some fish dishes.
Grilled fish dishes have a more bitter taste and therefore harmonise better with strong red wines.

6. Can white wine go with meat?

Thanks to the power of red meat, such a product pairs perfectly with a fine red wine. For example, you can pair grilled pork with a full-bodied, aromatic Chardonnay. serve.

Poultry often pairs better with a rich white wine than a full-bodied red. Consider the renowned Poule de Bresse, from the Macon region. A good Saint-Véran or a fine Pouilly-Fuissé , both aged white wines from the region, are a fantastic match for this dish.

7. Don't drink sweet wines before dry wines

A sweet port or an overly sweet Pineau de Charentes is definitely not the right pairing for a crisp white wine. Sweetness, after all, affects the palate, while dry white wines are often very delicate. Keep this in mind when pairing with an aperitif.

8. Build your wine order well

You already know it's best to drink dry wine first before opening a bottle of sweet wine. But also crisp, fresh white wines before fruity wines, and fruity white wines before full-bodied, rich, mature white wines. This also applies to red wines: first the crisp red wines, then the soft, fruity wines, and only then the full-bodied, robust wines. If you change this order , the taste of the wines served later will be unfairly disappointing.

9. Be careful with rich filming appetizers

Foie gras lovers enjoy a good sweet wine with this appetizer, such as a Sauternes . However, both the dish and the wine are very filmy in our mouths, effectively numbing our taste buds.

Poached turbot as a main course with a nice Chablis or Meursault ? Even in this case, your palate will be so numbed by the sweet wine and the starter that it will inevitably influence this delicious dish.

10. The choice of glass

The shape and type of glass are very important. Crystal glass warms your wine much less quickly than, for example, thicker, regular glass. The color of the glass should be as neutral as possible. How else can you accurately judge the color and clarity of the wine? This also applies to engravings and cutouts in your glass.

A few more tips regarding FOODPAIRING

Here are some general guidelines for pairing food with quality wines:

1. Balance: Try to choose a wine that enhances the dish without overpowering it. A dish with a lot of flavor needs an equally intense wine.

2. Acidity: Dishes with a lot of acidity are enhanced by wines with a lot of acidity. Sweet dishes, on the other hand, require sweet wines.

3. Tannin: Hearty red meat pairs well with tannic red wines. Proteins in fish enhance tannins, so choose a smooth red wine with fish.

4. Wood Maturation: Dishes with a strong smoky flavour go well with a wine that has been matured in wooden barrels.

5. Climate: The warmer the region, the more sugar the grapes contain and the higher the alcohol content of the wine. Cool climate wines are lighter and more delicate.

Do you have a specific dish in mind that you are looking for a wine pairing for?

Myth or fact?

FABLE

• There is only one wine that goes well with a dish.
• You always drink white wine with fish, and always red wine with meat.

FACT

• A good wine pairing ensures that both the dish and the wine taste better.

Choosing wine: find the common denominator

• A full-bodied wine goes well with a heavy dish .
• A dish with an intense flavour needs an equally intense wine .
• Dishes with a lot of acidity are enhanced by wines with a lot of acidity.
• Sweet dishes require sweet wines .
• Hearty red meat is delicious with red wine with lots of tannin .
• Dishes with a strong smoky flavour go well with a wine with a lot of wood aging .
  

Learn to 'think wine'

Some smart tips that you should always keep in mind when choosing wine:

• Certain regions develop wines that go well with their dishes.
• Wine and food shouldn't clash or overpower each other. It's all about balance.
• The warmer the region, the more sugars the grapes contain and therefore the higher the alcohol content of the wine. Wine from a warm climate is therefore also fuller - bodied .
• ' Cool climate wines ', on the other hand, are rather delicate and lighter.
• New World wines (think: anything outside of Europe) often have a more 'exotic' style than classic wines.
• A grape can grow in different regions and produce a different style of wine . However, a grape generally requires more or less the same climate.

Grapes and their names

• Pinot Noir is also called Spätburgunder in Germany and Pinot Nero in Italy.
• Pinot gris and Pinot Grigio are the same grape, as are Pinot Blanc and Pinot Bianco .
• Shiraz is the Australian Syrah .
• Grenache is called Garnacha in Spain.
  

Wine pairing: what can go wrong?

• A red wine with a lot of tannin gives oily fish a metallic taste and becomes bitter with a salty dish.

Dry wine becomes sour and tart when paired with a sweet dish.

How to play with contrast

• A salty dish gets an extra dimension thanks to a wine that is high in acidity or a fruity wine .
• A fatty, oily dish becomes extra tasty with a wine with fresh acidity .

Wood vs. Stainless Steel

If a wine has been aged in oak barrels , you can keep it longer . It also has a fuller flavor (think notes of vanilla, chocolate, coffee, leather, smoke, etc.), making it perfect for pairing with a robust dish.

Wines aged in stainless steel have a lower aging potential and are generally fresh and fruity in flavor. Ideal for pairing with light dishes or as a smooth, easy-drinking wine.

Conventional vs. organic vs. natural wine

A good wine is made in a good way. Period.

In short: organic wines are distinguished by a bio label , which ensures that no chemical spraying is used.

Biodynamic winemakers also take the positions of the sun and the moon into account when cultivating their grapes.

With natural wines, the maker allows the wine to develop as naturally as possible, with minimal additives , such as sulfites (a preservative that theoretically doesn't alter the wine's flavor). Because natural winemakers also use only wild yeasts, the wine can taste quite "funky," and there are often significant variations between vintages.