Pairing Wines

White wine. Red wine. Fish, pork, chicken, or beef? Pasta? Fruits? Chocolates?

Pairing Wine with food is one of mankind’s oldest traditions. Fermented grapes and delicious food can combine to turn a good meal into a great meal, and all that’s needed to make that happen is a little knowledge and a good bottle of wine.

Sugar, fruit, tannin, acid, and of course, alcohol provide wine with its distinctive and wide range of flavors. Similarly, food has its palette of flavors. It can be bitter, salty or sweet, fatty or acidic.

Food and wine pairings that feature complementary components, richness, and textures are typically the most successful. But, a complementary pairing can also be a contrasting one.

For example, you could pair a pasta in rich cream sauce with a crisp, dry wine, or you could double down on the richness of the sauce by choosing a big, ripe, soft Chardonnay.

Generally though, you’ll want to match the weight of the food with the weight of the wine, ideally matching the wine with the most prominent aspect of the dish. A perfect wine pairing will achieve balance between the wine and the food. Fatty foods balance well with acidic wines. Salty foods complement sweet wines.

Pairing wines with your meal can be a fun and delicious undertaking, but for even the most experienced, it’s nice to have a resource for an opinion or direction. At Dietz & Wall Wines in Oneonta, they love to share their knowledge on the subject and will happily point you toward a wine that will make your meal memorable. You can view their 3D tour Here