Pairing wine with food is something that makes many experienced party hosts feel overwhelmed. They know what they enjoy but what is the “right” thing to serve guests?
You’ve seen the fancy cooking shows where they pair each course with a new bottle but that’s not really practical unless you’re having a very big party. You want to find something that will suit the meal and please your guests.
Wine can be a very personal choice. Some people like to try different things, others will only drink whites, I will only drink reds. Everyone has their own preferences and accommodating that can be difficult, especially when you want to make an impression.
When I invite people over that I don’t know extremely well, I always ask if they have any dietary restrictions due to allergies, food sensitivities, etc. I also ask if they have any preferences for white or red wine. I don’t get as specific as what kind of grape varietal do you like but it is important to know if someone just doesn’t drink one particular colour. As a guest, I have never turned down a glass of wine – that would be rude, but I can honestly say that I just do not enjoy white wine nearly as much and I have tried many of them over the years. Given a choice, I will always choose red.
White Vs. Red
There’s more to the difference between white and red wines than just the colour.
When white wine is made, the skin, seeds, stems, etc are all removed before processing. With red wines, they are left in throughout the fermentation process.
These elements are what give red wine its colour and the tannins. White wines generally lack tannins although some that are aged in oaked casks, like some Chardonnays, can develop some tannin taste. Tannins are thought to be responsible for the headaches that some people get when they drink red wine.
White wines tend to have more acidity than reds, while reds have tannins which are what gives the wine that astringent, mouth-drying taste you find in some reds. Most red wines that have high tannin content, such as a Cabernet Sauvignon, are meant to be aged to mellow out the tastes more. White wines are rarely aged to the same degree as reds are.
Both white and red wine can be light, medium or heavy-bodied. The acidity in white wine tends to act as a palate cleanser. High acidity whites, like Chardonnays, pair beautifully with creamy sauces because the wine cuts through and balances out the creaminess of the sauce.
Tannins tend to give strong tastes and they can easily overwhelm more delicate meals. This is where the old idea of pairing white wine with white meat and red wine with red meat came from. The reality isn’t that simple. You need to pay as much attention to the style of cooking, sauces and spices used as you do to the type of protein.
There are no hard and fast rules and experimentation is really the key to finding what you like best. I’ve got some suggestions in both reds and white below for different proteins and different sauces.
Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. There is no wrong answer. For safety sake, I do tend to put out a bottle of red and a bottle of white for a dinner party just in case people have definite preferences with extras in each colour in the kitchen.
After all, what dinner party doesn’t go through at least two bottles of wine?
Steak
Tradition says red wine but it doesn’t have to be red; lots of white wines work well with steak too. Start by considering how you intend to cook your steak and what cut of meat it is.
The more marbled it is, the more it suits high tannin content with lots of body. For a grilled ribeye, think Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Malbec or Petit Sirah. Leaner cuts like filet mignon or striploin, need less tannin but you still need lots of body to match the steak.
Consider offering a less tannic red such as a Merlot, Beaujolais, or Pinot Noir. If it’s a grilled steak and you need a white wine, go for an oaked Chardonnay or a Riesling. You want a big-bodied white wine. Steak is heavy and you need a wine with lots of body to avoid having the wine be overwhelmed by the meat.
Chicken
With chicken much depends on the sauce. A plain grilled breast or a salad with chicken pieces is very light. A delicate white is ideal; look at a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.
If it has to be red, look at the lighter, food friendly reds like a Barbera, Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Tempranillo. These reds are great choices for foods that you would normally choose a white wine to accompany. They’re light on tannins and tend to work well with most meals.
If you’re going to roast the chicken with the skin on or serve fried chicken then you need to take the fattiness into account. Look for a high acid white such as a Sauvignon Blanc.
Seafood & Fish
Most seafood tends to be on the lighter side and works best with a white wine. Seafood tends to have a natural creaminess to it and we often serve it in creamy sauces such as a fettucine alfredo or a clam chowder. This makes it a natural for pairing with a Chardonnay.
Sushi and ceviche are special cases. Although not heavily sauced, they tend to provide very intense taste. They need a heavy-bodied white like a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. Although if you intend to serve oysters on the half shell, do yourself a favour and pick up a good bottle of dry champagne. Your guests will think they’ve died and gone to heaven.
Things get more complicated with fish. With fish there tends to be a range from delicate white fish such as tilapia to pink fish like trout and salmon to seared tuna, which may as well be a red meat.
The more delicate the fish, particularly if you aren’t putting sauce on it, the lighter the wine needs to be. Tuna belongs with a heavy-bodied wine and will stand up to a big red wine. Salmon and trout can go either way.
Sauces & Spices
The type of sauce or spice used in cooking your dish can make a big difference in terms of which wine will best match it.
Heavily spiced dishes like Tex Mex, Cajun, Asian, and Indian cuisines do remarkably well with sweet, full-bodied whites like Rieslings, Viogniers, and Gewurtztraminer. If you want to serve a red, the heavier the spice the bigger the red you can choose. At the far end, you won’t go wrong with a red Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, or Malbec.
Creamy sauces are destined for Chardonnays. You can choose other whites but nothing compliments a cream sauce better than a Chardonnay.
Red sauces with tomato bases have the acidity from the tomato to deal with and they do best with red wines, although it doesn’t have to be a heavy red wine. Not surprisingly, many Italian reds pair beautiful with tomato sauces. If you want a mild red consider a Barbera, Carmenere, Sangiovese, or Gamay.
Experiment
As I said before, there are no wrong answers and what works for one person may not be ideal for the person beside them.
If you offer some choice, usually a red and a white, and follow some basic ideas such as I’ve outlined above you won’t go wrong. If you’re still stressing about it, go to a wine store and ask for suggestions. Bring your menu with you and a clear idea of the price range in which you wish to shop and they will do the rest.
It’s more fun to try it yourself though. Think of all the great wines out there just waiting for you to taste them.
Add Comment