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5 Tips for Pairing Wine with Food
December 13, 2010 by David
Filed under Wine Words
Do you feel like you’re breaking the rules when you want a glass of red wine with your halibut? Are the old rules still valid?
You shouldn’t worry about this business of pairing. In my experience, most wines and foods taste pretty good together and an ideal pairing for one person isn’t necessarily the best one for the next. But – there are some easy guidelines, which are mostly common sense when you think about it – it’s just that most of us haven’t taken the time to think about it. Here goes:
1. Match weight for weight. A delicate food flavor might be overwhelmed by the power of a big red wine, so you begin to think white. An assertive food flavor paired with a substantial wine can make a very satisfying partnership.
2. Consider the preparation. Maybe it isn’t the halibut that’s so much at issue as what you did to it. A simple sauté in butter is a fairly subtle flavor and a light or medium-bodied white wine might make a nice partner.
But, what if you grilled the halibut and served it with black olive tapenade? Much stronger flavors, right? A light or medium-bodied red could taste awfully good!
3. Complement or contrast. If you pair an earthy Pinot Noir with a mushroom paté you’d call that a complementary pairing. Same thing when you serve a buttery Chardonnay with your butter-sautéed halibut. Too rich for your taste? OK – go for a contrast and enjoy a crisp, un-oaked Sauvignon Blanc instead.
Another example of a contrast: Serve hot, spicy food with a nice, chilled glass of slightly sweet Riesling or Chenin Blanc. Tastes great!
4. When it’s time for dessert, the wine should be at least as sweet as the food or it will taste sour.
5. Rules are made to be broken! If you like red with everything you’re the best judge of what makes you happy. Go for it! More information
Pairing Wine With Sweets
They’re everywhere, aren’t they? Christmas cookies, plates of fudge, so many temptations…
How do you pair wine with those goodies? Enjoy this 2-minute Fun Fact!
And hide your scale until after New Year’s 
Happy Holidays from all of us at Goosecross!
Pairing wine with sweet foods
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Fun Fact by Nancy Hawks Miller, Goosecross: Pairing wine with sweet foods
Did you enjoy this? Here are more Fun Facts from Goosecross Cellars.
Goosecross: Thanksgiving Wine Pairings
It’s almost here! Are you ready for Turkey Day? Wondering what wines to serve? Here’s some great advice from three wine and food experts, all within two minutes! Here’s what Colleen Topper of Goosecross Cellars, Sherry Page of Culinary Getaways and Diane De Filipi of Let’s Go Cook Italian have to suggest! Happy Thanksgiving!
To get their favorite recipes for Thanksgiving:
Colleen’s recipes at goosecross.com
Sherry’s recipes at culinarygetaways.com
Dian’es recipes at let’sgocookitalian.com (just send Diane and email with your recipe request)
New Recipe: Coq au Vin!
Mmmm… with smoked applewood bacon, mushrooms, shallots, fresh herbs, lots of wine… Just thinking about the Coq au Vin makes me ravenous!
Yes, it’s comfort-food time as the days get shorter and shorter and the nights colder and colder. And, Colleen has come up with her own special take on a classic – the perfect hunker-down, satisfying dish to warm you from the inside. And it’s an incredible match for our newly released 2006 Cabernet Franc (sorry – only 575 cases, so it’s for Wine Club only). I’m going to go out on a limb, here, and suggest that it’s probably going to be pretty-darned tasty with the earthy flavors of our Syrah or Merlot, too!
In any case, any time you want something truly delectable and a recipe that’s been tested and re-tested go to Colleen’s Kitchen. Of course, they’re all paired with wine! Bon appetit!
