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Food...
No more wining at the dinner table
By Mark Schulman
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(photo by Mark Schulman)
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You don't have to be upper-class to become a pro at matching your food and wine with this quickeasy guide to drink yourself silly at your local five star restaurant.
There is a generic law that is known in the wine worldóìWhite wine with fish, red wine with meat.î
When eating a more subtle type food like fish, you donít want it overpowered by a strong red wine. As with when eating a hearty steak you do not want that taste to trump the delicate taste of white wine.
Tips for Dining
- Restaurants often provide a wine list that enhances many of the items available on the menu.
- Ask your server what wine matches the best with the meal chosen and ask for a small sample.
To enjoy the meal without focusing on the infinite combinations available, keep in mind three basic principles when matching a wine.
- Intensity: Always match a full-bodied wine with a hearty meal
- Sweetness: If the food is sweet then choose a sweet wine
- Flavor: Wine should compliment the flavor of the food; choose a wine that has a similar flavor to the meal.
Many times choosing a wine may not be as simple because of the way the food is prepared and the type of sauce that is served with it. These exceptions should not intimidate the average wine drinker with a few easy guidelines. If you have a love for food then the pleasure can be doubled by drinking the perfect wine with your meal.
- Fish - (plain grilled or fried dry or medium whites that shouldn't overpower the fish.
- Shellfish - crisp, dry white like Chablis, dry riesling, sauvignon blanc or Champagne.
- Poultry - pinot noir and mature cabernet sauvignon are mouthwatering with roast chicken or turkey. If choosing a white, try something medium bodied and tasty like a vouvray, chardonnay or medium-dry German wine. The richness of duck needs a rich wine (red or white) with full favour.
- Game & red meat- the classic combination is with full, mature, red wines of high quality - Burgundy, Bordeaux, Ch’teauneuf-du-Pape or a new-world equivalent.
- Lamb- a fairly firm, robust red with some acidity, like Chianti, Rioja or zinfandel.
- Chinese food - spicy whites such as gewurztraminer or off-dry riesling.
- Indian or other spicy food - water, beer, or very cold, semi-sweet whites.
- Cheese - there are many good cheese and wine matches - mature cheddar and mature red wine, port with stilton, goats' cheese with sauvignon blanc, sweet wine with creamy cheeses are all classic pairings. Avoid reds that are very tannic and whites that are heavily oaked.
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