‘A meal without wine is called breakfast’ is a common saying in the wine world.
Wine and food are meant to be, but most persons don’t really know too much about wine. So what exactly do you need to know about wine and food matching in order to enjoy it? If you are not planning to be a Master of Wine, a Master Sommelier or do any other formal wine certification, then you really don’t need to know too much in order to have some fun.
The first rule of wine and food pairing is that there are NO rules. Drink what you like with what you like to eat. However, there are a few guidelines that will make the experience much more enjoyable. Long gone are the days of “white wine with fish and red wine with meat”.
For the most part, food changes the taste of wine, so we will want to consider what we will be eating in order to select a wine to go with the meal. There are some wine lovers among us, though, who choose the wine first and then find something to eat with it.
Some believe that the wine should make the food taste better, while others believe that the wine should taste the way the winemaker intended and the food should taste the way the chef intended, in other words, wines should complement, not dominate food. Which school of thought are you from?
Balance is what we are attempting to achieve; neither the wine nor the food should overpower each other. The primary factors to consider in doing a pairing are to weigh the flavour and intensity of the food to the flavour and intensity of the wine. The more powerful and flavourful the food, the greater the flavour and intensity the wine will need to be in order for the pairing to remain in balance.
Source: www.jamaicaobserver.com
