You’ve conjured up a nice meal for yourself and your loved ones and now you are asking yourself which wine harmonizes with which food? This question is often asked - and just as often it becomes a controversial topic amongst wine lovers. It must be said that the well-known rules are often a thing of the past and do not always need to be followed too strictly! Sometimes it can even be very useful to modify these rules to create a new taste experience. So if you like a sweet white wine with a hearty roast or a tannic red wine with fish, then go for it!
However, if you do not know which wine to serve and want to play more on the safe side, the following tips will help you create a balance between food and wine:
Poultry and fish are traditionally served with white wine, while roasts and red meats are served with red wine. If this is too boring for you, you can also include other factors in the choice. For example, the sweetness or acidity of a dish, the time of year or the emphasis on certain flavors in the meal.
Do sweet and sweet go together? That's only partially true. When it comes to sweetness, be careful, because too much of a good thing is never good. A sweet dish requires an even sweeter wine, otherwise the good drop quickly becomes too dry, just don’t overdo it! A sour dish, on the other hand, should not be combined with a sour wine. Here, the acidity adds up and is intensified.
Salty dishes with white meat or fish, and herbaceous, light sauces, serve a dry or even tart sparkling wine, that is, anything between naturally tart (brut nature) and dry (Sec).
Some like it spicy, but care should be taken with spicy dishes. No heavy, alcoholic wine should be served with such food, as the alcohol intensifies the impression of spiciness and therefore not only distorts the taste of the food, but almost paralyzes the palate. Hot dishes are best accompanied by strong white wines, for example a Riesling. If you want to serve very spicy dishes with a sparkling wine, keep in mind that carbonic acid increases the spiciness.
If you want to serve a wine according to the season, a fruity, light wine is suitable for a summer barbecue and a rather heavy, tannin-rich red wine for a cozy evening in front of the fireplace in winter.
You can also pay attention to alcohol content, acidity and residual sugar when choosing a bottle. A high alcohol content can accentuate the spice and sweetness of a dish, while sweet wines reduce the impression of bitterness. If you like salty food, expect the flavors and bitterness of a wine to be more noticeable.
Whether red or white wine, or perhaps a rosé is preferred, it is ultimately up to each person. However, a break with dusty rules can definitely lead to interesting taste impressions, and of course it is always more enjoyable when the bottle is customized with your own personally etched message. So continue to swing your wine glass calmly and with vigor, smell the wine, breathe its history, celebrate the first sip... The taste of wine can only get better as a result!