Today's Wine Merchants Article

Demystifying the wine and food marriages

Living the Good Life by Jim& Della Bogaty owners Veramar Vineyard, Berryville, VA

Demystifying the wine and food marriages -- There is a pair for you!

Wine and food pairing is a highly subjective and should be fun. There is little mystique behind the marriage between wines and food, but there is some basic compatibility issues- just like people marriages. Wine brings pleasure with any food. Many types of wines can match with many a dish. People all have different palates, cultures and inclinations. Everyone can and will find their own wine and food combinations-- a pair that they will love.

Wine & food matching suggestions
You are more likely to hear food and wine pairing suggestions rather than hard and fast rules. There's considerable room for experimentation and expression of your own personality in pairing wine and food. If you want to talk "rules" of wine and food pairing, the standard is red wine with red meat, white wine with white meat. However, rules are meant to be broken. Wine is fun and drink what you like is always the best rule. Having said that, there are some general guidelines you may find helpful when selecting a wine to enhance your meal for that perfect marriage.

Think of wine as if it was a condiment it should compliment the food. Chardonnay works beautifully with fish because you are matching light to light. Otherwise a full-bodied, heavier wine will overpower a light, delicate dish, and similarly, a lighter style wine will not even register on your flavour meter if you sip it with a hearty steak or roast.

Wine action vs. food reaction
When you drink wine by itself it tastes one way, but when you take a bite of food, the wine tastes different. This is because wine is like a spice. Elements in the wine interact with the food to provide a different taste sensation. Sweet Foods like Italian tomato sauce and honey-mustard glazes make your wine seem drier than it really is, so try an off-dry (slightly sweet) wine to balance the flavour (Riesling or a white blend). Acid Foods like fish served with a squeeze of lemon go well with wines higher in acid (Seyval Blanc, Pinot Grigio). Bitter and Astringent Foods like a mixed green salad of bitter greens and charbroiled meats accentuate a wine's bitterness so complement it with a full-flavoured forward fruity wine like a Cabernet Franc. Big tannic red wines like Norton, and Shiraz wines will go best with your classic grilled steak, as the fat in the meat will tone down the tannin (bitterness) in the wine. Cheeses- in some European countries the best wine is reserved for the cheese course. Red wines -Cabernet Franc & Norton- go well with mild to sharp cheese. Pungent and intensely flavored cheese is better with a sweeter wine like Riesling. Goat Cheeses pair well with dry white wine Chardonnay or Seyval Blanc, while milder cheeses pair best with fruiter red wine. Soft cheese like Camembert and Brie, if not over ripe, pair well with just about any red wine including Cabernet Franc or a Merritage. Chocolate may upset the taste of wine. Some claim that a Cabernet Franc will do the trick for a perfect matching of wine and chocolate. Or just have wine as a dessert by its self, a Late Harvest Wine like a Vidal Blanc or Veramar DOra.

Wine tasting at your local Vineyard is a great way to try different wines and teach you wine favors. Or you can contact your local Virginia winery for a wine and food paring suggestion, they will be glad to make a wine and food marriage proposal for you. Cheers!

Short Review on Wine Merchants

The next Shiraz, varietal wines for Australia


Shiraz is the dominant red winegrape variety in Australia. It is the key component of Grange, the flagship Australian wine label. At the other end of ...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Recommended Wine Merchants Items

Bordex Wine Rack Wall Braces


Secure any large floor-standing racks to the wall and prevent them from toppling. function flashWindow(){ popup = window.open('/templates/3d_instructions.htm' '' 'height=566 width=781 scrollbars=no'); }Click here for an animated demo


Price: 6.95 USD



Wine Merchants in the news

Vinix: An Italian-born Social Network For Foodies Startup Review]

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:25:28 PDT
Editor’s Note: If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion in “The Startup Review” series, please see the details here. STARTUP DETAILS: Company Name: Vinix 20-word Description: Vinix is a wine and food social network. It gives you a blog platform and the ability to easily post videos, classifieds, photos, wine reviews and restaurant reviews. Everyone can subscribe for free and add contacts, choosing through professionals and passionates alike. Google Maps mashups for s

Stop and 'smell' the rosés: Great wine for spring (MSNBC)

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:15:26 PDT
TODAY wine columnist Edward Deitch shares some delicious pinks that are perfect for the season.

Classy wine bars fill the bill in New York (USA Today)

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:50:41 PDT
Restaurateurs in the nation's dining capital have discovered a tasteful method for coping with economic jitters and customers' lessening interest in formality: Open a wine bar or a stylish wine-centric restaurant.

Little Italy celebrates tasting fest (San Diego Daily Transcript via Yahoo! News)

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:16:10 PDT
The Little Italy Association announced its inaugural neighborhood food tasting festival, Taste of Little Italy, coming to be held from 5-9 p.m., Wednesday, May 14.

EU says Italian wine safe to drink - Xinhua

EU says Italian wine safe to drink Xinhua, China - Apr 7, 2008 Italian Agriculture Minister Paolo De Castro, speaking amid fears of heavy damage to Italy's wine industry, dismissed the case as a "storm in a wine glass. ...

Explore Greece's white wines for Orthodox Easter - Chicago Tribune

Explore Greece's white wines for Orthodox Easter Chicago Tribune, United States - 13 hours ago "That's like thinking of Italy only as pinot grigio." Perpera said the Greek attitude toward wine is rooted in its culture. "Wine for Greeks is part of ...

Kiona Wine
Wine Accessory
Chianti Region | Chianti Wine

Labels: Muscat Grape | Muscat Wine

&type=page">