How to Do Food and The White Wine Pairings
Posted by admin | Wine Ratings | Posted on January 21st, 2012
When I came to Long Beach, I knew no one, so it took awhile before I started entertaining, nor did I know the first thing about white wine pairings. Being a woman, for some reason puts the pressure on you to know how to either cook or at least pair up foods. So it took some research and some trial and error, but I finally have my hard-earned knowledge. And the good news is I want to share it with you!
When you’re pairing white wine with food, take into consideration what you are preparing (or ordering, if it’s catered). A good place to start is with appetizers. The advantage of that is appetizers are more flexible and work well with most white wines, including Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, dry Riesling and Gew?rztraminer.
If you’re serving salty, sour or bitter foods, or protein-rich or fatty foods, tannic white wines are a good choice. Acidic white wines will work well with acidic, salty, oily, and fatty foods. If it is a sweet white wine, pair it with moderately sweet foods. If it is a dry white wines, it will go well with creamy or salty foods, and some Asian foods. Finally, if it’s a full-bodied white wine, it will pair well with heavy foods, just as light wines pair well with more delicate foods. As you can begin to see, wines tend to pair well with foods that have similar flavors.
While the conventional wisdom when preparing a dinner and white wine pairing is “white meat with white wine.” That would include chicken, turkey, pork and fish. While that is a safe choice, have some fun with it. Consider some dark meats like duck or veal, or even lamb.
While you should also try white wines pairings with seafood, I’ve found that seafood can get a little tricky. Sauces are part of it. If a cream sauce is used on the seafood, you may find that it works well with a Chardonnay. However, seafood in a lighter non-cream sauce goes better with a dry Riesling. Shellfish, crab, shrimp, and lobster are complemented by a Chenin Blanc. And most any seafood can be paired with Sauvignon Blanc.
To wrap things up, this has been brief but I hope it’s helpful. You just need to consider what dish you’re creating or having. Don’t always follow traditional white wine pairing standards; experiment a bit. And be sure to pay close attention to white wines and seafood. With these tips, you will make the flavor of your dish and white wine pairings work well together.
