Finding the perfect wine to go with your favourite sweet and savoury foods is often a little daunting. There is so much to consider and we all know that getting it wrong can affect the taste of the wine and the food negatively.
Let us rescue you from the chance of this ever happening again with this hampers.com handy guide to helping you through the process of effective food and wine pairing. Let's bring out the best flavours in both on every occasion ...it's time to read on.
introducing red, white, rosé, sparkling and dessert wines
understanding different types of wine
To start with, it is important to understand the different types of wines available using the broadest categorisation, i.e. its colour:
Red wine is made with black grapes and is red or perhaps more accurately a dark purple in colour. This can range from quite light to very dark and deep. Three main subcategories of red wine include fruity dry, herbal dry and sweet, although there are hundreds of more variations running through this scale.
White wine is predominantly produced using white grapes, although black grapes without their skin can also be used on occasion. They range from a very pale green colour through to a more cream and peach. White wines can generally be categorised into sweet – which includes the likes of Riesling or Gewürztraminer – and dry – Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Blanc, for example.
Rosé wine, like red wine, is produced from black grapes, but where the skins of which are all removed during the process, before the wine is stained pink with the use of some skin. It can also be made by blending red wine and white wine. Both of these processes give rosé its characteristic pink hue, again which can vary from pale to darker.
There are also sparkling wines. These can either be red, white or rosé. The sparkle is thanks to a secondary fermentation involved in the winemaking process producing bubbles. This make it fizzy and hence why sparkling wine is often referred to as 'fizz'. Many drinkers wrongly assuming all sparkling wine to be ‘Champagne’. However, this is a protected name and can only be used when referring to sparkling wine from the Champagne wine region in France. The same is true of Prosecco which can only be named so if it is produced in nine designated regions in northeastern Italy.
Finally, there is dessert wine. This is a predominantly sweet wine. The winemaking process involves fortifying wine with spirits. They come in both red and white. Port is also sometimes considered a red dessert wine.
an introduction to wine pairing
While these are the main types of wine, knowledgeable wine lovers will know that the world of wine is as vast as the vineyards in which they are created. There is a different tipple for every occasion...a separate glass to suit all moods.
The versatility of wine must be, at least in part, credited for its popularity. Whether you are having a glass with dinner, a wine and cheese-themed night or are sharing a bottle at the bar, there is something out there for everyone.
Much like there is a wine for every occasion, there is also food to go with every wine. Before choosing any food and wine pairing, you need to identify the basic flavours and tastes involved in the different types of wines. Whilst there are five main types of wine and a plethora of different varieties, the flavours can be narrowed down to three categories for wine pairing. There are red wines which tend to be more bitter, sweet wines which unsurprisingly are sweeter and then more acidic wines which consist of whites, rosés and sparkling varieties.
how to pair wine and food
Generally speaking, you can choose to go one of two ways with your wine pairing:
- you can either combine similar flavours, amplifying the shared tastes in the wine and food
...or... - you can contrast flavours that complement and magnify each other, like a sweet white wine with a spicy dish.
These different methods are often referred to as ‘congruent’ (option no 1.) or ‘complementary’ (option no. 2).
Now, on to the crux of the matter. Here are the rules to follow when choosing a food and wine pairing.
the wine should always be more acidic than the food itself
Simply put, if you are having acidic food, such as anything with lemon juice or vinegar – you should opt for a wine that is even more acidic than the meal. The food will bring out the flavour in the wine that may have otherwise been too overbearing if paired with anything else. Meanwhile, the taste of less acidic wines will be under appreciated due to the intensity of the meal. Champagne is a good choice with acidic foods.
the wine should always be sweeter than the food it's paired with
Following a similar logic, the wine should always be sweeter than the food because if the food is sweeter than the wine, then the wine will lose its flavour. This applies to spicy food too. If you don’t want to enhance the spiciness of the food, then you’re safer pairing a hot meal with a sweeter wine. However, spice can also make a good red wine food match. A full-bodied red goes fantastically with foods that are mildly spiced.
Unsurprisingly for desserts, the same rule applies. The wine should always be sweeter than your choice of pudding. This ensures the flavour comes through and prevents any bitter taste.
To this end, you should avoid mixing desserts with wines high in tannin (a chemical compound found in the grapes) as these will likely taste bitter. For chocolate (a popular choice of what to eat with red wine), a sweet red is indeed one of your best options, both of which can be found in The Classic Food and Drink Hamper – where melt-in-the-mouth chocolates are mixed with a Royal Road Malbec.
matching flavour intensity is important
While you can choose to pair congruent or complementary flavours, it’s prudent to mix wines that have the same flavour intensity as the food. Delicate flavours should be matched with delicate wines, whilst bold flavours should be paired with bold, rich wines. For example, bold-flavoured meat (such as steak) should be twinned with a heavy red wine. However, a delicate, lightly floral white will go well with chicken or fish, for example.
salty meals allow for a choice of pairing options
For salty meals you can choose which pairing method your prefer. An acidic wine, like a Champagne or some Sauvignon Blancs for example, complement the saltiness of a meal and will be enhanced by it. However, you can also choose to pair salty food with a sweet wine, as you will experience a burst of flavours from both.
cheese and wine - a great pairing experience
If you are unfamiliar or have very little experience of food and wine pairing then a cheese board is a good place to start. One might automatically think of red wine when it comes to pairing wine with cheese, but white wine can also work well as it doesn’t overpower the more delicate cheeses. Red wine goes brilliantly with strong smelling, firm cheese, like a gouda or cheddar. And of course, port and stilton is a timeless classic.
If you want to experiment, you can create a varied cheese board by mixing a bold flavoured cheese with one that is more delicate, as well as a cheese which is more sweet or more salty. Using the guidance above you can then choose a selection of wines to see how each pairs with the cheese it should ideally complement. See if you have got it right - and the difference in taste when you get it wrong!
Did you know 25th of July is National Wine and Cheese Day?
As an example good pairing, you’ll find a bottle of Las Carolinas Garnacha in our Classic Red Wine and Cheese Gift Box. This is Spanish red full of flavour but wonderfully balanced by Mouse House's caramelised onion cheddar which is a little sweet but bold in flavour.
explore perfectly paired wine and food hampers
Many of our favourite hampers allow you to try your own food and wine pairings. They are also perfect for gifting to loved ones for a celebration, to say thank you or simply 'just because'.
We carefully select food items to go alongside our specially chosen wines to bring out the flavours in the selection of products. Take a closer look at our Gourmet Cheese and Wine Gift Hamper, for example and also The Regency Hamper.