Perfect food and wine pairings - Au Droit de Bouchon

Published : 2020-10-02 11:50:24
Categories : Wine

To taste a wine is first of all to ensure the best conditions to let it deliver its full potential, in order to enjoy its whole array of flavors. We address here the matter of ancient wine tasting, which deserves even more of a preparation effort before serving.

But when drinking a fine wine during a meal, it is important to know that a red or white wine agrees more or less with specific types of dishes. How to perfectly combine your wine with the meal you are about to enjoy ? It's exactly what we will discuss here.

The importance of a perfect food and wine pairing

It is important to say first that these flavor combinations will depend on every one's palate and will be enjoyed differently from a person to another. However, certain tips are still reliable values when it comes to wine tasting. There are some good habits to have to ensure a perfect food and wine pairing.

A powerful red wine will be perfectly highlighted by a rather spicy and flavorful red meat dish.

A more subtle red wine will agree perfectly with a red or white meat dish. Enjoyable through cheese tasting as well.

Sweet white wines are recommended with sweet dishes, main course or dessert.

A bottle of dry white wine will go nicely with a seafood or shellfish platter.

A full-bodied white wine will agree perfectly with a fish-based meal or starter.

A few combinations must be avoided, the pairing of which will not go well :

white wine and red meat (golden rule) or strong cheese
red wine and fish or crudités

It is important to know that a wine tasting order should be followed in order to prepare the palate correctly and enjoy the flavors offered by different bottles.

If there is an effervescent wine, it should be presented at the earliest stage of the meal. For white wine, a sweet wine is to be served after a dry wine to avoid diminishing the latest. For red wine, the full-bodied bottle will come after a lighter one. For rosé, it must be served before the red wine. Same goes for white wine.

Finally, it would be logical to start with a quite acidic wine and end with a sweet wine.

Dish types

Starters

Invited to a restaurant or a hearty dinner, it is time to choose a starter and you think a wine would be perfect to enjoy it with. You would be right ! But how can you choose ? Indeed, a starter can take many shapes with varying compositions.

Southwestern Foie gras = Monbazillac, Sauternes, Loupiac, Barsac
Charcuterie = Côte de Blaye, Chinon, Saumur Champigny, Vouvray
Fish Carpaccio = Sancerre, Pouilly-Fuissé, Alsace Gewurztraminer, Chablis
Mixed Salad = Crozes Hermitage blanc, Chinon
Oysters = Chablis, Sancerre, Riesling, Champagne

Main course

Then comes the main course, most nourishing and substantial part of the meal. During a meal, the main course can be extremely diverse and it is necessary to find a fitting wine to ensure the best conditions in order to enjoy your dish... and your wine !

Red meat

Lamb curry = Château Chalon, Vin Jaune, Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas
Beefsteak with pepper sauce = Vacqueyras, Hermitage, Chassagne-Montrachet, Saint-Emilion
Rib steak with Roquefort sauce = Saint-Joseph, Saint-Emilion, Crozes-Hermitage
Bordeaux-style undercut = Pessac-Léognan, Chambolle-Musigny, Saint-Estèphe, Médoc
Provençal-style Sautéed lamb = Côtes du Rhône, Languedoc, Saint-Emilion

White meat

Veal blanquette with morels = Volnay, Chambolle-Musigny, Pomerol, Margaux
Tenderloin with mustard = Côtes-du-Rhône, Ventoux, Crozes-Hermitage
Rabbit « à la forestière » = Saumur-Champigny, Fronsac, Chambolle-Musigny, Volnay
Chicken supreme = Hermitage, Château-Chalon, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Puligny-Montrachet

Fish