Wine is good on its own, but matched with the right food, it becomes even better.
Food can taste great, and so can wine, but together, they can create magic! There are several types of food that goes well with several types of wine, but when you find just the right combination, a whole new world of flavors will arise. And sometimes the taste of both the food and the wine may alter substantially when they are consumed at the same time. It is quite exciting to try and fail a bit here on your own. You don´t have to be a master chef or create complicated dishes to experience this. Try to eat some matured ham together with some Champagne or other sparkling wine (a bit mature) and feel how the salty and rich ham highlights different tastes in the Champagne. Or try to drink a fruity Barbera or Chianti together with Italian salumi; it really makes the wine much better and more distinct.
A few important things to remember in the jungle of types of wine, recipes and recommendations could be: Strong and spicy food needs a fruity and even half dry (a bit sweet) wine. This due to the fact that the strong taste will impede or obstruct your taste buds so that a dry and powerful white wine will not taste good. A fruity Riesling is a great choice.
- Food with sauces based on cream or butter can handle wines that have tannins, are a bit more on the heavy side and dry. For example, a fish dish with beurre blanc (which is a sauce based on butter) would go very well with a dry and powerful white whine from the Chardonnay grape, possibly from France (where the sauce is from).
- A meat-based dish with a heavy gravy needs a fruity & heavy red wine, like for example a syrah
- A lighter meet based dish can be followed by a lighter red wine, but not too light, it still needs to pair/compete with the meet.
- White meat can have both light or heavy white wines or lighter red wines with it, all depending on the condiments.
- The same with a fish. The choice of wine depends on what you serve with the fish and how you prepare it.
Here are some great combinations:
| Bordeaux and lamb | Lamb and Chianti | Bordeaux and beef | Blue cheese and Port wine | Strawberry and Moscato di Asti | Cured Ham (Bellota) and mature Champagne | Salumi di Italiano and Chianti | Riesling and Sushi | Pasta with mushroom and Barolo | Asparagus with Hollandaise and Sancerre or white Burgundy | Beef with pepper sauce and a red wine from Rhone | White wine seared Mussels with French Fries and mustard mayo and a white Burgundy | Grilled/baked Chicken with baked unions and Barbera | Foie gras and Sauterne or Champagne | Feisty Red Curry from Thailand and a semi dry Riesling | Pork rib with basting or broth sauce and Barolo or Barbaresco, or a pinot noir from Burgundy | Confit du Canard with a red Burgundy | A strong, white cheese with a sweet and crispy Riesling | Crispy duc breast and Barbera d´Alba | Osso bucco and Barolo | Tartar (mixed the French way) with Champagne
The most important thing is to try and fail. Listen to tips and read about it, but taste for your self, get a feel for what you like and prefer. Taste and feel what the wine can do for your food and try to remember what you drink with what when you have great experiences.