Menu Guide: The Perfect Wine and Food Match (Part 1)

The Perfect Wine Match for Your Food

Whether you are having a family party, engagement party or even corporate dinner – wine is almost always present, along with some food. Cooked or as a cocktail food, these bites must be complemented with the proper sip for the palate.

Here’s a guide that will help you pair the food with the right wine. Don’t fret, as this is not rocket science and you don’t need to be a wine connoisseur to get to the basics of this. Let’s begin.

Match the Wine to the Most Dominant Ingredient in the Dish

When considering the menu for an event, it is usually the food that we choose first, then the wine (not the other way around). So, once you’ve determined the food menu, identify the most prominent ingredient and begin from there.

Now is the time to sort out wines by their body – meaning, how light or rich and full-flavored they are. Full-flavored wines contain more tannins. The general rule of thumb is to treat food and wine as equal partners. The richer or heavier the food is, so should the wine follow. And vice versa, the lighter the meal, the lighter the wine.

Red wines are considered as the richer ones.  Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Bordeaux (red), Zinfandel, Barolo, Pinotage are medium to full flavored that tend toward red and berry fruits. Grenache, Pinot Noir, and Dolcetto are lighter sorts of red wines.

White wines tend to be lighter such as Pinot Grigio, Prosecco, Soave, Pinot Blanc (Bianco), Muscadet… Full-bodied white wines include Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Champagnes, Chardonnay…

Don’t hold to Only One Sort

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Of course, you don’t need to stick to only one wine sort, as there will not be only one type of food. Even as simple as the party may be, for the desserts at least, pick another suitable wine (usually white). At the end of the week, in our new post, we’ll give you examples of particular wines to pair the meal with.

Don’t Forget to Serve Them Right

If you are hiring a full-service caterer, then they should know which glasses the wines are to be served in. Red wine glasses are generally larger, rounder at the bowl opening. The complex aroma of the red wines is smoothed during the slight oxidation due to air exposure. White wines are fresher and lighter in their flavor and would not benefit from air exposure and oxidation as the red ones. The smaller bowl opening preserves their delicate aroma. They are often served a few degrees lower than the red ones.

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Part 2 coming soon.