Food & Wine Pairing
We all love food, we all love wine, but each experience can be greatly enhanced by the other. Think of all the incredible flavours that go together effortlessly like cherry and chocolate in a black forest gateaux, banana and toffee in banoffee pie or even apple and blackberry. It doesn’t matter which way you begin, whether you know what you’re having for dinner and want to add a glass of wine, or if you have a bottle you’ve been saving and want to compliment it with the perfect dish. Let’s look into flavour profiles in a little more detail.
So what do you need to look out for in a recipe when trying to pair with an excellent wine choice? It needs to create balance between the two, and this can be surprisingly simple to achieve. If you’re just starting your journey, here are the simplest of rules (all to be played with further down the line of course!)
- Pair reds with red meat and bold flavours
- Pair whites with lighter meat and fish
- Wines with plenty of tannins are balanced by fat in the dish
- Match with the sauce in the dish rather than the main event
As I said, these are the super simple rules to get you started but of course one of the most wonderful things about wine geekery is that your palate is entirely personal to you and so what tastes great to me, may not be your jam. Experimentation is the key, one more glass anyone?
Whatever dish you’re preparing, simplify it down to the basic tastes present. Is it sweet or salty? Does it have a high acidity or any spice? Is it light or rich? Remember to pay attention to the sauce of the dish as well as what the main event is, for example, you may be eating a fresh, crisp green salad but add in a French vinegarette and you’ve created something acidic to pair to your wine.
Here are some fantastic examples of food and wine pairing:
- Sushi & Pinot Noir
- Burgers & Cabernet Sauvignon
- Roast chicken & Viognier
- Sangiovese and tomato e.g. pizza
- Paella & Rioja
- Goats cheese tart & Sauvignon Blanc
- BBQ & Zinfandel (red or rose)
You can always pop in to ask a member of our team, we love to make recommendations! Browse all of our wine here and remember we offer 10% off when you buy any 6 bottles of wine.
Looking for something a little different? Find our recipe for the ultimate Sangria here.
Happy experimenting!
The innkeepers.