Red or White... Know How to Choose the Right Wine

There is a lot to know about wine, so we certainly do not expect you to become a connoisseur over night, nonetheless, there are ways to learn which is which and just what wine we should drink with certain foods. Here's a tip for you; remember to note the characteristics of the wine on all sensory areas of the tongue. Sweetness is detected on the very tip of the tongue, while bitter tastes are sensed in the extreme rear. Saltiness is sensed on the front, upper sides of the tongue, and the acidity-sour taste is sensed mainly on the sides. Do you know how to choose the right type of wine according to the foods you eat?

Some suggest focusing your attention on one sensation at a time in order to be more efficient in your taste. Try taking a sip of wine and swallowing immediately. Then try another sip, this time letting the wine work well around the palate into these sensory areas before swallowing. You will recognize a noticeable difference in the intensity of flavors! The main rule to remember about pairing wine with food is that there are no rules: you should drink the wines you like with the foods you like. That being said, there are some basic guidelines that can help you maximize your enjoyment of wine-food pairing.

Do keep in mind that the right wine can enhance a dish to perfection. While there are no hard and fast rules on matching food and wine because it's ultimately a matter of personal taste, there are basic guidelines on what wine connoisseurs and food lovers consider make good choices. In this article, you'll learn about how to make wine choices that will complement the flavors of a meal. Check out these tips;

• A basic guideline is to 'Match' and 'Complement' the characteristics of food to the wine, or 'Contrast' or counterbalance overpowering characteristics. For example: Spicy foods with sweeter wine.
• Be aware that some wines can be spoiled by the introduction of certain food flavors, just as they can be enhanced. If you find that a wine you've always loved suddenly tastes less desirable, track down the food you paired it with, and try drinking it without food, before dismissing the wine outright. The right wine can enhance a dish to perfection. While there are no hard and fast rules on matching food and wine because it's ultimately a matter of personal taste, there are basic guidelines on what wine connoisseurs and food lovers consider make good choices. In this article, you'll learn about how to make wine choices that will complement the flavors of a meal.

• Match the weight & texture of the food to the weight & texture of the wine
  Example: A light-bodied fish like sole works best with a light-bodied white wine like pinot grigio, while a heavier-bodied fish like salmon calls for a richer, fuller-bodied white like chardonnay.



• Balance the intensity of flavors in the food and wine
  Example: A mildly flavored food like roast turkey pairs well with light-bodied white and red wines like sauvignon blanc and Beaujolais, but in the context of a Thanksgiving dinner featuring stuffing, cranberry sauce, and other strongly flavored side dishes, an intensely flavored white like gewürztraminer or a rich, fruity red like syrah or zinfandel would be preferable.

• Balance tastes  The five basic tastes are sweet, sour, salt, bitter and umami (the recently discovered fifth taste found in savory foods like mushrooms, tomatoes, soy sauce, and aged cheeses and meats). Salty and sour tastes in food make wines taste milder (fruitier and less acidic), while sweet and savory (umami) tastes make wines taste stronger (drier and more astringent).
  
  Example: A simple cut of beef tames the tannins and brings out the fruit of a young cabernet sauvignon, but chocolate (which some people enjoy with cabernet) will accentuate its tannins and diminish its fruit. Seasonings, such as salt, lemon, vinegar, and mustard, can be used to achieve balance in food-wine pairings, either to make the wine taste milder (salt, lemon, vinegar) or stronger (sugar or umami ingredients).



• Match flavors
  Flavors are combinations of tastes and aromas, and there are an infinite number of them. You can fine-tune food and wine pairings by matching flavors in the food and the wine.
  
  Example: Roast duck in a plum sauce is well-served by red wines, like barbera or syrah, with pronounced black plum flavors while grilled steak in a pepper sauce will go beautifully with a peppery zinfandel.



• Counterpoint flavors
  Sometimes, the best choice is to counterpoint flavors rather than matching them.
  
  Example: Pairing a spicy dish like Jamaican Jerk Chicken with a high-alcohol red wine may seem logical, but, in fact, the heat in the dish will ignite the alcohol in the wine to produce an unpleasantly hot, harsh impression. A better choice is a low-alcohol, fruity wine like Riesling or Gewurztraminer, which will both frame and tame the spicy flavors of the dish.

 Whether it be red or white wine that you choose to drink with your meal, enjoy it, and savor it. Don't hurry to finish the glass, endulge in it, and please do understand the unique taste!