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Now
that you have successfully passed Easy Food &
Wine Chemistry 101, it's time for
the next lesson. What do these
different components of wine mean for
pairing food with
wine?
Sugar
- A lot of people have the misconception that
off-dry or slightly sweet wines are for woosies
who don't really like wine. If you are not a
woosie, and you like big, bold foods, make
these wines your friend. That sugar is about
the best thing to stand up to hot, spicy or
salty flavors.
Alcohol - My tip here is more
on what to avoid, than what to do. If you have
a wine that's 'hot' - meaning it has a high
alcohol level that burns your palate like a
hard liquor does - it's going to be really hard
to pair with food. Stick with wines where the
alcohol doesn't show through.
Acid - Getting the right
balance of acidity is a key part of cooking as
well as food and wine pairing. Like salt, if
you don't have enough acidity in a dish, it
just tastes flat. If you don't have enough
acidity in your wine, it may have a pleasant
enough taste on its own, and it's most likely
going to also taste flat with food. Opt for
wines that have a good acid structure that's
appropriate for your dish.
Tannin - One of the
primary characteristics of tannin is that they
bind or shrink proteins. Which means they
interact in a special way with protein-heavy
foods, such as aged cheeses and rich, red
meats. The tannin also helps cut through the
fat of these foods, making both the rich food
and the strong wine more palatable and
enjoyable together. Wines with low levels of
protein are generally more suitable for white
wines (no tannin) or low-tannin red
wines.
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Food Wine New Year's
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