At a dinner party one should eat wisely but not too well, and talk well but not too wisely - W. Somerset Maughan (1874-1965)
Pure and simple for now:
- Sauvignon Blanc with Salmon
- Oak with Smoke - When eating something smoky, drink a nice oak flavored Chardonnay
- Spice with Spice - If you've found a nice spicy Pinot Noir, save it for that next spicy dish you're serving at home, like sausage.
- Earthy wine with earthy flavors - if you find a Merlot you like that tastes a bit like dirt, then either throw it out, or eat with an earthy dish like Mushrooms.
Also try pairing wines and foods according to the seasons - light bodied wine with the heat of summer and the accompanying foods, more fuller bodied wine with the hearty winter and it's accompanying foods.
An easy guide to pairing wine and food
| Body |
White Wine |
Food |
| Light |
Riesling, Pinot Grigio |
Salads and seafood |
| Medium |
Sauvignon Blanc |
Salads, seafood, and poultry
|
| Heavy |
Chardonnay |
Poultry, heavier fish, pork |
| Body |
Red Wine |
Food |
| Light |
Pinot Noir |
Poultry, heavier fish,pork |
| Medium |
Merlot, Sangiovese |
Poultry, pork, beef, wild game |
| Heavy |
Cab Sav, Bordeaux |
Lamb, beef, wild game |
For a multi-course meal, with multiple wines you should always plan to serve whites to reds so that you go lighter tasting to bolder tasting wines, light bodied to full bodied so that you have a chance to savor and enjoy each type of body flavor one not over powering the other, and that you go young to old so that the well aged smooth and scrumptious wine is what you save for last, and is the taste that you have swirling around your mouth for the longest time.
