For some, finding that perfect wine and food pairing can be an overwhelming and intimidating task. Sure, you can always fall back on that “trusty” rule of white wine with white meat and red wine with red meat, but is that really the best that you can come up with? How about replacing those two thoughts with two new ones that are just as easy to remember? Next time you are trying to pick a wine for dinner think these two words- complement and contrast. The concept is simple. You can complement the flavors of the dish with a wine of similar style or you can contrast the dish with something that will off-set the flavors. For example, if you were serving a Spicy Beef Burrito you could complement the dish by pairing it with a spicy wine like Zinfandel or you could contrast the spiciness with an off-dry Riesling. We like options! This is the easiest way to pair wine, although there are other things you can consider to really find that perfect match. We’ve compiled a list of four different components to consider when pairing wine and food that will help you become the envy of all your friends.

The Texture of the Food
Like wine, food has many different textures and mouth feel. Ideally, you want to pair food textures with wine textures. For example if you had a mixed green salad with a citrus vinaigrette you would want to pair something that is going to be light and dry as well. Perhaps a crisp New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. But if you were having Prime Rib you would want to match the rich texture of that with a rich, full-bodied wine. Simple so far, right?

Intensity of Flavors
The key to not having the food over power the wine or vice versa is to match power with power. If you have a softer more delicate food, you would want to pair it with a softer wine. If you have a big, boldly flavored item, you would need to match the intensity with a wine of similar characteristics. Now this still falls under the complement/contrast rule because you are simply matching intensity of the wine to the food and not specific flavors. If you choose a wine that is too light for an item, it will be “washed” out and end up tasting like nothing more than overpriced water.

Photo by LaTur.