3 Simple Things to Know when Pairing Food with Wine
When it comes to the science behind food and wine pairings, three terms come up: acidity, sweetness and tannins. Not all wines are acidic or sweet, and definitely, not all wines have tannins. Still, these three factors in wine have the most impact on successful food and wine pairings.
#1 Acidity Matters
Acidity in wine makes food taste more vibrant; just like adding a squirt of lime over your fish, a little bite in wine goes a long way.
Acidic food, such as tart vinaigrettes or citrus-based dishes, like ceviche, are incredibly hard to pair with wine. Why? Because when the food is more acidic than the wine, it makes it taste not very interesting and watered down. This is why most seafood, salads, and other fresh, often acidic food goes best with rosé and white wine — two wines styles with notable acidity.
Pro Tip: Acidity makes food taste better. Always make sure your wine is more acidic than the food.
Example: Summer salads with tangy feta, citrus fruit and summer berries have a lot of tart ingredients. These colorful salads pair beautifully with PairME Wine’s rosé.
#2 Tannins, Wine’s Gritty Bitties
Tannins are plant-based gritty particles present in the stems and skins of the grapes. There are tannins in oak barrels as well. It turns out red wines, which are fermented with the grapes’ skins and aged in oak casks, have plenty of tannins.
Tannins cause an attractive drying sensation in your mouth, but they also play a role in food and wine pairings. Tannins bind with protein and fat molecules in food, countering and balancing them.
Pro Tip: Beef steaks and other fatty food go great with red wines with elevated tannins. Leaner meat calls for rounder red wines with fewer tannins.
Example: Enjoy a thick, char-grilled rib-eye with a glass of PairME Wine’s Cabernet-Syrah, especially if the meat has an attractive marbling.
#3 Sweetness, A Little Does The Trick
Although most modern wines are dry, all wines have at least a few grams of residual sugar. Sweet and semi-sweet wines, of course, can be noticeably sweet. Well, sweetness in wine plays a role in food and wine pairings as well.
Sweetness in wine balances acidity, and it also counters heat from chili peppers. Of course, this goes both ways; sweet food pairs best with tangy wines.
Pro Tip: If pairing sweet food with sweet wine, make sure the wine is always sweeter than your meal. Otherwise, the wine will taste too tart.
Example: Enjoy sweet but acidic food like a mango ceviche with a crisp, refreshing white wine with high acidity, like PairME Wine’s Melon de Bourgogne.
Food and Wine Pairing Made Simple - PairME Wines
At PairME wines, we’re all about making food and wine pairings easy. We’ve sourced some of the finest, best-valued wines from all over the world to give you fast and easy food-friendly wine alternatives for your every meal.
With PairME wines, you can choose the right bottle for dinner without worrying about getting it right. That way, you get to spend more time with your loved ones and share with them a wonderful time around the table. Wine should not be hard to enjoy! Of course, knowing why food and wine pairings work also helps, so here’s a quick guide to the simple science of food and wine pairings.
When In Doubt, Go For PairME Wines
There’s no doubt the science behind food and wine pairings is fascinating. And experimentation is critical to discover new and exciting pairings. Still, if you ever feel lost and need the perfect wine for your meal, explore PairME Wine’s collection.
We’ve done the science for you so you can sit back and enjoy!