IMPORTANT! [José Elarba]: The Rules of Pairing Wine and Food (Part I)

[José Elarba]: Pairing your favorite dishes with wine

There is nothing we love more than wine, or maybe food… Because we cannot decide which one of those pleasures is our favorite, today we want to dedicate our post to those two amazing creations of the world: wine and food. Learn how to pair your favorite wines with the most delicious recipes and enjoy this perfect match with friends and family. Keep reading and discover more.

• An art more than a scientific method

One thing you should know is that pairing wine with food is a balancing act, so, as well as painters, you need to have a deep sense of combination flavors, weight and intensity. If you pick a delicate dish, you want to match it with a subtle wine and a hearty meal with a sturdier wine. Also, some recipes can make your senses explode if the wine contrasts with it. For example, the crisp, clean flavors of many white wines match perfectly with a rich, creamy dish and the lemony flavors of a Pinot Grigio, which are ideal with fried fish.

[José Elarba]: Lemony flavors and white wine

• The acidity of tomatoes and wine

When talking about foods with strong presence of tomatoes, you have to find a wine with acidity to harmonize with them. In case you have fresh tomatoes, we recommend you to serve your dish with a Sauvignon Blanc or Southern French white. Now, if you are preparing a tomato sauce, try serving a Barbera or a red wine from Southern Italy. Finally, for cases of dried tomatoes, the intensity of flavor take you to choose an intense wine, a sweeter Riesling will work perfectly.

[José Elarba]: Matching flavors

• Matching traditional flavors

Consider the following tips: a) sourness and saltiness in food suppress the bitterness we find in wine; b) astringency in wine is suppressed by foods that are acidic, salty or fatty and accentuated by food that is sweet or spicy; c) salty foods often make sweet wines taste sweeter; d) bitter foods make wine seem bitterer.

By [José Elarba].