There are a lot of wines that are being produced right this moment, as well as food. With that many choices, you could never pick out the best as there are just too many choices. If you're a newbie, the task can be daunting, but we are here to help you with that. The first thing you need to learn is the six basic flavors of food and wine alike. It will help you learn the perfect combination of each food and wine. The interaction of each pairing should be well-thought out so you can create balance and structure throughout the whole meal. Upon learning all the basic knowledge that you need, pairing each food with wine would be a breeze for sure.

Flavors

The art of pairing wine with food is just as hard as it is complex. It is worth taking note that there are six basic flavors across food and wine. Get to know them and it might just do the trick for you. One's goal is to create a balance between the wine and the food. In order to do that, you should know how these flavors combine to make it a perfect match.

Acid

This flavor is both common in wine and food. Fatty food fits perfectly with any kind of acidic wine. Also, take note that you can just about pair any kind of acidic food to any acidic wine, which is really convenient.

Fat

Not just a kind of nutrient, but also a flavor in many dishes as one of the most basic flavors out there. Fatty foods are really heavy, but with a wine that is high on alcohol or acid, you could just swing it like a breeze as the high alcoholic or acidic content can balance the interaction of the food and wine.

Bitterness

Tannins are compounds that can be found on wines that are responsible for creating bitterness. With the heavy bitterness, it is only right to pair it with a food that is just as sweeter as it is bitter, creating balance. You could also do it vice versa, pairing a bitter food with sweet wine.

Salt

Be careful with this one as having a food that is salty can be conflicting to a bottle of wine with high acidic content. The best kind of wine that will suit it perfectly are wines with low acidic content with a sweet flavor.

Sweetness

Sweet wines are naturally low on acid. They are also called dessert wines since they pair well with dessert.

Alcohol

There are wines that have high alcohol content. To balance it out, you need to pair it with fatty foods and sweet dishes.

Basic Combinations

Now that you've got to know the basic flavors, it's time to match them with what kind of wine would be perfect. There are timeless classic combinations out there and it never hurts to know at least some of them.

Asian food

Asian food commonly has a variety of spices and flavors. A sweet wine would be perfect for any kind of Asian food.

Dessert

As what is said earlier, sweet food is best accompanied by also sweet wine or dessert wine. If the dessert is made with dark chocolate, a full-bodied red wine would be best to pair the dessert.

Fish

Fish food is best with white wine. Salmon is also the best pair for acidic wine, dry but not sweet.

Fried

If the food is fried heavily, a lot of oil would come out, and so it's best to pair it with acidic wine.

Italian food

Italian food is commonly made with their signature sauce. With the sauce being acidic, it's also best to pair it with a wine that balances out the acidity of the dish.

Meat

Most hearty and meaty dishes are best accompanied by the best red wine. Vrai Canon Bouche is best with meaty dishes such as lamb, beef, pork, game, roasted chicken and the like. Medium bodied red wines are also good with the meaty dishes.

Takeaway

The art of pairing wine with the perfect food is not that simple as you think. There are a lot of rules and regulations in order for you to make the best meal. There are a lot of combinations that you can experiment on but you can't make them as successful discovery when you don't have any knowledge on the most basic fundamentals of pairing. Wines have a rich history so it's never wondering how there are so many kinds of wines out there, as long as innovation and creativity are led by people who have passion with wines. Winemakers don't just aim to satiate your thirst for wine, they also aim to make a simple meal to a perfect one.