Wine is a tremendously important component of a meal. It makes food more enjoyable and it is good for your health. In fact, health practitioners recommend consuming at least a glass of wine a day.
Enjoying your glass of wine will start with selecting the right bottle. Most people feel intimidated by the process involved in choosing wine. This does not need to be the case. Learning about wine is easy if you open yourself to the various possibilities and allow yourself to have fun.
If you are a real wine enthusiast and you have some money to spare, you can enroll for classes that offer lessons on wine.
In the meantime, if you are expecting guests for dinner and you want to wow them with your good taste in wine, the below expert-recommended guidelines ought to get you started:
1. Pair based on whether your Food is Heavy or Light
Wines have different origins and depending on the origin, the name you see on the bottle may be something you cannot pronounce.
The best way to get the best wine at the wine store is to start by asking yourself what you are serving for dinner. If your meal is heavy, such as a dish of beef and potatoes, you will need a heavy wine. If you are eating a light dish such as fish fillet, ask for a light wine.
Therefore, instead of trying to learn the names, just ask the wine-seller for a heavy wine or a light wine. He or she will recommend a couple of names and you can choose the best. Just to get you started, try a cabernet for a heavy wine and a Riesling for a light wine.
2. Pair based on Origin of both Wine and Food
Seafood goes well with wine that comes from a coastal area. Therefore, choose Tuscan wine for your seafood. If you have other foods that originate from Tuscany such as Tuscan olives or tomatoes, make them part of your dinner.
Foods that grow inland on the other hand, go well with wine from inland wineries. Choose a wine that comes from the Rioja wine region of Spain to go with your beef fillet or beef sticks and pork.
3. Choose based on Age
Seasonal foods such as vegetables pair well with young wines as both the fresh taste of the food and the fruity taste of the wine will blend well. Likewise, pair foods that take long to grow with older wine.
4. Color does not matter
You may have heard that you should only take white wine with seafood and take red wine with red meat. This does not always have to be so.
There are red wines that are quite light and go very well with seafood such as tuna, prawn, salmon or octopus.
5. Choose a Dry Wine for Fatty Foods
Fatty foods such as meats and creamy foods that have butter or cheese go well with dry wine.
Bottom-line: The fun in wine is in the enjoyment
Don’t be so hung up on the selection. Allow yourself to experiment, as it’s the only way you will get it right.
