Hi, Marty Richardson here. Welcome! I am going to start in on food and wine combinations.

Start With The Bottom Line

Now don’t panic. I am not a wine connoisseur, so this shouldn’t be terribly complicated, but maybe for some people it will be. Entire books are written on food and wine combinations so, there are a lot of customs, a lot of “laws”, and a lot of rules. But after looking at as much information as I could stand, it all comes down to your personal taste. Look, buy some wine that you like. If you have had it before and you think it is good, buy it. Cook a great meal, invite some interesting people to dinner and have a good time. Ok, that is it, thanks!

The Most Basic Rules

OK, you knew I had more to say than that. And I do. So here goes. Everybody knows the basic rule that red wine goes with red meat.

Fish, poultry and white meat goes with white wine. Everybody has heard that rule, I am sure. But while that may be true, it is not always true. There are all different types of wines now and there are some extremely assertive white wines that could overpower a fish or a pork dish like roast pork loin. You have to let your own taste buds be your guide.

Ask For Help

Now, the next thing that you could do is create your menu based on all the tips that I have given you so far, and then consult with someone who knows better. Probably better than me. There’s a very good chance you will find somebody who knows more about it than me. Whether it is a friend of yours or whether it is the wine merchant or whether it is your liquor store owner (beware of the liquor store that only has boxes of wine or screw off caps), but even then, they might know more than me.

Proper Pairing

The second suggestion that I have for you is what you are trying to do it pair the two. You don’t want your food to overpower your wine and you don’t want your wine to overpower your food. That is the reason why you’ve got the white wine, white meat – red wine, red meat rule. Generally, fish and poultry recipes are more on the light side. Your red meat and beef combinations are generally more hearty, so that is where this basic rule comes from. But for every rule, you get exceptions. What about Chicken Cacciatore? Let’s say you made the dish with a chicken breast. You have a nice mild, white meat and a very assertive, acidic sauce. You would probably serve a red wine in that instance.

Three Basic Characteristics

There are three basic qualities that you are looking for. The first quality is “body”, whether the wine is light or heavy (that is basically how it tastes in your mouth). The second quality is the “intensity” of the wine (whether it is bold and assertive or it is delicate and mild) and the third quality is the flavor characteristics. Is the wine dry or is it fruity? Now, with a lot of American wines, all you have to do is read the label and the vineyard will probably describe these characteristics on the back of the bottle. Foreign wines are not as likely to advertise in this manner.

Is Wine A Condiment?

Look, bottom line here, is your wine should compliment your food like a condiment. Is that confusing? Well, it may be, but I hope not.