Food and wine – two tasty, exciting, and encapsulating words. But how to combine the two auspiciously to create a flavour explosion that can rejuvenate your palate?
From rich reds to light whites and sweet rosés to a little fizz, there are so many wines on offer to explore and a world of possibilities with food, from spicy to sour, sweet to savoury. The opportunities are expansive when combining the two.
Food and wine pairing isn’t anything new it has been happening for centuries, with wine often being the drink of choice over water because it was a safer option at one time.
The wines available on the consumer market continue to grow as people buy and demand more delicious wines. Whether you’re a lover of a humble white, alize passion liqueurs, a fancy Champagne fan or a budget-friendly Crémant, you will know that there is just so much on offer that it can be hard to know what wine to pair which with food. Flavours are complex, and getting them right can be challenging.
Worry not as we are here to help you! We’ll cover some basics and discuss our top five food and wine pairing recommendations. With these pairings, you can host a dinner party or event and offer wines and foods beautifully paired.
Crémant with creamy pasta and prawns
When pairing Crémant with food, you need to think of seafood, salt and aperitifs. Foods that will allow the fizz of the Crémant to dance on your palate and leave an exceptional taste behind.
Salt breaks down because of the bubbles in Crémant when in the mouth, and the acidity pairs well with rich and creamy foods.
With this in mind, why not try creamy garlic and prawn linguine. After all, you can’t go wrong with pasta, and the seafood with the rich, creamy sauce will highlight the exceptional, popular features of the Crémant.
Chablis and Oysters
Sticking with the seafood theme and running with a white wine this time, let’s consider why oysters and Chablis are a marriage made in heaven.
When the grapes that produce Chablis are grown, you will often find fossilised remains of oysters in the soil – so it is no wonder these two pair so well. The stark dryness of a Chablis combined with Oysters served with lemon, vinegar, or any other acidic dressing will have you saying wow.
Pinot Noir and Peking Duck
Perhaps you are serving up a Chinese feast and looking for the perfect wine to pair with your Peking duck. Look no further than a Pinot Noir.
The moderate flavour intensity of both matches well, complimenting one another. Pinot Noir is linear in flavour, and its acidity works well with balancing out the fatty and greasy features of Peking Duck.
Serve up a Chinese feast with this mouth-watering main and an excellent quality Pinot Noir to delight your guests.
Sauvignon Blanc and Goat Cheese
We have catered for seafood and meat lovers, but what about the veggies lovers? Do not fear there’s a perfect wine to match with some heavenly goat cheese. Serve up with some figs and balsamic, and you’re onto an excellent dish.
Sauvignon Blanc and goat cheese complement one another exceptionally well. No matter how aged the cheese is or the type of Sauvignon Blanc you use, you can rest assured this dish and wine pairing will be a hit.
Chenin Blanc and apple crumble
We have covered starters and mains – the only thing left? Desert! Arguably the best part of dinner! And what better way to enjoy desert than the classically British and beautifully delicious apple crumble.
Apple crumble pairs exceptionally well with Chenin Blanc because its acidity and inherent sweetness complement dishes that involve a little sweet and little sour. So the tartness of the apples mixed with the sweet, crumble top makes an apple crumble the perfect dish! Add some custard or cream to make the most out of this pairing.
To round it up
So, there you have our top 5 food and wine pairings. Follow our hints and tips, get to know the basics and make sure you explore and experiment with flavours and matches.
Wine and food pairing is an excellent way to reveal inner creativity and put your wine connoisseur abilities to the test. Enjoy whatever you come up with and host the best dinner parties in town with your newfound food and wine pairing knowledge.
