Pairing Food and Wine

At March's Women for Wine Sense tasting "Food and Wine Pairing" was the topic.  Here are the pointers I'd like to pass on to help you make a more perfect match.

1. Geography.  Pair food and wine from the same region.  ie.  If you are having an Italian meal then try an Italian wine (Chianti is quite popular for pairing). 

2.  Sameness. Consider what is driving the food (ie. cream sauce).  Pair this food characteristic with a wine having the same characteristic.  This sameness would make them compatable.  A light fish will go with a light wine (ie. Pinot Gris), or chicken with a butter sauce would pair well with a buttery Chardonnay.  You can also consider acidity to acidity - pairing a Chianti to a tomato sauce.

3.  Contrast.  Again, consider what is driving the food and pair this food characteristic with a wine having the opposite characteristic.  The best example of this is Asian, spicy food with Riesling. 

4.  Flavor Intensity.  If the food is bold then select a bold wine.  If the food is light/delicate choose a light wine.
     Most people can determine the intensity of food, but have a more difficult time determining the intensity of wine.  For the latter, the sommelier leading the tasting put it in perspective by equating wine to milk.  Consider the various milk options - skim, 1%, 2%, whole, half-and-half, cream, and heavy cream.  With skim milk being low intensity and heavy cream being bolder.  If you consider your wine to be that of "cream" then you have a more intense wine to pair with a more intense food.  ie. Red Zinfandel with Mexican food.  

Other notes to consider:  

1. Food amplifies the oak in wine.  Do not pair an oakie wine with delicate food, it will be overpowered.  Rather pair it with grilled food. 

2.  Salt is exaggerated by tannins.  Do not salt the food too much or a tannic wine will make it taste saltier.  

3.  Wines that have more tannins are best served with protien-rich and fatty foods (ie. steak).  

4.  Tannic wines tend to taste more mouth-drying when paired with spicy foods. 

So those are the basics to help you pair food and wine.  When all else fails, and you don't know what wine to pair with your food, go with the wine you enjoy.  Or, you can experiment ... so much wine, so little time!