Dare To Pair

On the occasion of being invited to dinner (aren’t you lucky) what usually follows is the standard ‘what can I bring?’ text. Everyone knows what the equally standard answer will be: ‘booze’. So off you dutifully trot to supermarket, to stand in front of the wine aisle; a glassy look in your eye and a slight twitch as you register the price tag. Well fear not: V & V to the rescue (not all heroes wear capes)!

I’d be kidding both you and myself if I said there was a foolproof way to choose the perfect wine for whatever occasion, but that’s not to say there’s no way of making your life a little easier. So, if you play by these 2 rules you’ll be on to a winner (promise).

Know what you like: fruity/not fruity/citrusy/not citrusy…the list of adjectives goes on and on.
Know what you’ll be eating: do your homework, find out what your kind host will be cooking (or if you’re cooking and trying to impress then problem solved). The wine/food relationship is just like Elizabeth Bennet’s and Mr. Darcy’s: misunderstanding can lead to tragedy, but with communication it’s pretty damn outstanding. Bottom line is, you’ve got to get the pairing right.

If the word ‘pairing’ has triggered a) cold sweats b) total bafflement or c) a long suffering sigh complete with an eye roll (excuse you), my apologies. This page will hopefully ease the Pain of Pairing, think of this as a Jeremy Kyle style intervention; I’m here to repair your wine/food’s fraying relationship. Below is a list of foods of all shapes, colours and sizes along with their ultimate boozy match, so your problems will be solved – no lie detector needed.

An Overview
Just as every student has a debt, every food has a theme. The most simple approach to pairing would be to use one of the general categories below:

Fatty/Creamy
Though not all of us like to admit it, it's true that most of our favourite foods have high levels of fat in them - particularly meats and dairy products. And while I love a good steak or carbonara as much as the next person, the wines they should be eaten with definitely need to fit a certain criteria: they need enough tannin and acid to be able cut through the texture of the fatty food, while also matching the richness of flavour of the food. No mean feat. This challenge, however, is easily taken on by Cabernet-based wines, as well as Chianti's and Rioja's.

Salty
Salt can be both a blessing and a curse. If acidity is in the equation then you're on to a winner, however tannin is considerably less wonderful since salt often makes it seem more bitter. So sparkling wines such as Champagne are ideal, as acidic whites like Sauvignon Blanc. Reds are a little trickier to work with, but Beaujolais' usually get the job done nicely since they're packed full of fruit flavour

Sweet
Sweet goes with sweet. Not exactly rocket science. So for any pud a good Sauterne or Ice Wine will definitely do the trick. Of course, as is the case with most things in life, this is not a black and white situation. There are varying degrees of sweetness even in savoury dishes (I site 'Sweet and Sour Pork' if you're not following...clue's in the name). In these instances it's all about the rich white wines, so get on it with the Chardonnay.

Acidic/Citrusy
There's pretty simple rule to follow here: if you're eating acidic food then you need to be drinking acidic wine. The acidity level of the wine must at least match that of the food's, or your tastebuds can wave good bye to any flavour that was supposed to be in the vino. Cool climate wines are therefore your go-to, so think along the lines of Rieslings or Pinot Grigio.

The Specifics
If you've got an eye for detail, or are just plain anal, then this for you..

Red Meat
Steak
Burger
Roast Beef
Roast lamb
Lancashire Hotpot