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 Wine
Thoughts
Enhance Your Meals with
Wine
by Joyce Pease
So many wines….so little time.
Thousands of new wines are introduced each year, and tasting
them all is simply impossible. Even more difficult is knowing
which wines to serve for your guests.
The Joyful Cork offers the following tips:
Accept the challenge of selection with the perspective that
wine is fun and, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder–or
for wine’s sake, in the glass of the holder.
The good news about wine selection is there’s no right
answer. Find one you enjoy, and don’t worry about the
'rules' dictating which wines are to be served with
certain foods. In fact, most wine is consumed before or after
a meal, without the benefit of food.
If the wine and the food are both good, then flawless matches
aren’t necessary for enjoyment. An adventuresome spirit,
coupled with a few simple guidelines can lead to endless combinations
of pleasurable eating and drinking experiences.
The rule of thumb to remember is that light, crisp wines complement
more delicate food tastes, and vice versa. The key terms are
'weight' or 'size.' Balancing wine and
food with the same weight increases the odds of a successful
match.
Pinot Grigio and Rieslings are at the light end of the spectrum,
while Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah’s are on the heavy
side.
When selecting a wine to complement a meal, you need only remember
that the goal is for one flavor to enhance the other. Full-bodied
red wine will drown the delicate flavors of raw oysters. Ports
and sweet Sauternes are usually served to magnify the rich flavors
in desserts.
Cooking with wine has the same goal–to enhance the eating
experience. Wine should intensify a food’s flavor, not
hide it. Adhering to these simple guidelines, along with experimentation,
can lead to many dining pleasures.
Before making your selection, remember to taste a wine prior
to adding it into a recipe–don’t use what you don’t
like. Also, price has no relevance when using wine for cooking–flavor
is the only important criteria. Serving the same wine from the
recipe at the table further highlights a meal’s flavor.
The quest for perfect pairings of wine and food adds an extra
dimension to the basic pleasures of life. Selecting quality
wines and finding new combinations should be an adventure filled
with delight. So treat yourself–and your guests–right.
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