Wine Tips

Pairing the right wine with your food is not as difficult as you may think. It’s really about what experience you want your guests to have. Do you want to complement the tastes of your foods or contrast them? Here are a few tips to get you going.

Match your wine to the strongest flavour on the plate.
Balance the weight of the wine to the weight of the food. A full flavoured meal needs a full-bodied wine; a lighter dish requires a lighter wine.
Fatty, greasy or rich dishes need a dry wine with good acidity to clean the palate. This is why an oaky dry chardonnay works well with a turkey dinner with gravy.
Salty dishes need a slightly sweet wine with full fruit flavours, moderate acidity, lower alcohol and no tannins.
Hot, spicy dishes require refreshing acidity, lower alcohol and fruity wines with a touch of sweetness.
Cream sauces and butter require wines of good fruit and matching creamy style or contrasting acidity to cleanse the palate.
The dessert wine should be sweeter than the dessert.
Rare meats need young tannic reds (a nice dry merlot works well) and well-done meats need older or fruity reds with little to no tannins.
Foods high in acidity are complemented by wines high in acidity.