Enhance Your Dining Experience with the Right Red Wine

Order red wine with the wrong kind of food in a restaurant, and people will watch you as if you are a fool, why so? It’s because having food with a glass of wine that really don’t go together doesn’t make sense.

People can eat whatever they want and drink what they feel like but there are few tips which can help you choose the correct wine with your meal.

Wine can enhance the flavor of food. A good match can enhance the flavors and unique characteristics of both the food and the wine.

Red wine generally is not paired with foods such as sweets, strong cheeses, raw vegetables, or fish. It can be well accompanied with foods such as Italian tomato-based dishes, red meat, and Greek foods.

Important traits used for matching red wine with food

• Acidity: The sourness of a food or beverage.

• Weight or Body: The feel and strength of a food or beverage.

• Flavor or Complexity: The combined taste and aroma of a food or beverage.

Foods that complement different red wines

Choosing the right wines to match with each of the foods can sometimes be a difficult task. Here are examples of the combination of food and red wine that complement each other:

• Merlot complements lamb, Italian meat sauces, pork, beef, turkey, roast chicken, hearty cheeses and tuna.

• Zinfandel goes well with spicy sausage, blackened, fish hamburgers, pastas, pizza, ribs.

• Shiraz can be served with braised chicken, barbecued meat, chili, goose, peppercorn steak, spicy meats, meat stew, garlic casserole, and ratatouille.

• Cabernet Sauvignon complements roast, prime rib, full-bodied flavored foods, game meats and steak.

• Amarone is served with meaty pasta dishes and strong cheeses.

• Pinot Noir is served best with ham, duck, turkey, grilled red meats, roast chicken, pork, game birds, just about anything.

• Sangiovese pairs with a wide range of fowl, meat and pasta dishes.

• Port is a red fortified dessert wine from Portugal’s Douro Valley and Stilton is a classic blue cheese coming from England but they complement each other best.