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Wine & Food

Sometimes we hear suggestions that certain wines can only be enjoyed with specific foods. In reality, everyone has their own preferences about which wines and foods are complementary, and how good a wine tastes with food often has more to do with the seasoning in a dish (for example, sauces that are salty, sweet, sour or savory) or how it is cooked than it does with the dish itself. We encourage you to discover your own preferences. Here are a few tips to help along the way:

• The judicious addition of salt to food, especially to sauces and other savory dishes, can be useful in some cases to tone down the bitterness and astringency (sharp taste) in some wines.

• Sour foods with high amounts of acidity will decrease our perception of sourness or tartness in wine and make it taste richer and more mellow.

• Sweetness in food will increase the perception of bitterness and astringency in wine, making it seem less sweet (drier), less fruity and stronger.

• Savory (also called umami) tastes in food will also increase our perception of acidity and bitterness in wine.

• A note about spicy seasonings: spicy food will exaggerate the tannins and bitterness in a wine but adding something salty or sour to the food will counteract this effect. For instance, squeezing lime juice (which is acidic) over hot enchiladas makes for a more wine-friendly dish. Alternatively, choose a wine like Gewurztraminer that is low on acid and tannins.