Picking out a bottle of wine or ordering wine at a restaurant seems like it should be a simple process, but it often isn't. Beyond the basic question of red or white, you need to choose the type of grape, the level of quality and the region for the wine. When you choose wine, you'll also have to take into account what you can afford.
1. Read the back of the label, in a store, to get ideas about the wine's flavor, body and potential pairings. Most people buy wines based on labels they like, but take things a step further and actually read the winemaker's description. They frequently point to the prominent flavors and character of the wine, and sometimes suggest food pairings as well. If you're at a restaurant, check the basic descriptions before choosing a wine -- most places offer at least a sentence or two about each wine.
Expressions like "blend" and "table wine" are usually cheaper, but frequently bland and unbalanced. These wines use a variety of grapes from a wide area that weren't suited for more specific types of wine. They can be great for casual drinks or meals, however.
If the wine list at a restaurant has no description, talk to your waiter. Chances are high that they, not the menu, are the experts on each bottle and varietal.
2. Consider how strongly flavored or rich the meal is, and match it with a similarly full-bodied wine. The idea of "red with meat, white with fish," is far too simple. The more important goal is for the wine and meal to complement each other. A "heavy" meal is usually dense and strongly flavored -- a meat sauce, a spicy dish, or a hearty soup or stew -- and requires a strongly flavored wine to cut into these flavors. You don't want either the dish to overpower the taste of the wine or vice versa -- they should both have a similar depth.
Wines that are described as "full-bodied," "deep," "complex," "rich," or "densely layered" are best with heavier meals. Even powerful whites can be deep and complex, making them great with spicy dishes or heartier fare.
Wines that are described as "light," "balanced," "crisp," or "refreshing" are great for lighter meals with less powerful flavors -- vegetables, pastas, fish, chicken, and lighter cheeses.
3. Try to find flavors of wine that complement the flavors in the dish through simple matching. Pair, for example, a light, citrus-y white wine with a lemon chicken dish. Use a deep, smokey red to match up with the barbecued pork shoulder. Matching these flavors up will help create a seamless meal experience, highlighting key notes in both the dish and the wine.
When picking complementary flavors, think about how the food would taste if that flavor was added from the wine. For example, if you have a deep red with "hints of chocolate, spice, and blackberry," ask yourself if chocolate, spice, and blackberry would look out of place on your plate. There isn't ever a perfect comparison, but it is a good place to start.
4. Go bold and search out contrasting flavors to make a dish really pop. There are two schools of thought when pairing wines -- complementing flavors and boldly contrasting them. Neither is completely right, and you should try out both approaches as you get more comfortable choosing wine. When contrasting, think about balance. A salty, acidic food like oysters, for example, is well balanced by a fruity, softer Sauvignon Blanc. A hot, oily curry is well contrasted by an acidic, fresh, and citrus-like red, like a Rose.
When considering contrasted flavors, think about the acidity of the food and the texture. Oily or creamy foods are well cut by acidic (sharp tasting) wines, acidic foods are balanced out by fuller, less bitter wines.
Big, complex dishes with lots of flavors, like Paella, are well contrasted by simpler, well-balanced wines. This allows the dish to command the "attention" with a light, palate-cleansing wine behind it.
5. Match sweeter and fruit-inspired wines with spicier foods. Cut through the spice with a sweeter wine, which will naturally complement each other. Remember that lighter wines can be either red or white, depending on your preferences, but almost all restaurants will offer some wines that are more "refreshing," or "fruity."
Sweeter wines, such as Riesling, pair well with spicy foods, while woody wines, such as Chardonnay, go well with creamy foods or with foods that have several herbs and seasoning.
Look for citrus, berries, floral notes like honeysuckle, and hints of gentle spices like vanilla to find good wines to match with spicy foods.
This doesn't mean asking for a "sweet" wine, like a dessert wine. Instead, focus on the fresher, sweeter fruit notes in the description instead of a "sweet" wine.
6. Consider the vintage, or year, when you choose wine, but understand that all wines age differently. All wines change, develop, and evolve with age. Further complicating things, every wine ages differently, making choosing based on the year a fool's errand unless you're a seasoned pro. That said, there are some common traits that all wines take on as they age, including:
When shopping for light, refreshing, and easy-drinking styles, aim for the younger bottles -- they tend to lose fruity qualities with age.
Denser, complex wines typically need to age for a few years to develop the best taste.
Aging will soften "tannins," which is the bitter taste prominent in many wines.
Flavor intensity generally grows with age, though some wines have a "cocoon period" where they mellow out before growing again in flavor
TIP: Choose an acidic wine if you're looking for a vintage, a sommelier will tell you, "If you want a wine that will still taste fresh and alive after it's been aged, look for wines with a particularly low pH, which means they're more acidic. The acid acts as a preservative, so the wine ages more gradually. A wine that's high in tannins will become more silky and smooth with age, as well."
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