Wine Pairing Tips
- 1Bubbles are for more than toasting! Enjoy sparkling wines with cheese, fried appetizers, sushi and egg dishes. Carbonation is a natural palate cleanser, so sparkling wines pair well with creamy and fried items.
- 2Sweet wines go great with spicy dishes. Riesling and Gewurztraminer are a terrific match for Thai and Chinese food. The wine's sweetness tames the food's spiciness, and vice versa.
- 3Keep the cork. If you open a bottle of wine and know you won't finish it that night, keep the cork (or screw cap) on as much as possible. If kept closed, most wines will last 2 to 3 days after opening.
- 4Store wine properly. Keep white wines in the refrigerator and reds away from heat. Never store wine on the kitchen counter next to the stove.
- 5Match textures and weight. Looking for an easy way to pick a wine for your meal? Try pairing a rich, buttery Chardonnay with a heavy pasta dish with cream sauce.
- 6"If it grows together, it goes together." If you are cooking a dish that originates from a specific region, a wine from the same region often makes a great companion.
- 7Food makes some wines better. Just because you don't enjoy drinking a specific wine by itself, don't be afraid to try it with your meal. Wine and food change each other. You'll be surprised how many wines you enjoy with food that you may not sip on alone.
- 8There's a reason Cabernet Sauvignon goes well with steak. High tannin wines (the kind that make you "pucker up") pair well with the fatty proteins found in steak. A nicely marbled ribeye and other steak cuts with a little fat will mellow out a tannic red wine and make both smoother.
- 9Remember the 30/30 rule: Pull white wines OUT of the fridge 30 minutes before serving. Put red wines the IN the fridge 30 minutes before serving. Optimum serving temperature for white wine is 45° F, red wine is 55°.
- 10Choose the right glass. Drink wine out of larger bowled wine glasses. Only fill them about 1/3 full. Wine needs space to move and swirl so you get the full effect of the aroma and taste.
