VinoLoverWhat foods can go well with a red wine and even help us to enhance its presence on our palate? This question does not always have such an obvious or simple answer. When you start to analyse the structure of the wine, each type of wine has different characteristics such as acidity, tannin, alcohol level and sweetness, which make them more or less compatible depending on the type of food.
Here we will help you to dispel some of the myths that exist about how to pair red wine.
1. Red wine and fish, not the best pair for your dish
As a general rule, keep red wine away from fish, as they do not usually go well together. Some may wonder why red wine does not go well with oily fish, such as salmon, since a priori the tannin and fat, which are elements that can be found in both, counteract each other quite well.
The truth is that the tannin in the wine and the fat in the fish cancel each other out, leaving a residual fishy flavour. To put it simply: this pairing brings out the negative aspects of each, making both taste bad and leaving us with a strange taste in our mouths.
In contrast, fish goes well with wines that have a cleansing effect, i.e. wines with high acidity, such as champagne. In this case, the wine sweeps away the taste of the fish that remains in the mouth.
2. Red wine and chocolate… mmm, only in the movies
The misconception that red wine and chocolate are best friends may work very well in romantic movies, but the truth is that this pairing is difficult to achieve. This is because the bitter tannins in chocolate interact with the bitter tannins in wine. Therefore, the combination ends up with a bitter and sour taste.
3. Red wine and red meat…always a big yes!
Red wines go well with red meat because the tannins in the wine help the proteins to release their flavour. But there is a nuance: not all red wines go well with all cuts of meat. That is to say, depending on the meat you choose to eat, you will have to pair it with a certain style of wine, with more structure or, on the contrary, lighter and softer.
4. Is red wine the best for cheese? Not necessarily
Red wine is not always the best choice for cheese. In fact, very few red wines are able to balance the acidity of goat cheeses, for example, which tend to pair better with Champagne or Chenin Blanc. The truth is that white wines tend to go better with almost all types of creamy cheeses.
5. It’s not all about the type of food
When it comes to food pairing, it is not only important to take into account the type of food but, just as importantly, the cooking technique to be used. Roast chicken, for example, can go very well with a red wine such as Malbec, thanks to its smoky flavour, while poached or grilled chicken will go better with a lighter and fresher wine, such as Verdejo or Riesling.
VinoLover
Claudio Comella
