Wine – Pairing
In wine tourism, with frequency the wine cellars offer the possibility of a wine tasting session accompanied by specially created menus to enhance the characteristics of their wines; this experience is called wine-pairing.
Normally, wine-pairing is enjoyed in restaurants installed within the wine cellars, a growing trend in wineries. Hence, the perfect combination of food and wine is the result of a similar symbiosis between the sommelier and the chef.
Will you join us in exploring the fascinating world of wine-pairing?
What are the types of wine-pairings we can encounter?
Wine-pairing uses two basic principles: association and contrast
Wine pairing by association
The objective of this type of wine-pairing is to achieve the perfect complementarity between the wines served and the food that is savored, so, the intention is that the wine characteristics are paired with the dishes to create a more pleasant experience for the wine tourist
Wine pairing by contrast
In this case the objective of wine-pairing is exactly the opposite, to find the balance between the wine and the food through opposing sensations when tasted.
In this kind of wine-pairing we should play with the contrasts, so it would be an error to pair a full-bodied and high alcohol content wine with a very spicy dish, since the heat sensation could become unpleasant for the guests.
How is wine-pairing done?
Although we have to consider, among other things, that wine-pairing is a question of tastes, we can provide some basic rules on this technique.
Meats
The combination of red meat and red wine is an axiom within wine-pairing. Now, keeping this idea in mind, meat with none or a little garnish goes almost perfectly with a Crianza or Reserve red wine, while other meats such as lamb are better paired with barrel-aged reds.
With regard to chicken, since it is a neutral meat it combines well with different types of wines.
Seafood
We can say that fish and white wine go together in terms of wine-pairing, however, some types of fish with a strong flavor such as salmon or tuna combine well with a red wine.
Normally, shellfish combines perfectly with white wine.
Pasta
Wine-pairing with pasta depends on the sauce that accompanies the pasta, so for pasta with tomato we should opt for a red wine, while for pasta with pesto sauce, pasta marinara or with shellfish, our option will be a white wine, and we can´t forget the cava.
Desserts
Desserts pair perfectly with sweet wines, while cheese, frequently tasted as a dessert, varies from red wine for strong cheeses to whites for mild and average cheeses.
In conclusion, with wine-pairing our aim is to strengthen, through food, all the flavor of the wines without forgetting that wine-pairing remains a very personal matter despite all recommendations presented.
In Viavinum we want to make wine-pairing a part of your trip that you will always remember. Will you join us to take part of a unique experience?
