Some general rules for food matching.

Food and wine matching can be a terrific way of enhancing the flavours and enjoyment of both the food and wine – and with just a few simple guidelines, you can find your perfect match – or certainly have some fun trying. Often billed as a complicated science, food and wine pairing is really fairly straightforward, there’s just a few simple rules to stick to…
  
Firstly, consider all the primary characteristics of the food: the weight, flavour (intensity and character) acidity, saltiness, bitterness and sweetness. Then do exactly the same thing for the wine. The idea is to try and marry up these aspects as closely as possible. For example, rich mouthfilling foods like a steak or a casserole will balance the weight and texture of a full bodied Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon or even an aged Chardonnay.
  
Then have a look at the component flavours in the dish; not simply the main food ingredient but the sauces, spices or cooking technique. For example, a seared barramundi with a dash of lemon would suit a fresh Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling with its zesty lemon, lime and citrus flavours; or a steak with peppercorn sauce – try and big spicy Shiraz. Here we’re not simply looking at the flavour, but the intensity of that main flavour as well.

 

Sweetness and saltiness

Generally speaking, the wine should be at least equal or higher in sugar content than the food you are serving it with. So a roast pork with apple sauce could work well with a late harvest Riesling, as opposed to a drier style of white, such as a Sauvignon Blanc.
  
Also bear in mind the saltiness of the food. Salt exaggerates the tannins in red wines, so for salty dishes pick low tannin red wines, or try a Rose. High salt dishes can partner well with a highly acid wine, but beware as salt can also make very dry white wines seem sharp, hence salty cheeses like Roquefort pair best with off-dry whites, perhaps a Crouchen Riesling which has some residual sugar in it.

 

Bitterness

Whereas tannins and salt can be an aggressive match, they can work wonderfully with some dishes. The tannins that are found naturally in many heavier red wines can have a bitter or astringent quality to them, however when combined with fatty proteins react to produce a delicious smooth cherry like flavour and a soft mouth feel. Try a protein rich dish of barbequed steak with a rich, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz and enjoy the results!

 

For some of our Food and Wine pairing suggestions try our Food and Wine Matching tool.  We're always on the lookout for interesting Food and Wine matches so if you have experienced any Food and Wine magic please let us know!