Love food? Enjoy wine? Well, lucky for all of us – wine is gastronomic, meaning it’s MEANT to be paired with food. But did you know there are certain elements that play into the art of food and wine pairing?
gas·tro·nom·ic (adjective)
relating to the practice of cooking or eating good food.
Sometimes thinking about creating the perfect food and wine experience can seem daunting. Luckily, there are so many different pairing routes you can take that will result in something delicious! All it takes is a little bit of basic knowledge and some thought to find the right match.
Six important flavor components
- Bitter
- Fat
- Acid
- Sweet
- Salt
- Spice
These flavor profiles are all relatively self-explanatory. The key thing to remember is to stay away from pairing acid, bitter, and spice as their flavors conflict. Outside of this rule, you can get creative and combine these components any way you’d like.
Food and wine pairing in practice
For example, let’s say you decide to whip up a Minnesota classic for dinner – Tater Tot Hotdish (click here for my all-time favorite recipe). This glorious dish contains quite a bit of salt, and a fair amount of fat. A fun pairing for it might be something sweet and acidic. These flavor components would contrast beautifully with the salt and fat in the dish.
The main takeaway here is – don’t be afraid to start diving into the world of food and wine pairing. Although you’ll find some information out there that makes it sound complicated, just keep the six basic flavor components in the back of your mind. Start by simply thinking about what dish you’d like to prepare and its ingredients, and go from there to create the best food and wine pairings. There are so many different ways to pair that you’ll find it to be a fun gastronomic adventure every time.
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