Myths Of Wine & Food Pairing ...

Myth #1: Serve big red wines with spicy foods. Wines that contain high levels of tannic acid (e.g. tannins) will actually elevate the "heat" in a dish, making it even more spicy! A great outcome for dares but not so much for dates or dinner parties. Our pick for a pairing with spicy food is either Pelee Island Gewurztraminer or Hardy Stamp Riesling Gewurztraminer

Myth #2: Serve only white wine with fish. That's old school thinking! Many of today's fish dishes with interesting preparations and sauces can often warrant a delicate red. Think Pinot Noir or Gamay (e.g. Beaujolais Nouveau).

Myth #3: Champagne is for celebrations only. Champagne is actually one of the most food friendly wines because of it's high acidity and palate cleansing properties. Serve it with appetizers or dessert to add a little festivity to your meal.

Myth #4: Sweet wines are best left for dessert. Sweet wines can be a great complement to salty dishes. For example, Sherry and Muscat go well with oysters, olives and nuts.

Myth #5: Food & Wine pairing is an exact science. Yeah, right!! While there are some guidelines and principles that can be learned and are relatively easy to follow - my favorite is when in doubt choose a wine from the region the cuisine originates from - food & wine pairing is as much art and practice ... and ... a hell of a lot of fun!

Joe
www.iLuvWine.com