Pairing food and wine can be a tough task for even the most experienced sommelier. Ingredients such as artichokes, asparagus, eggs or highly acidic foods are notoriously tricky.
A few simple rules, though, can make the process relatively painless and very enjoyable.
1) Rely on regional connections. Hosting a Spanish tapas party? Buy wines from Spain. Serving a salad with aged goat cheese from the Loire Valley? Pop open a bottle of Sancerre, the regions famous Sauvignon Blanc. It's only natural for food and wine that share the same geography to complement each other, because they also share the flavors of their environment. Today, you can score wine from halfway around the world with ease, whether online or at your local liquor store.
2) Match a complex wine with simpler food and vice versa. When youre sipping a big, dramatic, full-bodied Cabernet, does anything really taste better than a simply grilled steak with a touch of salt and pepper? If you have a rich and complex wine, let it be the star of the show. On the other hand, complex food with lots of layers, textures and spices typically benefit from a simpler style of wine. You don't want the dish and the wine to compete. They should stimulate but still please, like a good conversation.
3) Opposites attract. Challenge the flavors of a dish with a decidedly different-flavored wine to allow the two to play off each other. Try a juicy and ripe Riesling against the spicy, hot flavors of Mexican cuisine or see how a floral and aromatic Grenache cuts through the intense gaminess of grilled lamb.
4) Great minds think alike. You can also go in the other direction when it comes to pairing food and wine by matching textures or weights in the dishes and drinks. A poached lobster tail with drawn butter feels extra luxuriant with a buttery California Chardonnay, while a meaty and smoky Syrah is sure to ramp up the flavors of bacon-wrapped quail.
5) Food is flexible; wine is not. Remember you can always adjust the flavors of a dish or the ingredients on a plate, but the wine comes as bottled. So sweeten a vinaigrette, nudge capers off to the side or ignore the broccoli (just dont tell Mom!).
At the end of the day, pairing food and wine can be a thrilling activity. If your first bottle doesnt work, just move onto the next.
