Vino-licious: Six Perfect Red Wine and Food Pairings

Yes, wine tasting is fashionable, but so is pairing the right food with the right wine. Here’s all you need to know.

The rolling hills of Napa Valley in California are home to the most coveted fruit, the grapes that are keenly and magically transformed into the most popular libations. Travel to Nashik in India, and you will almost hear the valley resound with the clink of wine glasses as the vineyards play host to the numerous wine tasting sessions, welcoming the connoisseurs of wine.

Tasting is de riguer – but so is pairing the right food with the right wine. Well then, which foods pair perfectly with which wine?  Worry not ! The key to great pairing is ridiculously simple – match your heavy wines with heavy dishes and light wines with light dishes. Heavy dishes have more robust and hearty flavours whereas light ones have delicate subtle flavours.

Let’s take a look at the different kinds of red wines and the foods they pair well with:

Pinot Noir and Grilled Salmon

Grown in the Quintas of Burgundy, the pinot noirs pack a punch with their sublime, pungent flavours. An interesting feature of this grape is that it can taste different in different locations. Produced in various flavours like the raspberry and bitter cherry, this tastes best with grilled salmon and tuna. The famous Greek feta and the Monterey Jack (cheese) strike just the right note with the medium-bodied pinot noir.

Cabernet Sauvignon and Steak

The aroma of black currants helps you identify this heavy-bodied wine that is the most cherished grape in the world – the Cabernet Sauvignon. Termed as the most important variety in Bordeaux, France, this wine blends terrifically with juicy red meats, steaks and lamb chops. The creamy, sharp cheddar and the blue cheese also complement this heavy-bodied wine. Did you know? It was this wine that introduced California to the world of wines. Sonoma and Napa are some of the finest examples of Quintas (vineyards) growing this kind of wine.

Merlot and Gouda Cheese

Medium bodied and grown almost everywhere that a Cabernet Sauvignon is grown, this grape is thin bodied with high levels of acidity. Chile merlots are fuller bodied than the merlots in other parts of the world. Ideal when paired with any poultry dish like the chicken pie and the red meat, this wine tastes fantastic with the creamy, full flavoured and sweet gouda cheese from the Netherlands. If you’re wondering what to pair with your favourite cheese n’ toasts, reach out for this bottle of Merlot.

Shiraz and BBQ Chicken

Named after the dark-skinned Syrah grapes, this lip smacking wine with spicy notes is oozing with flavours of pepper and spice, combined with blackberries and plum. Syrah wines are packed with tannins and have the ability to age for long. Dominating in Northern Rhone, this full-bodied wine complements highly spiced dishes like BBQ chicken, or beef served with pepper sauce. Strong hard cheeses – especially the fruity, nutty, savoury and sharp parmesan with a strong aroma, pairs well with this wine.

Cabernet Franc and Blue Cheese

Less tannic, less acidic and less full bodied – but more aromatic than Cabernet Sauvignon, these wines often smell of black currant. It is grown to boost the flavours in the claret (blended) varieties where it adds spicy/herbaceous accents. The blue cheese and the goat cheese, like the gouda, pairs well with this wine.

Port Wine and Plum Cake

No Christian wedding is complete without raising a toast with the epic port wine. Best paired with the slightly bitter plum cake, the port wine is made by adding brandy to the partially fermented red wines, thus, stopping its fermentation and rendering the wine sweet, rich and high in alcohol. They also make excellent partners for chocolate puddings. The yellowish-blue, soft and crumbly gorgonzola cheese goes well with the port wine.

Now that our job’s over, we’re sure you’ve already uncorked that gorgeous looking bottle of red wine. But before you swirl, sniff and sip, don’t forget to grab the perfect dish and cheese to go with it.

(A freelance food blogger, Pranjali Bhonde Pethe aims at getting people and their favourite food closer through her blog moipalate. Email her [e-mail] or follow her on @moipalate)