Four Wine Pairing Rules to Break

by Kristine Hansen, Posted Dec 17th 2009 @ 4:00PM

When pairing wines with edibles, there are rules. Or so we've been told.

Sometimes it's OK to snap those rules in half and come up with your own adaptation.

Here are four rules you can turn on their head during the winter holidays.

Drink white wine with fish.
Red wine goes with meat, white marries well with fish, blah blah. Yet if the sauce or spices served with the fish are bold and heavy, by all means pull out a Zinfandel or a Shiraz. These two full-bodied, luscious reds will enhance nuances in the fish.

Serve red wine at room temperature.
Some red wines, particularly those that are lighter-bodied, release their true character when slightly chilled. Some examples are Beaujolais and red Rioja. Chill the wines for between seven and 10 minutes, uncork or unscrew, and pour.

Drink from white to red.
Normally, a multicourse meal begins with a white wine -- such as Prosecco matched with a dazzling starter -- and then sails into a white like Chardonnay, moving into lighter-bodied reds, then a Cabernet Sauvignon and finally dessert. However, several wonderful dessert wines are produced from white grapes -- such as ice wine and late-harvest Gewurztraminer. You could easily drink only red wines with dinner and then match a white dessert wine with whatever chocolate, fluffy, layered or fruit concoction is on the menu.

Pair white wines with soft cheeses and red wines with hard cheeses.
Not necessarily so. Some great examples of pairings that disobey the rule are Zinfandel with Gorgonzola (both are luscious, muscular forces to be reckoned with) and Parmesan or Pecorino with a young, honeyed Gewürztraminer that's on the drier side.

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

12-17-2009 @8:56PM Hagan said... Actually Kristine, here's the real reason behind the red wine/fish dilemma:

http://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/tasting-room/2009/10/21/Red-Wine--Fish-or-Why-I-Love-Science
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12-18-2009 @10:59AM Robert Broerse said... Port, a fortified wine that is heavy in body can be paired with brie. All wine rules can be broken in different ways. I once had a peanut butter cookie with a cabernet from Chile. A sugary treat should go with a high-sugar wine. That's the rule... but....since peanut butter is a protein it matches with the tannins of the Cab. Wine and food are continually fun to play with.

www.wineq.blogspot.com
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12-18-2009 @1:25PM Robert said... When in doubt that a red will pair with fish, go with Pinot Noir. It has far more of a matching capability with fish like salmon than with Shiraz or Zinfandel, which are both great wines too.

Watch comdian John Cleese's "A guide to wine for the confused." Even if you think you know it all. It's a very educational, yet funny video available in a variety of websites online. Here's one:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/79439/wine-for-the-confused
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12-18-2009 @2:55PM Bryan Cooper said... I am working on a new column/video blog. Here's a link that talks about a simple way to pair your wine with the meal - taste the wine before you order your meal:

http://sonomawineshop.com/movies/Pairing.mp4

Hope you find it interesting if not as amusing as John Cleese.
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12-30-2009 @4:21PM Jerry Siegel said... The original "room temperature" for red wines refers to a room in a drafty castle with no central heating. Think "cellar temperature", most reds are at their best slightly cooler (65 degrees) than our decadent 70 degree habitats.
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