Wine and Food
Welcome to the Wine and Food section, which should perhaps more accurately be titled ‘Wine is Food’ as the beverage has become such an integral part of the daily meal as well as time shared with friends and family. There certainly seems to be an artistry behind tasting wine, appraising wine, choosing the ‘right’ wine, and serving it appropriately - but none of these need be intimidating or complicated.
With tasting and pairing, it helps to break wine down into its separate components and equate them to foods with which you are perhaps more familiar. For example, associate acidity to a lemon slice, body to non-fat versus half and half cream, tannins to steeped black tea, and sugar to - well, sugar. Now let's see how these elements might work together. If you over-steep your black tea, it makes your mouth dry and leaves a bitter sensation. What helps? Adding a lemon slice will accentuate the dryness and bitterness. Adding sugar makes it sweeter and softens the bitterness, but the drying sensation persists. Adding milk or cream does the trick, softening those tea tannins and rounding out the beverage. And so it goes with the composition of the wine; a winemaker strives to strike that balance, just as a chef knows which components of his entrée he/she would like a wine to accentuate. It is also important to remember that there is no right or wrong. If you find a match pleasing, go with it.
Check out the How to Taste Wine section for tips on maximizing your enjoyment of that bottle of wine. So as to avoid serving white wines too cold (which masks delicious aromas), and red wines too warm (which accentuates the alcohol), the How to Serve Wine section was developed. Our Wine Glossaries, organized by country, will help to de-mystify any lingering wine terms. Finally, if you want to learn about wine before it even gets to a bottle, see the How the Wine is Made section. No matter where you start, the journey of learning about wine should be an enjoyable one, so remember to have fun along the way!
