Golden Rule 1 – Pair wine with people first!
You may have lovingly prepared the finest Beef Wellington in the world – but if one of your guests only drinks white wine, it probably wouldn’t be a great idea to force that great Haut Medoc down their throat! Therefore you may need to consider serving a white wine too!
Golden Rule 2 – light and dry first!
If you’re having several bottles of wine for your dinner party - try to serve light wines before heavy full-bodied ones and, if possible, generally serve dry wines before sweet ones.
Golden Rule 3 – Weight is key!
Try to match the weight of the food with that of the wine. For example heavy meat casseroles and goulashes really need a full bodied wine whereas grilled scallops need a light crisp wine. With certain dishes a full bodied white wine may be a better choice than a light red or vice versa – which is why you will often see a choice of wine styles when using the ‘What Goes With What’ guide.
Golden Rule 4 – Beware of strong sauces!
If you’re serving a course with a dominant flavoured sauce – try to match the wine with the sauce rather than the meat or fish.
Golden Rule 5 – same region if possible!
Try to match the dish with a wine from the same region. After all the French, Italians and Spanish have had thousands of years to perfect the art of food and wine matching and therefore know a thing or two about whether something works or not.
Golden Rule 6 – Balance
Pairing wine and food is all about balance – neither should overpower the other.
And finally remember, wine which you enjoy by itself or as an aperitif may taste completely different when served with food.
