Pairings: What to consideration when combining food and wine?

19/02/2022

Many might find it difficult to know what wines are good pairings for the dish they have planned for the evening. There are several considerations to make when pairing wine and food, and Fun Fuel is more than happy to help you find the right combination.

Get to know the flavours

When you have food in your mouth, the taste buds will adapt to some degree. This will result in a changed perception of sugar, salt, acidity and so on in the next thing you eat. Additionally, some types of food remain in the mouth in the form of a coating, which can further affect the following taste experiences. One example of this is chocolate.

First, a little more information on umami (which by the way means 'good taste' in Japanese), before we go through the key taste components. Umami is the fifth taste, in addition to sour, sweet, salty and bitter.

Umami was first discovered in Japan in the early 1900s, but was not commonly accepted before 2002. The taste components of proteins from meat and algae, makes the umami flavour.

Examples of food with the umami flavour are asparagus, tomatoes, cheese (especially parmesan), milk and meat. If you want a concentrated taste exercise, you can taste bouillon cubes.

Umami is often described as the flavour that makes the food taste complete. Asparagus is an example of a food with the umami taste.

How is the wine experience affected by the content of the food?

Sweetness in the food

Increases the experience of bitterness, tightness, acidity and the warming effect of alcohol.
Reduces perceived body, sweetness and fruitiness in the wine.

Umami in the food

Increases the experience of bitterness, tightness, acidity and the warming effect of alcohol.
Reduces perceived body, sweetness and fruitiness in the wine.

Acidity in the food

Increases the experience of body, sweetness and fruitiness in the wine.
Dampers perceived acid in the wine.

Salt in the food

Increases the experience of body in the wine.
Reduces the experience of sharpness, bitterness and acidity in the wine.

Bitterness in the food

Increases perceived bitterness in the wine.

Chili or spicy food

Increases the experience of bitterness, acidity and alcohol effect in the wine.
Reduces perceived body, complexity, sweetness and fruitiness in the wine.

A classic combination of sweetness and salt is the combination of cheese and a sweet dessert wine.

Other components and examples

It can be nice to have the taste intensity for the food and the wine match, so the taste in the wine does not overpower the food - and vice versa.

Acidity and fat. Many people prefer acidic wines to fatty foods, so that the acidity cuts through the fatty foods, and helps to clean the mouth.

Sweet and salty. The combination of sweet and salty is also popular with many wine lovers, with sweet dessert wines and salty cheese as a classic example.

Spicy foods, sweeter wine. Since strong foods dampen the perceived sweetness and fruitiness of the wine, it is common to combine wines with a certain level of residual sweetness with dishes that contain chili or other spices. An example here could be sushi with wasabi, paired with a and semi-dry riesling.

Food and wine from the same place of origin. The idea of pairing food and wine from the same area has developed over time. Sometimes the concept will prove to be a sound idea, while there are other situations where the dish or the wine will be more central - here you can do some testing of your own.

When the food has spicy components, such as wasabi, it is important to choose a wine that does not take away from the flavours of the food.

As a rule, there is a low risk in adding salt and acidity to the food, as it will often highlight the wine, while it will be more risky to add sweetness and umami.