Wine & Food - A Good Pair

The general rule of food and wine pairing is that lighter foods go with lighter wines. The stronger the flavor of food, the stronger the flavor of your wine needs to be in order to balance and enhance the flavor of both the food and the wine.

Of course, you should pair whatever food you like with whatever wine you like if it tastes good to you. So what if you like Merlot with Sole. Sole is a very light and delicate fish, and Merlot is a heavy, rich and strong flavored wine. If you prefer the taste of Merlot with your Sole, it simply means that you prefer to taste Merlot than to taste Sole, because Merlot will be all you taste of the pair.

On the other hand, if you prefer Pinot Grigio with a thick hearty steak, you simply do not care whether you can taste your wine. A hearty beefsteak will completely overpower the flavor of a delicate, crispy and light Pinot Grigio.

However, if you would like to develop a refined palate for pairs of wine and food that enhance the flavor of both the food and the wine, you might wish to start with the general rule of pairing lighter foods with lighter wines. As you drink more wines with different types of food, you will develop your own personal tastes that will probably fall in line with the normal tastes of the human palate.

The key to learning which specific wines you like with which specific foods is to pair a lot of food with a lot of wine. The more often you try different wines with different foods, the more you will develop a refined palate and understand how food and wine can enhance each other.

If you really need to prove to yourself that you like red with fish, go ahead and pair the two together a couple of times. Conversely, be sure to try a crisp white wine with your Sole once or twice as well. Probably, the more often you try any type of wine within the general rule of reds with dark heavy meats and whites with light delicate meats, the more you will discover the nuances of flavor in both the wine and food if you take the time to savor each wine with the food.

When you open your bottle of wine at the dinner table (or when you bring your decanted bottle of wine to the dinner table), you should take the time to savor the taste of a sip of the wine in your glass before you taste your food.

After examining the glass of wine for color and appearance, smell the wine. Take a deep whiff of the wine and ask yourself of what the smell reminds you. Then take a sip of the wine into your mouth and swish it around to saturate your taste buds before you swallow the sip of wine.

After tasting a sample of the wine, take a bite of food and another sip of wine. Does the taste of the wine improve the food's flavor? Does the food improve the wine's flavor? If you answer yes to both questions, you have a good pair.

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Foods to Serve With Wine & Cheese

Most "foodies" know how to enjoy a good wine. No matter what type of wine they may taste, there are certain foods that mesh well with this tasty grape beverage. For those who host wine tastings and need some ideas of what foods to serve, consider the following:

1. Appetizers - To enjoy a good wine & cheese party, consider expanding the culinary palette with fresh fruit. Melon-wrapped prosciutto can be a pleasing taste paired with many different wines. The sweet & salty flavor blended with the sweetness of a wine makes it a perfect match. You can also consider serving fresh fruit, shrimp, and an array of crackers.

2. Main courses - It's very easy to know which wines work well with which main courses. Beef tends to pair well with a nice red wine, a merlot, pinot noir, or zinfandel produce bold flavors that match the meaty flavors of beef. Chicken, fish, and other lighter meats like veal work well with white wines. These are delicate pieces of meat, and need a lighter, airy wine. Consider serving a chardonnay, pinot grigio, or white zinfandel with these types of main courses.

3. Desserts - When most people think of desserts they think of sweetness. Sweet white wines like moscato match this description perfectly. A sparkling wine or champagne works with chocolates, cakes, puddings, and other yummy desserts. There are also a variety of sweet red wines if you don't really care for white. These wines tend to have a velvety texture to them, and work well with the chocolate or berry desserts.

Those are just a few ways to enhance the food that you are eating, as well as the wine you taste.

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Wine And Food Gift Baskets

Of all the things in life that seem to be important to a lot of people wine and food gift baskets seem to frequently rank near the top of the list. When most people think of the phrase food and wine it gives them an instant thought of gourmet types of food and expensive wines. This combination is also used frequently with gift basket for gift giving on various occasions.

There are various resources from which gift baskets can be found as well as ideas to put your own Italian wine and food gift basket together. It does help to know the tastes of the intended recipient before heading out to find the items for any gift basket but buying a pre-made basket is acceptable for almost ever occasion. You may want to consider the type of wine being used as it relates to any food items such as cheese or meat that will be included, so that it compliments instead of contradicts the wine.

It is considered an art form if you can choose the right wine and food gift basket arrangement for those special occasions like birthdays, anniversary, Christmas and New Years. Most believe the guideline that stipulates red wine with red meat and white wine with white meats and fish. However, there are many different varieties that can go well with many different types of food and the preference is more a matter of taste than direction.

Wine is used in So Many Different Recipes: Are We Cooking with the Right Wine?

Many recipes may call for cooking wine to be used as an ingredient. Many people do not realized that there are specific wines made for cooking and the majority of table wines will be too sweet to use in a recipe. Unless specifically recommended, it is suggested that food and table wine not be mixed in a pot or a pan.

There are numerous resources for recipes and designs of many gift baskets and one of the most popular is Italian wine and food gift baskets, especially for those who want to make their own wine from scratch along with homemade food. This is one the greatest gifts because it comes from the heart and is done with pride. Many magazines focusing on gourmet foods will also offer recommendations for the type of wine to be served with a certain meal and many articles may also suggest trying a selected brand of wine to go with fish, chicken or even beef.

For holiday gatherings wine and food gift baskets typically go over well and the food should be prepared with the understanding that it will be sitting on a table for a prolonged period of time. Perishable items should be refrigerated and replenished as need. Whether you use meats or vegetables, at most gatherings it should be noted that almost everyone likes a little meat and cheese with their wine.

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