What Wine With Your Fish? Part III - Pairing

Whether you are pairing wine with food or trying to matchmake one friend to another, you think about compatibility. Obviously, the taste of 2 different things mingling simultaneously with your taste buds should be that of harmony and not discord!

Harmony between food and wine can be summarised in two words - Complementing and Contrasting. Here's a few easy to remember tips.

Complementing - Strike a balance between the type and intensity of the flavours instead of allowing one to overpower the other.

• Red wine with red meat, White wine with white meat - Though not 100% accurate, this statement does sum up the basics of pairing. No matter how you prepare chicken, the flavour will be lighter than that of a beef dish. Similarly, white wines are generally lighter than reds, thus seafood is usually paired with whites, roses, or lighter reds.
  

• Light coloured vs Dark coloured dishes - What you see on the surface is sometimes more important than what is beneath. Seafood that is fried or grilled tend to have a stronger, oilier flavour compared to those steamed or poached. Also, a oyster sauce based dish is often heartier and more flavourful compared to one cooked with light soy sauce.
  

• Look for similar tastes and flavours - Tart flavours in a dish would match easily with a more acidic wine while sweetness can be balanced with a fruity one. If mushrooms are to be a main ingredient added to your dish, think about a herbaceous note in your wine. If your fish is going to taste of lemons, look for a wine with citrus aromas. You will find that the two seem to be bringing out the best in each other.
  

Contrasting - Opposites do sometimes attract, and may produce surprisingly harmonous results.

• Wine as a foil to salty and oily flavours - Salt in a dish helps to bring the flavours to the fore, and it would do the same for a tart, acidic wine. This same acidic wine will also do a wonderful job in cleansing your palate when served with a oily or fatty dish.

• Be sweet and spicy - From all the sweet and spicy dishes you find in Asian cusine, you can obviously tell that the two contrasting tastes can be matched. Wines that are fruity and refreshing allow their own and also the other flavours of the dish to emerge despite the spiciness.

At the end of the day, everyone may have their own likes and dislikes but you are the one who is going to enjoy the food. So don't be worried and do experiment with different combinations if you want to!