rahulsharma: Tips on Wine and Food Pairing | Tasting Argentina: The Anuva Wine ...

Ever since I was a little child I saw my dad drinking wine with love and dedication, now that we are both grown ups we happen to share the same passion for good food and wine. Since these two elements are big part of my business here in Buenos Aires , I put lots of attention to what wine and food I?ll be serving on my table.

Pairing wine and food ?is usually a task that many find overwhelming because they might think that it is a very strict and rigid. The basics of wine and food pairing are quite ?simple though! ?You just have to follow some basic, reasonable, rules. So here are some great tips to make your dinner something truly spectacular.

Go for what you like:

Very easy basic rule, cook and drink what you like the most. It doesn?t really matter how many experts have flattered a wine or food, if you don?t like it, forget it! Make a wise decision and trust your instinct by cooking and drinking only your favorite stuff!!

Keep the balance:

It is very important to keep a balance in your meal when it comes to wine. Try make the body, of the elements you are using, match. Have a light wine with a light meal, a rich, flavored and complex wine with food that has the same characteristics.
This is so we can keep a balance in our palate and prevent the wine overpowering food or vice versa.

Match categories:

When you?re eating a dish with a strong acidic content using ingredients such as lemons or tomatoes pair it with an acidic wine that can keep up with the acids in the food.

If what you are having is more of a ?fat? heavy meal instead, such as steak or pork, use a red wine with nice tannins, so it can help you to clean the palate. Tannins have a very particular astringency which will help strip the fats from your tongue. The tannins cleanse the palate of the rich fats from a meal and provide a refined, refreshing drink.

Find the descriptor that you want to enhance:

To keep a good balance between wine and food, find a good descriptor (easier to find on the wine) and try to work with that, by adding ingredients in your meal that will maximize that specific flavor you like.

Finding balance in different ways:

The balance between food and wine is not necessarily matching flavors in an exact way, you can add some of this balance by bringing characteristics missing on the dish (or wine) that go well together.
If you want to eat a ?fat? heavier dish, but want to go with white wine then try to use the elements you have and play with them, for example if you want fried chicken then try to contrast the taste with crisp refreshing wine like a Sauvignon Blanc or a Pinot Griggio instead. If you are using ?Creme fraiche? then try to go with a rich Chardonnay.

Don?t be scared to try new ideas:

I think this might be the most important part ?of a good wine food pairing guide. which is, don?t be afraid of trying new things, even if you fail and dinner end up tasting like a Picasso, never mind, you learned what tastes might not go along or could instead end up discovering a new match made in heaven combination.

All of this you can learn on your own, by reading, experimenting or going to wine tastings where you can pick up some more of this valuable tips, to cook and drink like a king!