WHICH WINE GOES WITH WHAT?

Do you like wine? But do you sometimes need clarification on the wide varieties? How can you recognize a good wine? Which wine goes with which food? Our little wine guide helps you to choose the right wine and gives valuable tips.

WHAT IS WINE?

Wine (from the Latin: Vinum) is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of grapes or grape must. These berry fruits grow on the panicles of the vine. Wine is one of the oldest cultural goods of humankind. Wine growing is said to have been practiced in the Near East as early as the 6th millennium BC. Both the art of winemaking and the culture of wine enjoyment has been continuously developed over the millennia up to the present day.

Today, the world of wine offers us a great variety. The wines differ by many factors - not least by price. Getting to the bottom of these differences, capturing tastes, philosophizing with like-minded people about the culture of wine, or simply enjoying - all of this makes up the fascination surrounding the topic of wine.

The world's most popular grape varieties

RED WINE

Burgundy

Burgundy is a collective term for wines from Burgundy. The best-known red variety is Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir wines taste full-bodied and velvety, and they have a fruity aroma and nuances of almonds. Typical Pinot Noir has a slightly sweet red fruit aroma, from strawberry to cherry, blackberry and black currant. Pinot Noir red wines are ideal for the colder season and are best if consumed at 16 -18 °C. Robust variants best accompany roasts and game or even a cheese platter.

Merlot

Merlot is one of the most cultivated red wine varieties in the world, and it was cultivated in the 18th century. The exceptionally dark wines remind the taste of plums and taste soft and smooth. Some wines are made from a single grape variety, while others are blended with other red types and aged in barrels. The barrel wines adequately accompany strong dishes, a simple Merlot is suitable for lighter dishes or can be consumed just like that.

Cabernet Sauvignon

The variety is one of the most famous grape varieties in the world. Its grapes contain an exceptionally high amount of seeds, pigments and tannins, which gives the wine a deep dark colour and makes it excellent for barrel aging and long-term storage. Cabernet Sauvignon wines have great character and have the typical taste of black currant (cassis) and an aroma of green bell pepper. A distinctive feature of the variety is that even under different climatic and soil conditions, the bouquet and taste of the wine remain unmistakable. As a companion to the menu, Cabernet Sauvignon is excellent with roasted beef or lamb with dark sauces.

Bordeaux

Bordeaux is the name given to wines from the French wine-growing region of the same name. Bordeaux is not a grape variety but a blend (also called cuvée) of different grape varieties such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Franc. The taste direction is influenced by the blend ratio of the individual grape varieties and in which barrel the wine is stored. Most Bordeaux wines are strong in flavour and have a rich, dark colour.

WHITE WINE

Riesling

Riesling wines are available in all quality levels and flavours. Some are aged in traditional wooden barrels. The "typical" Riesling is pale yellow, tending to greenish-yellow. The aroma is dominated by peach or apple, and you can feel a racy acidity. Rieslings from slate soils are said to have a mineral note, some wines smell of flint, and age-ripened growths often have an interesting petrol tone. Riesling wines should be drunk at the earliest one year after the harvest, and many reach their optimal drinking maturity only after several years. The shelf life of top wines is almost unlimited. Young, light Riesling wines, dry to fruity sweet, depending on taste, are ideal summer wines. Matured Rieslings are more suitable as food companions. Dry to semi-dry Rieslings go particularly well with light dishes, steamed lake and freshwater fish, cooked meats with light sauces, and small domestic fowl.

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is one of the most popular grape varieties in the world. It is present in practically all wine-producing countries and occupies an area under cultivation worldwide almost equal to Riesling's. Most wines are vinified dry. In addition to aging in stainless steel tanks, barrel aging is typical in this variety. The aroma of melons, exotic fruits, overripe gooseberries or not quite ripe apples is typical of Chardonnay. Superior qualities usually have abundant alcohol and extract and are full-bodied and persistent. If they are aged in barrels, wood aromas complement the primary fruit aromas. Light, young wines accompany fish and seafood well, and strong or wood-accented wines go well with roasted foods as well as hearty cheeses.

White Burgundy

In France, the variety is called Pinot Blanc, in Italy Pinot Bianco, also in Austria, Switzerland or Slovenia, the variety is widespread. Pinot Blanc presents itself in the pale to light yellow glass, delicate and restrained in fragrance. Typical is its slightly nutty aroma. Pinot Blanc is not overly alcoholic and has a subtle aroma often reminiscent of green nuts, apples, pear, quince, apricot, citrus or fresh pineapple. Moderate body and pleasantly refreshing acidity distinguish it as a versatile menu wine. It is thus well suited to seafood, fish, veal, pork and poultry or simply as a well-chilled patio wine. More extract-rich variants and barrel wines also go well with lamb or delicate dishes of young game.

Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc has made a triumphal march worldwide in recent decades, and German Sauvignon Blanc wines have excellent ratings in international tastings. The unmistakable characteristic of Sauvignon Blanc is the strong aroma of grass, herbs, gooseberries and green fruits. It goes perfectly with fish dishes and seafood or pasta with cream sauce.

THE FOOD AND WINE COMBINATION

Many people still open a bottle of white wine with so-called "white meat" and a red wine with "dark meat". Simplified, this is correct, but it ignores crucial factors of a dish such as sauce, vegetables, spices and, last but not least, the way it is prepared. But it is precisely these aspects that bring delightful impulses to modern cuisine. Kitchen styles and recipes are becoming more and more international and diverse, peppered with ever-new trends and experiences. Therefore, today one should no longer refer to fixed rules.

It tastes what pleases!

And the courage to try things out is often rewarded with unexpected pleasure. Matching wine and food is surprisingly easy, and all dishes have a flavour profile, just like wine. Without going too much into the theoretical basics, the rule is: wine goes with food when the two taste profiles match.

Tips

Acid needs acid

A salad with vinaigrette will make a fine white Viognier seem sweet, flat and dull. On the other hand, a strongly acidic Sauvignon Blanc is a perfect match.

Sweetness needs sweetness

This is true of desserts and other dishes with a sweet component. A fish dish in a white cream sauce with carrots and boiled potatoes are lovely and rich. A Chardonnay from a warmer region is a good match.

Tannic acid needs fat

Dishes containing fat leave a thin film of grease on the palate and throat, which locks out the tannic acid that often causes "dry mouth." From a food perspective, this means that with their firm structure, tannic wines are an excellent match for velvety, rich dishes.

Seasoning needs sweetness or yellow acid

Spicy food numbs the taste buds in the mouth. Therefore, you need a wine with much more expression, structure and slight acidity. Semi-sweet white wines go well. Grilled beef with a hot, spicy sauce needs an intense, tannic red wine. Seasoned sweet and sour chicken needs a sweet white wine to accompany it.

Complex wines

Complex wines need simple dishes, and complex dishes need simple wines. It is difficult for the brain to concentrate on several things simultaneously. A great, complex (usually also expensive) wine should be given all your attention.