Texas Wine Trails -- Wine & Food Pairings

WINE & FOOD
PAIRINGS

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Matching Wine & Food

"White with chicken or fish
and red with beef" ......right?

Well, it's a bit more complicated than that. Remember that a meal is more than chicken, fish or beef, it's the sauces and how the dish is prepared that help us decide on a wine match. While the old generalizations served a purpose, we can do better these days. A good rule of thumb is that you don't want the food to completely overpower the wine and you don't want the wine to be so strong that you can't taste your meal. Part of the fun is experimenting with different combinations to see what works best for you.

Have a look at this CHART for some pairing ideas!

Wine & Everyday Foods

We spend a lot of time matching wines with grand dinners or holiday festivities, but what about pairing wine with the food we eat on a daily basis? Here's a few match-ups you might want to experiment with :

DRY ROSE`
and a ham sandwich

DRY RIESLING
and a turkey sandwich

PINOT NOIR
and deep fried chicken

PINOT NOIR
with Macaroni and cheese:

ANY RED
and frozen chicken pot pie

SYRAH
with Hamburgers:

ZINFANDEL
with Hot dogs

DRY ROSE
with Fried chicken

CHARDONNAY
and a BLT

DRY ROSE
and Texas Chili

Wine & Herbs

Most cooks have a cadre` of favorite herbs they just love to cook with, sometimes allowing one in particular to be the predominant flavor of a recipe.

If you've wondered about how to pair a wine with a herb dominated dish, check out our Wine & Herb CHART for help.

Wine & Cheese

Cheese tends to make wine taste better, smoothing out a wine and bringing out the best in both products. Wine and cheese have a long history together, going back to antiquity. As always, pairing wines with cheeses is as much about personal choice as anything but there are some basic guidelines. Generally, red wines are good with hard cheeses and white wines go well with soft cheeses.

Check out this CHART for help.

Wine & Pizza

Whether you're into frozen or delivery, pepperoni or pineapple, nothing pairs better with pizza than a glass of red or white wine. For cheese toppings a Chardonnay or Sangiovese is great. For pepperoni try a Pinot Grigio or White Zinfandel. If you're into sausage, mushrooms and onions, try a full-bodied Chardonnay, Zinfandel or Syrah. For the classic veggie pizza, a herbaceous Sauvignon Blanc or the ever-light Pinot Noir won't overpower the vegetable flavors.

Champagne & Food

Many folks are surprised to find out how well champagne goes with a variety of foods ranging from cheese and appetizers to full meals.

Check out the following:

Champagne & Cheese

Champagne & Appetizers

Champagne & Meals

Champagne & Desserts

Cooking With Wine

Do you know how wine can help your dishes taste spectacular? Did you always wonder what "deglazing a pan" meant? Wondering if you should use something called a "cooking wine?" Here are your answers.

Reduction:
Describes the process of reduction and how it applies to cooking.

Acidity:
Explains what acidity is and how it affects dishes while cooking.

Deglazing:
Defines deglazing and how it is used in cooking.

Sauces:
Explores what adding wine can do to sauces and their flavour.

PLAN AHEAD...