Are you a wine lover? When you enjoy a delicious glass of well-aged wine with your meals, there’s nothing more satisfying than a dinner that perfectly complements the characteristics of your favorite wine. Whether you’re serving your own meal or figuring out what to order when you go out, there’s always a way to find that mouthwatering balance between what’s on your plate and what’s in your glass.
Not sure how to pair wine with food properly? Keep reading to learn all about the food and wine pairing basics.
Rules for Pairing Wine With Food
What appeals to you most on a plate depends on your palate, but when it comes to wine and food pairing, you should follow a few tried-and-true rules to produce the best outcomes. As you become more familiar with the pairing process, you can mix, match and experiment more on your own. Until then, here are some helpful pairing tips for beginners:
- Your wine should be sweeter than the food to soften the palate.
- Your wine should be more acidic than your meal choice to offset its flavors.
- In general, the wine and food you choose should have the same or a similar flavor intensity, meaning they are well-matched. Don’t pair something bland or subdued with something bursting with full flavor.
- Red wines tend to pair well with steak and other red meats, while white wines pair best with white meats, like chicken and seafood.
- Bitter wines taste best balanced with dishes that have more fat.
- While certain meats and wines naturally go well together, it’s always better to consider the sauce before the meat when making pairings.
- Pairing red wines with food will usually create flavor-matching combinations while pairing food white wines, rosés and sparkling wines tends to create a contrasting flavor profile.
Food and Wine Pairing Menu Options
With those rules in mind, here are a few of our best suggestions to help you pair your favorite wines and foods at Chisholm’s Beef & Ale House:
- Cabernet Sauvignon: Pair one of our fine varieties of this hearty, rich red wine with a red meat or red sauce dish, like our Caprese flatbread or one of our fine-cut steaks.
- Chardonnay: Savor this semi-sweet white wine with a light cream or tomato-based sauce dish, like our delicious Seafood Tagliatelle.
- Merlot: This mellow red wine works wonderfully with our beef tenderloin or one of our steaks.
- Pinot Grigio: This classy white wine works wonders when paired with a white sauce or light tomato sauce. Try it with our Seafood Tagliatelle, Blackened Salmon or Roasted Chicken flatbread.
- Pinot Noir: With a light red taste, this wine is versatile and will work with earthy-flavored foods, like our French Onion Au Gratin or any dish with beef.
- Riesling: Sweet and sometimes dry, our Riesling wines are best paired with light menu items like our Brick Hen, Blackened Salmon or Seafood Tagliatelle.
Whether you like your wine sweet, dry, dark or light, there’s something on our wine wall and mouthwatering menu to pair with your palate. Chisholm’s is the perfect place tasting different types of wine in Wichita KS. Make a reservation at Chisholm’s tonight.