Which Are The Best Wines To Serve Before Food?

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Which Are The Best Wines To Serve Before Food?

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Answer 1

People make such a big deal about matching food to the right wine and, whilst I admit there are some general rules you should always stick to when selecting a wine, I genuinely don't buy any of the snootiness.

I've been to a few wine-tastings in my time (most of them hosted by drink-suppliers that wanted to promote their products), and what I realised is that wine and food pairings really come down to personal preference.

Just like seasoning food, there are certain things that some people will like - whilst others will find abhorrent. This is especially true when dealing with complex wines that offer a multitude of notes and flavours.

So, without further adue - here are the basic wine pairing guidelines I live by:

Bubbly

Champagnes dryness goes well with salty food. I love Champagne with something like a Salty Pepper Squid.

White

Sauvignon Blanc has a "fruity bite" that goes well with tangy sauces., where other wines find themselves overpowered - this wine shines.
Pinot Grigio is great with cod and other "light-tasting" fish.
Oily fish and Salmon steaks go well with Chardonnay.
Riesling and other sweeter whites combine well with Thai, Vietnamese and Far East Asian cuisine. Especially true of anything with fresh chillies and coriander.

Rose

Dry rose always goes well with cheese. I don't know why it works, but a creamy cheese is always complimented by a glass of dry rose.

Red

Italian food needs Italian wine. I don't know how much of this is psychological, but I can't eat pasta without enjoying a delicious Tuscan red.
Argentinian Malbec or a decent Shiraz is a bold option. Always pair with food that has a powerful, meaty flavour. Malbec and Steak would be my ideal dinner-date choice by the way! Cabarnet Sauvignon and Bordeaux are also well equipped to handle juicy red meat.

So there you have it - those are my rules for pairing wine with food. For all you tech-heads out there, I'd also recommend thisMashable article on the latest wine & food pairing applications you can download.

Answer 2

Rather then higher content alcohol cocktails before dinner, which can tend to deaden the palate rather then make it more acute, the choice of a wine is much nicer. Champagne or sparkling wines make a nice introduction to dinner, and are subtle enough to have with cheese and crackers. Aste Spumante is a safe choice, and less costly then true Champagne, and the "bubbly" is a nice festive way to begin an evening.

Other choices for a before dinner wine could be sweet vermouth over ice (especially nice if you are serving cheeses before dinner). Even though vermouth is technically a liquor, it is made from wine. Another twist would be to serve an aperitif such as Kir which is a "cocktail" made with Black Currant Liquor and white wine. Or perhaps Pernod or Campari.

To be completely safe, open an extra bottle or two of the wine that you will be serving with your dinner instead. That way when folks are ready to move to the table they aren't in that awkward position of bringing a cocktail glass to the table.