Food Accompaniment
Although there are no hard and fast rules, wine-with-food combinations can be predicted to some extent based on a general chemistry:
The Essential Chemistry of Wine
Acidity...
...is an essential component of a wine to give it a 'lift'
...causes salivation which freshens the mouth when eating fatty or oily foods
...is an essentail component of wines for accompaniment of fish
...in wines is neutralised by saltiness in foods
Tannins...
...are an extract of red grape skins so are present in red wines
...are the basis of a red wine's ability to age in bottle
...react with phosphates in fish to give an unattractive taste sensation
...do not complement salty foods particularly well
...clash with acidity in foods
...BUT...tannins combine perfectly with red meat proteins
General guidance based on the Chemistry...
Serve fresh acidic white wines with fish & cheese
Don't serve tannic red wines with fish nor cheese
Serve sweeter white wines with blue cheeses
Serve drier unoaked wines before moving to sweeter or oaked wines in the course of a meal
Don't serve tannic red wines with salty, fatty starters such as hams & salamis
Serve white wines with egg based dishes
Absolutely, serve tannic red wines with finest, simply cooked meats
Serve wines which are sweeter than the food they are accompanying.
