How to Choose a Wine With Dinner

Are you throwing a dinner party and don't know how to pair your dinner with wine? The following is a simple and straightforward explanation to pairing wine with dinner.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dinner party menu

Pairing Wine with Dinner

1. When pairing wine with an entire menu, it is essential to stay consistent. Do not start off with a heavy salad and follow it with a lighter fish course. This will mean you will need several wines to complement your dinner. If you are looking to only buy one or two wines, then it is essential to stay consistent with your menu.

2. When matching wine with food, there are several characteristics you must consider: weight, acidity and intensity are three. Don't let these three words scare you away; it is easier than you think to match up wine and dinner.

3. Weight.The weight of your food should match your wine. This is very simple. For example, you wouldn't pair a cabernet with a light salad, would you? No. A light chardonnay or sauvignon blanc would be exceptional.

4. Acidity.Dishes high in acidity will match well with wines of the same acidity. For example, if the dish contains lemon, vinegar, apple or any other acidic ingredient, try to match it with a wine with similar acidity such as riesling, sauvignon blanc or pinot noir.

5. Intensity.A spicy food goes with a spicy wine. Riesling will work extremely well with spicy foods and Asian cuisine. Pick a less intense wine for a less intense dish.

Tips & Warnings

• Although the above steps will help you in your choice of wine with dinner, perhaps the most important thing to remember is to choose something that you will like. Many of the conventional wine pairing rules have been thrown out the window.

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[CatsEyeEditing]

on 6/10/2008 Great article! I've always wondered how to properly choose a wine. Thanks.