David Emmins asked:


Asparagus=Sauvignon Blanc

Christmas Pudding=Muscat de Beaumes de Venise

Consommé=Fino Sherry

Foie Gras=Alsace Pinot Gris

Shell Fish=Muscadet

Goat’s Cheese=Sancerre

Oysters=Champagne

Parma Ham & Melon=Pinot Grigio

Roast Beef=St Emilion

Roast Lamb=Red Bordeaux

Roast Pork=Beaujolais

Stilton Cheese=Port

Strawberries and cream=Sweet Vouvray

There are also some foods to avoid with wine, peanuts for instance will destroy wine flavours and olives are too piquant for most wines, they need Fino Sherry or Vermouth. Another great miss match is raw apple and red wine, the acidity in the apple makes the wine very bitter. 

You can only taste four things on your tongue:



Sweetness



Bitterness

Acidity

Saltiness



 

 

The basic principle in matching is to look for sweetness, acidity or bitterness in the food and serve nes that have the same characteristics. You’re unlikely to find saltiness in wine.

The following are examples of wines with those characteristics.

Red Wines

Pinot Noir=High Acidity

Sangiovese=High Acidity

Gamay Noir=High Acidity

Cabernet Sauvignon=Bitterness

Cabernet Franc=Bitterness

Merlot=Bitterness

Zinfandel=Bitterness

Lambrusco=Sweetness

Port=Sweetness

White Wines

Sauvignon Blanc=High Acidity

Riesling=High Acidity

Muscadet=High Acidity

Champagne=High Acidity

German Wines (most)=Sweetness

Rieslings=Sweetness

Chenin Blanc=Sweetness

Matching can be further confused by the sauce that accompanies a dish, for instance:

Chicken breast can match with virtually any wine including the very best bottles of dry/medium white and the finest old reds especially pinot noir. If you add a Curry or Cajun sauce to the chicken you then need a wine with a strong flavour, such as Gewurtztraminer or a Shiraz/Cabernet, to counteract the sauce. A light bodied wine will be merely overwhelmed.

For more information and to search for which wine complements which meal, visit www.ashfieldwines.co.uk