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I’m sitting at work and I receive a text message from my wife: “I’m cooking meat for dinner, come in for wine and …”. There was also a continuation in SMS, but it does not apply to the topic of this article.
I came to the store after work – my eyes ran wide, such a choice. Do you want French, do you want Georgian … I called my wife and asked what kind of wine to take. She succinctly replied that the meat was already ready, so that I wouldn’t soar her brains with my cleverness about combining wine with meat, buy just delicious and run home. I took “Merlot” Massandrovskoye and to my beloved. The evening was really successful.
But I decided to prepare and find out which wine is better to take with meat, for the future. I share with you.
Why choosing the right wine is so important
The right choice of wine helps to create an unforgettable impression not only from the dishes themselves, but from the whole event as a whole. And here it is quite possible to combine business with pleasure: the grape skin in the process of producing the drink gives it tannins, which provide tart sourness.
Tannins “neutralize” the fatty compounds that are rich in meat, ensure quick digestion of food. As a result, after dinner, there is no feeling of heaviness in the stomach.
Wine to go with pork
Pork is considered white meat, so the choice of wine varieties suitable for it is extremely wide. You can serve both red and white varieties.
Important! Perhaps the only wine categorically not suitable for pork is Cabernet. Due to the saturation and “thickness” it almost beats off the taste of meat.
What to choose for beef
Grilled steaks and beef can be served with almost any red wine. The only exception is the left-bank Bordeaux, whose blend is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon. As a result, the meat acquires an unpleasant “metallic” aftertaste.
Important! Aged wines with a complex bouquet for beef are not the best option. The drink will be lost in the background of the food.
How to choose the right wine for dinner with meat
And 5 more general rules that allow you not to miss the choice of the right wine for meat dishes, bend your fingers:
- Wine from the same country, ideally from the same region, will suit any dish of national cuisine. The issue of compatibility is already taken into account in local culinary traditions.
- The more complex the recipe, the richer the bouquet and taste of the drink should be. Otherwise, the food will completely “clog” the wine.
- Strong, tart wine should be served with fatty meat. For a lean dish – lighter, younger.
- If there is a complex sauce in the dish, the drink is selected specifically for it, and not for meat.
- If the recipe involves the use of hot spices, spices, the wine should be soft-sweet.
Important! Experienced sommeliers recommend combining wine with meat dishes in such a way that the integrity and harmony of organoleptic impressions are created. The drink should, as it were, “continue” the taste and aroma of food. Aerobatics is a “game of contrast”, when wine and meat interestingly emphasize differences in taste, which enriches the senses.
Properly selected wine adds “balance” to the dish, emphasizes its taste. Conversely, an inappropriate drink turns even a culinary masterpiece into something mediocre. Therefore, when buying wine for dinner, you must take into account the rules of compatibility.
Excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to your health. Take care of yourself!
And what do you think? Is the right wine really capable of making a meat dish sparkle with new colors? Or is the difference in taste imperceptible to the layman (if any)?