Food Pairing

When it comes to wine with food, and food with wine, how are you supposed to know the right choice these days? Well, at Fotinos Brothers Winery we feel " The skies the limit", and we highly encourage experimentation of different wine with your favorite foods.For those of you who don't want to take the time to do this, there is no sense in reinventing the wheel. Use the classic wine pairings of salmon with our Pinot Noir, and rare steak with our Cabernet Sauvignon.You may also use the old adage " White wine with fish and red wine with meat". The later is the safe way to go, but can become very boring. For the rest of you, take a chance and figure out which pairing you really enjoy, and find your inner- Sommelier.

Let's face it, wine and food were meant to go together. Every dish is different, made up of many ingredients and flavors, and when combined with wine will react to create a new flavorful experience. The four major components of wine are tannin, sweet, acid, and alcohol. When they react with our four basic senses of taste ( salt, sweet, sour, and bitter), they either compliment or contrast one another. Try the following guidelines to help you on your quest in finding the ultimate wine and food pairing.

1. You have to ask yourself, do you want the wine you choose to compliment or contrast the meal, and what componenets of the wine will allow you to do this ( tannin, sweet, acid, or alcohol)? In a contrasting pairing you are looking for flavors in the wine that are not in the dish, but make it appealing. For example, a Sauvignon Blanc paired with chicken or fish in a heavy cream sauce. The high acidity of the wine will balance the heaviness of the dish. In a complimentary pairing you are looking for similar flavors in the wine and food. For example the earthy tones of our Pinot Noir pair well with the earthy flavors of fettuccine with truffles. This is a medium-bodied wine paired with a medium-heavy dish.
   
   
2. Wines high in alcohol( Pinot Noir) go well witth slightly sweet foods. The alcohol and sweet balance each other.
   
   
3. Wines with high tannin levels ( Cabernet Sauvignon) decrease the taste of sweetness in food, and are softer and smoother when paired with protein rich foods like rare steak or cheese. These tannic wines also taste better when paired with salty foods.
   
   
4. Acidic wines ( Sauvignon Blanc) taste less acidic when paired with salty or slightly sweet foods. They also help balance heavy, fatty foods.
   
   
5. Sweet wines like Riesling go well with salty foods, they taste less sweet, but fruitier, and thus the salty food is more appealing.

One consistant reaction in the above examples is that salt adds balance. It brings out fruitiness in sweet wines, decreases acidity in acidic wines, and decreases bitterness in tannic wines.

Use these guidelines along with your wine knowledge to create pairings you will enjoy for years to come. Remember never stop experementing, you will be pleasantly supprised at your results. Please try these recipes with our 2006 Fotinos Brothers wines.