The chemistry between wine & food

High-fat foods are more agreeable with wines that are rich in acidity, tannin and alcohol - the three elements that stimulate the appetite and aid digestion.

Highly seasoned dishes (e.g. pepper, chili, curry, tabasco) taste even spicier when served with a wine that is high in alcohol. The effect is heightened even more if the wine is rich in bothalcohol and acidity. Caution is recommended.

The carbon dioxide in wine (and particularly in sparkling wine, or Sekt) masks sweetness. If consumed with food, these wines and sparkling wines seem sweeter than they actually are. Drierstyles (e.g. extra trocken to extra brut) are therefore better suited to food that the sweeter versions (labeled dry or mild), except with desserts.

Salt increases the perception of aromas and bitter substances in wine and food.

Acidity enhances sweetness (e.g. lemon juice on strawberries). It also temporarily masks bitterness. Acidic wines served with acidic foods are not agreeable and can cause acid indigestion. On theother hand, fatty foods are more easily digested when accompanied by a wine with a healthy acidity.

Sweetness improves the perception of aromas in wine and reduces the impression of bitterness or saltiness. Very dry wines seem milder and more harmonious when served with food, since food containsboth sugar and salt.

An optimal food-and-wine combination depends on a number of other factors, too, e.g. the time of day, season, temperature outdoors, occasion (festive or everyday), people with whom one is dining(age, wine knowledge), price (how much can the wine cost?) as well as the components of the menu.

Wines and foods can be arranged in basic categories based on aroma, taste and seasoning.

A = neutral, mild wines and foods
B = aromatic, piquant, spicy wines and foods that are rich in substance and body
I = light wines and foods
II = powerful, full-bodied wines and foods

Wines are categorized according to various traits, e.g. grape variety, quality category, style and age.

Foods are categorized according to how they are prepared, because the method of preparation - steamed, fried, baked, or roasted - influences the ultimate taste of the food. Furthermore, the basicflavor of fish or meat changes considerably depending on an accompanying sauce, e.g. made with cream or made with the stronger-flavored drippings from a roast; on the herbs and spices used; and on theside dishes. For this reason, it is quite a challenge to select different wines for different courses. If only one wine will be served, select it according to the most intensive flavor of the foods.

The closer wine and food are in terms of their basic character (light to rich, neutral to spicy), the easier it is to achieve a harmonious match. Harmony is balance and enhancement. The samplegrids below can be useful in determining how similar the components of a particular food-and-wine combination are. If the food and wine are in the same field of the respective grids, the combinationshould be ideal.

Sample Categories for Wine Body/Aroma A mild B spicy I. Light Kabinett wines from Riesling Silvaner Weissburgunder Portugieser Trollinger Kabinett wines from Müller-Thurgau Bacchus Scheurebe Gewürztraminer Spätburgunder II. Rich Spätlesen/Auslesen from Riesling Silvaner Weissburgunder Spätburgunder Spätlesen from Bacchus Grauburgunder Scheurebe Dornfelder

Sample Categories for Food Body/Aroma A mild B spicy I. Light egg dishes, baked fish, chicken, turkey, veal in a light sauce, vegetable dishes game birds, spicy ragout, veal or lamb in an aromatic sauce, roasted vegetables II. Rich seafood, flavorful saltwater fish, roast pork, fatty freshwater fish goose, duck, furry game, beef, mutton in a rich sauce, cheese (blue mold)

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