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PERFECT PAIRINGS

 

Champagne & Food

Many folks are surprised to find out how well champagne goes with a variety of foods ranging from cheese and appetizers to full meals.

Check out the following:

  • Champagne & Cheese
  • Champagne & Appetizers
  • Champagne & Meals
  • Champagne & Desserts

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    Cooking With Wine

    Do you know how wine can help your dishes taste spectacular? Did you always wonder what "deglazing a pan" meant? Wondering if you should use something called a "cooking wine?" Here are your answers.

     Reduction:
    Describes the process of reduction and how it applies to cooking.

     Acidity:
    Explains what acidity is and how it affects dishes while cooking.

     Deglazing:
    Defines deglazing and how it is used in cooking.

     Sauces:
    Explores what adding wine can do to sauces and their flavour.

    "White with chicken or fish and red with beef" ......right?

    Well, it's a bit more complicated than that.   Remember that a meal is more than chicken, fish or beef, it's the sauces and how the dish is prepared that help us decide on a wine match.   While the old generalizations served a purpose, we can do better these days.   A good rule of thumb is that you don't want the food to completely overpower the wine and you don't want the wine to be so strong that you can't taste your meal. Part of the fun is experimenting with different combinations to see what works best for you.

    Have a look at this CHART for some pairing ideas and then read on....!

     

    Wine & Everyday Foods

    We spend a lot of time matching wines with grand dinners or holiday festivities, but what about pairing wine with the food we eat on a daily basis? Here's a few match-ups you might want to experiment with :

    • DRY ROSE`
      and a ham sandwich
    • DRY RIESLING
      and a turkey sandwich
    • PINOT NOIR
      and deep fried chicken
    • PINOT NOIR
      with Macaroni and cheese:
    • ANY RED
      and frozen chicken pot pie
    • SYRAH
      with Hamburgers:
    • ZINFANDEL
      with Hot dogs
    • DRY ROSE
      with Fried chicken
    • CHARDONNAY
      and a BLT
    • DRY ROSE
      and Texas Chili

     
    Wine & Herbs

    Most cooks have a cadre` of favorite herbs they just love to cook with, sometimes allowing one in particular to be the predominant flavor of a recipe.

    If you've wondered about how to pair a wine with a herb dominated dish, check out our Wine & Herb CHART for help.

    Wine & Cheese

    Cheese tends to make wine taste better, smoothing out a wine and bringing out the best in both products. Wine and cheese have a long history together, going back to antiquity. As always, pairing wines with cheeses is as much about personal choice as anything but there are some basic guidelines. Generally, red wines are good with hard cheeses and white wines go well with soft cheeses.

    Check out this CHART for help.

     
    Wine & Pizza

    Whether you're into frozen or delivery, pepperoni or pineapple, nothing pairs better with pizza than a glass of red or white wine. For cheese toppings a Chardonnay or Sangiovese is great. For pepperoni try a Pinot Grigio or White Zinfandel. If you're into sausage, mushrooms and onions, try a full-bodied Chardonnay, Zinfandel or Syrah. For the classic veggie pizza, a herbaceous Sauvignon Blanc or the ever-light Pinot Noir won't overpower the vegetable flavors.