Food & Wine 101: Pretending You're a Sommelier

Food & Wine: 101: Easy Food + Wine Pairing Tricks that Make You Look Good

Imagine you are on a Tinder date, the waiter brings over the wine menu, your date says something casually such as "oh I never know what to order..." Shwing Shwing - You're about to lay down some vino knowledge...

I am definitely one of those people who orders wine, and when the waiter returns with the bottle, pouring a taste into my glass, I sit there and pretend like I know what I just ordered. I lift my glass slightly, sip, bash my eyelashes a little, and say "oh yes, that will do." But in reality, I just want some damn wine.

However, in my 30 something years, I have overheard people smarter than I, lay down some excellent advice on easy wine pairing tips. I have also done a little research of my own:

Trick #1 - Match the Wine Color to your Food's Color

You can use this trick especially if you know what food you are ordering or making in advance. For instance, the darker or richer the color of your food, color match the wine with a dark red like a full bodied Cabernet or a Sirah.

• Reds: Red Bolognese Sauce, Steaks, Lasagna, Stews
• Whites: Chicken, Mac & Cheese (and other white pasta), Pizza and of course the ultimate adulting food Grilled Cheese!
• Light Reds / Rose: Pork Chops, Tuna Steak, Salami/Proscuitto

Having a salad? White wines have a tinge of green as well - but you can also use the accent colors in salads to help you - heirloom tomato salads have reds and pinks, Cobb salads have white chicken and cheese etc.

Trick #2 - Sauce!

Most meals have some sauce on the side - so you can use that as a queue to wine selection as well. Sauces like ketchup have the main ingredient of vinegar, which is acidic/salty, and because white wines are very acidic, you may want to counter the taste with a darker red -

• Mayonnaise - a light sauce, can be better balanced with a zesty white! (maybe a Pinot Gris)
• Soy Sauce - super salty, pair with a sweet wine
• Ranch - tangy but mellow, goes well with a Chardonnay white

Basically, judge the level of acidity in the sauce, then choose a wine that counter-balances that acidity.

Trick #3 - Know Your Geography

This is a last resort trick, but can help you if you need to make a decision rather quickly 

Use the food's country of origin, look at the wine menu and try to match up.

• Italian Food like lasagna? Pick an Italian wine
• Cheese Plate? Choose a French wine
• Hamburgers & Fries? California Red will do just fine!

And that's it! Reminder: these tricks are just that, shortcuts in a jam. 

For more sophistication check out winefolly.com or other serious food blogs :)

Please feel free to comment!