There are two ways of approaching the process of designing wine pairing dinners. The first is coming up with a menu that pairs nicely with a few of your favorite wines. The other is deciding which wines will go best with the menu you have planned. Whichever way you like to do things, the following tips can help you and your guests enjoy any future wine pairing dinners you host.
- Forget the white-versus-red rule. While the “red goes with red meats and white goes with chicken and fish” plan might be somewhat of a good starting point, it fails to consider the sauces used, flavorings, amount of cheese used, saltiness of the dish, and other courses you might have in your wine pairing dinners.
- Your dinner doesn’t have to be five-star elegant to include wine. Even if you are considering more casual foods, such as pizza, steaks on the grill, or barbecue, you can still enjoy impressive wine pairing dinners. Wines can also be paired with light menus and vegetarian dishes.
- A great pairing elevates the flavor of both the wine and the food. For example, a cabernet sauvignon goes great with a steak or chops because the tannins refresh your palate as you eat. Another suggestion is how a slightly sweet Riesling can balance the spiciness in Indian and Asian dishes.
- For ethic menus, match the wine origin with the food origin. It isn’t just fun to have international wine pairing dinners; it makes sense! If you can imagine a Tuscan family sitting down to a traditional meal with their local wine, you can readily understand why two things that have been together for centuries are such a natural pair.
For those times you’d rather put someone else in charge of coming up with the perfect plan for your wine pairing dinners, call on us at Purple’s Side of the Table. Not only can we help with the planning, but also provide a masterful execution of the meal whether you want a simple plated dinner or 3 to 5 courses. Call today to learn more about making your wine pairing dinners in Charlotte, North Carolina a memorable experience for you and your guests.