Help me understand wine/food pairing

[gusmahler]

I've never "got" wine. I have several friends who are really into wine and have it every day. Me, I'll have a glass occassionally, but I'd generally prefer a beer most days I'm also a very light drinker, if that matters, rarely having more than 2-3 drinks in a night, and only doing that once a month or so.

So I don't get the whole pairing wine with food. For example, I'll be going to a steakhouse next week with some friends. If I order the more flavorful steaks (t-bone, strip, etc.), I'm "supposed" to order a fuller wine, such as a cab. But how does that wine help the food (or is it the food helping the wine)?

[benfranklin]

Most of it is personal taste. I find that some foods are better with wine than with any other beverage. Some are better with beer (Mexican and Thai come immediately to mind). I love beer, but the thought of drinking it with a rich Italian red-sauce dish doesn't even sound good.

As to wine and food, I find that a hearty food (steak, meatballs and spaghetti, etc.) overwhelms a delicate wine (especially whites), so that I can hardly taste the wine. I find that a full-flavored wine like Cab or Zin overwhelms a delicate food like fish or chicken, so that I can hardly taste the food.

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But how does that wine help the food (or is it the food helping the wine)?

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Both are correct. It works for most people. I'm sure there is some science involved about different flavors complementing each other, but for me, it justs tastes better that way.

[HDPM]

Test it yourself. Try a big red wine at the steak house. Taste it first. Then try some steak. Then taste the wine. If you get a fattier steak like a nice prime ribeye or porterhouse, notice how the fat changes the taste of the wine. If you get the wine earlier than the steak, try it with bread. It won't taste as good as with the steak. If you get the wine early enough and get something more acidic like a salad of some sort with some biting dressing the wine won't taste as good as with the steak. So try a cabernet or something, and pay attention to how the taste changes based on the other things you are eating. If you get one with some tannin, the mouth drying taste and feel, notice how that changes with some meat with fat in it. Once you start noticing stuff like that you will enjoy it more. I am no expert on wine and food pairing by any means. But pay attention to how things taste before and after the food. Or try it out at home first. Get a bottle of $10 cabernet and taste it. Then taste it with plain bread or a cracker. Then taste it with a piece of cheese. Then try chocolate. yep, cabernet and chocolate work.

[MrMon]

Here's a pretty good guide from Kendall-Jackson.

Wine & Food Pairing Guide