My interest in wine began with my marriage to a Chilean man. My intrigue (borderline compulsion) began when we visited the winery of the second largest wine producer in the world-the Concha y Toro winery in central Chile. It was there that I learned how to place a sniff, how to interpret aroma and discover hints of flavor and how the flavors change with aeration and sitting. I also learned how different types of wine are made from different types of grapes. It was in Chile’ that I truly became a “Win-o”. 😉
Despite the fact that I love wine tremendously and my knowledge of wine has grown exponentially … I am still quite ignorant and I am nowhere near a wine connoisseur. What I’ve found however, is that most other people aren’t either. So here’s some basic info to get you started on understanding the most popular kinds of wine and where they fall on the sweet-to-dry spectrum, how to pair these basic types of wine to general foods and a little bit of terminology.
A sweet to dry spectrum of whites:
very sweet- Moscato – Riesling – Pinot Grigio – Sauvignon Blanc – Chardonnay- dry
A sweet to dry spectrum of reds:
very sweet- Port – Pinot Noir – Zinfandel – Malbec – Syrah -Cabernet Sauvignon – Merlot – Chianti -Dry
Rose’:
Can be sweet or dry. White Zinfandel is an example of a sweeter rose’.
Sparkling Wine:
Prosecco is a sweet sparkling wine. Champaign can be sweet or dry.
Types of wine and food pairings:
sparkling wine– (ie.Prosecco or Champagne)
-cold veggies, soft cheese, hard cheese, fish or salty foods
light white wine– (ie.Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc)
– veggies, fish
full-bodied white-(ie.Chardonnay)
-soft cheeses, fish, poultry
sweet white wine– (ie.Riesling, Moscato)
– soft and hard cheeses, cured meat, sweets or spicy foods
rose’-can be sweet or not and depending on that would pair accordingly
light red-(ie.Pinot Noir)
poultry, cured meat, shellfish, roasted veggies, mushrooms
medium red– (ie. Zinfandel, Merlot)
roasted veggies, hard cheese, poultry and red meat
full-bodied red-(ie.Cabernet, Malbec, Shiraz)
-cured meat, red meat and hard cheese
dessert wine-(ie.Port)
-sweets, cured meats, soft cheese
A go-to pairing tip:
Wine should be sweeter than the food it is paired with. If the wine is less sweet than the food it is paired with it will taste bitter and tart.
Wine Characteristics: What do these words mean?
“Aroma”: the smell of a wine
“Body”: the apparent weight of a wine in your mouth
“Finish”: the impression a wine leaves as you swallow it
“Dry”: not sweet
“Fruity”: a wine whose aromas and flavors suggest fruit; often sweet but not necessarily so
“Acidity”: a wine’s “pucker” or tartness
“Crisp”: a refreshing acidity
“Oaky”: a wine that has a smooth rather than crisp mouth feel and carries the flavors of oak or vanilla or coffee; usually more oak yields more yellow color in white wines
“Tannins”: comes from the grape seeds, skins and stems and causes a dry feeling in the mouth. A wine with high tannins would be described as “tannic”.
Salud!
Lots of this great info came from these great websites:
https://vinepair.com/wine-101/
https://winefolly.com/reviews/5-tips-to-perfect-food-and-wine-pairing/
http://www.dummies.com/food-drink/drinks/wine/wine-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/
