Wine and Food Matching Wheel

Restaurant operators and hospitality industry experts have noted that food and wine pairings are an important part of the restaurant experience. These pairings can be a great way to impress patrons and keep them coming back for more. This colorful two-sided wheel matches the right wines to your favorite foods, from Chinese takeout to rich chocolate! Simply spin the dial to find your perfect match.

Complementary Pairing

Complementary pairing is one of the most basic ways to pair wine and food. This strategy is based on the same principle as complementary base pairing in molecular biology, which is a way to pair nucleotide sequences antiparallel to each other to promote replication and transcription. A common example of this pairing is steak with a wine that has high tannins (the drying feeling in the mouth). The fat in the meat can help to temper the tannins in the wine, giving rise to fruit and other elements in the glass and creating a balanced taste experience on the palate. Another key consideration is a wine's body. A light-bodied wine will be less viscous than a medium-bodied wine and will feel lighter on the tongue, which is ideal for delicate dishes. On the other hand, a full-bodied wine will be more viscous and will feel heavier on the tongue. There are many different types of wines, from dry whites with great acidity like Sauvignon Blanc to sweet dessert wines like Moscato d'Asti. Both styles of wine can be used as complementary pairings for a variety of foods. While it's important to consider the wine's body, a congruent pairing can also be achieved by matching similar flavors. Using an oaky Chardonnay with creamy mac and cheese, for example, is a good example of a congruent pairing. The other key element to consider when choosing a wine is its acidity level. Generally, white wines have more acidity than reds. This makes them a better choice for dishes that are heavy on acidic flavors. A light-bodied Pinot Grigio, for instance, would be a good complement to spicy seafood. It has a citrusy flavor that will cut through the heat and balance out the flavors in the dish. Similarly, a light-bodied Rose will go well with roasted vegetables and fresh herbs or a light sauce. It also works very well with grilled fish or light meats in a flavorful sauce. The most basic rule of wine and food pairing is that a wine's weight should be similar to the food's weight. This is a very simple rule, but it is essential to the overall experience.

Congruent Pairing

A congruent pairing matches similar taste profiles in both the wine and the dish. It's the easiest way to create a successful pairing that will bring out both the flavors and aromas of both. A complementary pairing on the other hand is a more complex way to pair food and wine. It's a bit more challenging to get right, but it can be very rewarding when it works well. The main difference between the two is that a congruent pairing focuses on the similarities of both the food and the wine, while a complementary pairing focuses on the differences between the foods. This is why you can find a good match between a creamy pasta and a crisp Pinot Grigio or between a super rich duck confit and a bold cabernet sauvignon. For example, a white wine with a high acidity would go great with a creamy pasta because it will help cut through the heaviness of the dish and leave you with a smooth, clean finish. Or, a creamy mac and cheese with ham would be perfect with a zesty white wine that has some sweetness to it like Riesling. While this is a bit more complex than the other two, it can be very rewarding when you find a good match between a creamy macaroni and a sharper wine. The acids in the macaroni and the spiciness of the wine will help to balance each other out, creating a truly balanced experience that'll make you want to come back for more. There are six main tastes in food and drinks: saltiness, acidity, fattiness, bitterness, sweetness, and spiciness. These are all important to consider when pairing foods with wine, but you should also take into consideration the overall intensity of a dish. Generally, a red wine pairs best with foods that are heavy in texture, while a white wine will pair better with lighter meats and fish dishes. This is because red wines tend to have more bitterness and a greater concentration of tannin, while white, rose and sparkling wines tend to have more acidity and a lower concentration of tannin.

Contrasting Pairing

Wine and food pairings are a fun way to elevate your dining experience. But it can be challenging to determine which wines go well with what foods. Veteran wine journalist and lover Robin Garr takes the guesswork out of food and wine pairings with his unique Wine and Food Matching Wheel. The Wine and Food Matching Wheel is an 8-inch wheel that helps you make informed decisions about your next meal. Simply rotate it to select your food and then choose a wine from the selections. Whether you're at home or in a restaurant, this handy tool makes it easy to find the perfect wines to pair with your dishes. You can even use it when you're traveling on vacation and need to find the best wines to match your cuisine! There are two basic principles in food and wine pairings: contrast and harmony. Think of it like creating a balanced painting. With contrasting pairings, the flavors of the food and wine are opposed to each other. With congruent pairings, the flavors of the food and the wine share their taste profile. Contrasting pairings are often made with acidic and fresh foods, such as roasted vegetables, oysters, goat cheese, light sauces, and grilled fish. The acidity of the food cuts through the tannins in the wine to create a balance that allows both of the flavors to shine. One of the most common contrasting food and wine combinations is the pairing of salty foie gras with a sweet wine. Similarly, a heavy and sweet port with salty Stilton cheese is another classic combination that works well together. In addition, contrasting food and wine pairings may include an acidic white wine with greasy food or a sweet wine with a heavy cheese. This type of pairing is often made when a wine has a high acidity level and a food has a higher fat content. While some contrasting pairings can be enjoyable, it's best to avoid them altogether. The main reason for this is that contrasting pairings can be too much of a good thing and cause the wine and food to overpower each other on the palate.

Balanced Pairing

When it comes to pairing wine and food, the most important thing is balance. Whether you're eating at home or in a restaurant, the goal is to create a well-rounded dining experience. Flavor balancing occurs when the components of savory (umami), acidity, sweetness, saltiness, hotness (spicy) and bitterness are in balance. When they aren't, they can clash and make a dish unpleasantly unpleasant. To achieve flavor balancing, the foods you choose need to have equal amounts of all the flavor components present in them, allowing them to complement each other. The best way to do this is to choose foods that are a little more complex than your average salad or chicken breast. This will allow the flavor components of the wine to blend into the food, allowing you to taste both the food and the wine at once. This is a very satisfying experience for both you and the chef! Another essential component of flavor balancing is that the wine should match the predominant tastes in the dish. This is especially important if you are serving something that has a sauce or gravy on it. For example, a delicate teriyaki sauce would pair nicely with a light bodied Sauvignon Blanc. However, a rich mushroom sauce would work better with a Shiraz. Similarly, the aromas of a wine can also help in determining the appropriate food for that particular type. Highly aromatic wines, such as Gewurztraminer and Viognier, are ideal with dishes that have orange or exotic fruit flavors. Nutty Chardonnays, on the other hand, can work well with roasted nut flavors. While the Wine and Food Matching Wheel is a great tool to help you get started, it's important to remember that the ultimate aim of pairing wine and food is to enhance your experience with both. That means choosing wines that you enjoy drinking, and not choosing the wines that the sommelier thinks will make your food taste better. The body and weight of a wine can be very helpful in determining how it pairs with food, but it isn't as important as the balance in acidity, tannins, sugar, alcohol and bitterness. If the acidity levels in both the wine and the food are too low, then it will likely overpower the food's flavor.