What dishes go best with red wine?

Many people like the aroma of red wine. The taste of red wine is very mellow, but it is very different from white wine. Red wine has a relatively low alcohol content and a variety of flavors, so it can be drunk by men, women, young or old. It is best to drink red wine with some dishes, and there are also some rules for pairing red wine with dishes. Some dishes are incompatible with red wine. So, what dishes go best with red wine?

1. 6 main flavors

We can detect hundreds of aromas, but we can recognize only a few tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, oily, umami. Umami is sensed by our tongue through a substance called glutamate, the best example of which is MSG. Many foods have a strong umami flavor, such as soy sauce, tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, cold cuts and meat. Umami is a real problem in wine and food pairing and is very challenging.

2. Prepare food

In order to more fully reflect the pairing effect of wine and food, it is necessary to prepare 8 different flavors of food, 2 sauces and 4 different wines. When preparing food, it is best to choose the most basic foods that best represent the flavor category, such as using salty potato chips to represent salty dishes. Green vegetables can be selected according to personal preference. Below are the 8 types of food we recommend for reference only.

(1 ) Umami: potato chips. Make sure the chips are only salty and are stored properly and not past their expiration date.

(2) Sour: vinegar. A simple red wine and vinegar salad can be savored.

(3) Bitter: walnut. Walnuts are a food that often appears at tastings.

(4) Greasy: cheese.

(5) Sweet taste: jelly. Try using sweet jelly as a dessert with wine.

(6) Umami: steak. Spread the steak with the red wine sauce and mayonnaise.

(7) Green vegetables: spinach. When sautéing spinach, add some butter and salt.

(8) Spicy: Dip potato chips in hot sauce.

3. Prepare the wine

It is best to prepare different types and styles of wines, including red wine, white wine, sparkling wine and sweet wine. You can choose the more representative wines, such as Malbec, Chardonnay, rosé sparkling wine (any sparkling wine that can produce bubbles is fine), late harvest Chenin Blanc. This type of wine is mainly common in supermarkets, so it is recommended. Of course, the final choice of wine depends entirely on your preference and there is no rigid standard.