Red Wine Pairings 101 By Annemarie D'Alessandro Welcome back to our wine pairing blog series! If you missed the post from last week, White Wine Pairings 101, please check it out! It’ll give you a great intro on the major flavor profiles and pairing methods, allowing you to dive headfirst into red wine pairings. The diagram below was included in the post last week, but it’s great to have on hand for this week as well!
The overall flavor profiles of red wines tend to be bitter, acidic, and sweet. Bitter tends to be the most prominent of the three, and red wines also tend to be much less acidic than white wines. The sweetness depends on the wine, but most red wines tend to keep this profile at a minimum. Red wines are known for creating fantastic pairings with foods that contain the same flavor profiles (congruent pairing). There are also three primary styles of red wines: light-bodied, medium-bodied, and full-bodied. Light-bodied wines tend to be pale in color and they have the lowest amount of tannins. They also tend to be higher in acidity than medium or full-bodied wines and the acidity makes up for the lack of tannins to cleanse the palate. Medium-bodied red wines are commonly referred to as “food wines” because they often have the best balance between flavor and acidity. Full-bodied red wines are characterized by a deep red color (it’ll be hard to see through the glass!) and a high concentration of tannins. A full-bodied red wine is the best choice if you want a wine that will cleanse your palate and be able to shine on its own. Now that we have a general idea about the styles of red wines and their overall flavor profiles, let’s dive in and break down some of the most common red wines. As I did in last week’s post, I’ll give some recommendations for each type that we carry here at Passion Vines! Up first is Pinot Noir! Overall, Pinot Noirs tend to be lighter bodied which means they also tend to have a lower concentration of tannins. Pinot Noir also typically contains a decent amount of acid, more than most other red wine varieties. When tasting a Pinot Noir, you’ll most likely taste hints of red fruits (cherries, cranberries, etc.) and sometimes root vegetables (beets, rhubarb, etc.). So for a Pinot Noir, you may want to pair it with a dish that’s slightly acidic, not very sweet, and has fruity or root vegetables as the star. Pinot Noirs also tend to pair wonderfully with pork, veal, cured meat, and French or German-style cuisine. There is also an alternative to Pinot Noir, Gamay, that steals the spotlight in the fall around Thanksgiving. If you’re looking for a Gamay later this year, keep in mind that most bottles are labeled with “Beaujolais” or “Beaujolais Nouveau” as the wine is produced in the Beaujolais region of France! This wine will tend to have a similar mouthfeel to Pinot Noir, but the flavor tends to be lighter with a heavier focus on floral and herbal notes. In general, it’s better to pair a Beaujolais with food compared to drinking it on its own. Now let’s jump into some common medium-bodied wines. Merlot is a common medium-bodied wine that has a heavier black cherry flavor with hints of plum and possibly some chocolate on the finish. As a medium-bodied wine, it will tend to have a decent amount of tannins, but not enough to completely cleanse your palate. It also features a medium amount of acidity which is a great balance for any dish! Merlot is most commonly paired with meals containing beef or lamb and many firm cheeses (parmesan or romano are some great choices!). Zinfandel is a wonderful wine that is usually medium-bodied, but it sometimes can be classified as full-bodied. Regardless of full or medium-body status, Zinfandels are lower in tannins and very low in acidity. The tasting notes tend to be more fruit-heavy, featuring notes of nectarine, blackberry, and plum. In some Zinfandels there is also a hint of Asian 5 spice powder, making it a great choice for Chinese, Thai, or Indian cuisine! In terms of specific meats, Zinfandels will pair well with a wide variety including chicken, lamb, beef, and even barbecue. Full-flavored cheeses like cheddar are also a great compliment to this wine. Now onto some full-bodied red wines! Syrah (sometimes labeled Shiraz) is a full-bodied wine that contains a lower concentration of tannins than most full-bodied red wines. It also tends to be fruit heavy and more acidic than most red wines. Syrah tends to feature pleasant notes of blueberry and plum. Hints of black pepper make the Syrah unique and adds some spiciness to its flavor profile, making this wine a great congruent pairing with foods with heavy flavors. Most commonly, Syrah will be wonderful with dishes containing smoked meats (beef, lamb, etc.) as well as firm or hard cheeses. Last but not least, we have Cabernet Sauvignon. This full-bodied wine is high in tannins with a moderate amount of acidity. This makes the wine a perfect choice for dishes with multiple strong flavored components, as it will cleanse your palate more effectively than Syrah. Cabernet Sauvignon also features black cherry notes contrasted with baking spices and even cedar. As with Syrah, this wine will be great paired with smoked red meats and various firm cheeses. And that wraps up Red Wine Pairing 101! I hope you’ve learned a few things about pairing and that you’ll give some of my recommendations a try. Wine pairing isn’t an exact science in any sense, so feel free to experiment with some of your favorite wines – you might even find some pairings that are better than ones suggested here! |
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