{"id":5720,"date":"2023-10-31T14:58:46","date_gmt":"2023-10-31T18:58:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/?p=5720"},"modified":"2024-01-29T11:49:50","modified_gmt":"2024-01-29T16:49:50","slug":"comfort-food-and-wine-cozy-pairing-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/wine-pairing\/comfort-food-and-wine-cozy-pairing-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"This Comfort Food, That Wine: Guide to Pairing Cozy Comfort Foods"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Wine is meant to be with food \u2013 that\u2019s the point of it.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

~ Julia Child<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wine is to food what bees are to a garden, and according to Julia, is a necessity. Yet the science of pairing food and wine can be something of a dry read for most of us. With comfort foods, acids and fats and salt can get tangled up in your taste buds and mess with your flavor compass. While the best adventures are often found in exploration, there are some easy-to-follow basics to help you achieve good results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you go back to the Greeks and Romans, they talk about all three \u2013 wine, food, and art \u2013 as a way of enhancing life. ~ Robert Mondavi<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When wine was more sanitary than water it was a regular part of our diets, although with less focus on molecular matching. Food and wine were regional, making for fewer unpleasant pairings. Sangiovese was drunk with cured local meats and C\u00f4tes-du-Rh\u00f4ne went well with rabbit stew. Simple, right? Add today\u2019s global village to the equation, layer on an international cellar at most liquor retailers and top it off with our expanding culinary options in grocers or at restaurants, and flavor matching can quickly become a recipe for confusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food and wine. Decide which is the soloist, which is the accompanist. ~ Michael Broadbent<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food and Wine Pairing Basics<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The chemistry gets complicated but there are simple guidelines to consider when wine and food pairing \u2013 comfort or otherwise. And it\u2019s important to decide which of the two will take center stage on your table. Is it a special bottle and you\u2019re looking for food to showcase the wine\u2019s best attributes? Or maybe that comfort food fix comes first. Choose who will lead this culinary foxtrot and get familiar with some of the pairing basics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acid<\/strong>: whatever level of acidity is in your food, the wine should always have more \u2013 watch for hidden acids like vinegar\/vinaigrettes, citrus in dressings, and fruits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sweetness<\/strong>: forget what you might have heard about \u2018red wine and chocolate\u2019 and remember that the wine should be sweeter than what you\u2019re eating \u2013 think late harvest or icewines with desserts, or fortified wines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flavor & Intensity:<\/strong> if wine and food is an orchestra, all the instruments need to be heard \u2013 a quiet violin Pinot Noir can be easily overwhelmed by a robust roast, so find a wine with more persistence (or a bolder Pinot).<\/p>\n\n\n\n