On the 17th of May, it is Pinot Grigio Day! This fantastic wine has been around for hundreds of years. It can be paired wonderfully with so many foods, or is equally enjoyed on it’s own.
Pinot Grigio shares part of its genetic heritage with other ‘Pinot’ wines; Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. Over the years it has become one of the most popular vintages to be grown and produced. There are over 15,000 Hectares being used to grow the grape necessary to produce it all.
If you’ve never had this delicious wine and are interested to know how it tastes, it has been described as having an acidic, lighter-bodied flavour. Most of Pinot Grigios are noted as having a recognizable ‘spiciness’ to them. Or, you can simply come down to the Manor and try a glass!
Pairing Wine & Food
We’re celebrating Pinot Grigio Day by exploring the pairing of wine and food. If you are a wine aficionado, you’ll know all too well that there is nothing better than finding a great vintage wine to go with a delicious meal. There are so many wines to choose from, it can sometimes be difficult to decide, so hopefully, our handy tips can help you narrow down your search by choosing from a certain type.
Tips for Finding Great Wine and Food Pairings
- The wine you choose should usually be more acidic than the food.
- The wine should usually be the sweeter component.
- The wine should have a similar intensity of flavour to the food.
- Red wines pair better with meats with a bold flavour, most often red meats, such as beef and lamb.
- White wines tend to pair best with lighter meats such as fish and chicken.
- Wines with a more bitter flavour are best balanced out with a fat.
- Instead of just going off the meat, consider the sauce of the meal too. It’s more effective to match a wine with the sauce.
- Most often, white, sparkling and rose wines pair best with a contrasting meal. So if you choose a sweet white wine with a spicy or salty meal, it should work well.
- Most often, red wines create a ‘congruent’ pairing, meaning they work in harmony. A bold red wine would work with a rich red meat dish.
The Mac and Cheese Analogy
There isn’t just one type of wine that is going to complement the dish, there is going to be a whole range, it’s just down to what you prefer. We use a creamy Mac and Cheese and an example. You could have:
A complementary pairing with a zesty white wine such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, which will complement the fat in the cheesy sauce.
A congruent pairing with a creamy white wine, which will only add to the lonely creaminess in the dish already. You could use a Viognier or Chardonnay.
Also, if the mac and cheese is a little more exciting you can get creative…
A bold red wine such as Shiraz could be used if your mac and cheese has smokey flavoured meat with it. The smokey notes in Shiraz will create a congruent pairing with this, whilst the wine’s initial bitterness will cut through the cream and salt.
A sweet white wine would pair nicely with mac and cheese with ham for a sweet and salty combination. A wine such as Riesling would have the acidity to complement the fat in the sauce, and sweetness to work with the ham.
We hope that this will help you to create some delicious matches with your food and wine, however, Some advice for pairing food and wine can be overly strict. The truth is, you can eat pretty much whatever you want while drinking whichever wine you want, as long as it tastes good!
