What Wine Goes With This?

As I see it, there are three reasons to get into wine and they are: keeping face, looking suave, and sounding intelligent. If you are at a business dinner and your boss asks “What kind of wine do you think will go best with this fish?” You better pick something white. If you are invited to a small gathering of people you don’t quite know yet, set the mood, bring a Malbec from Argentina’s Mendoza region. And, though sipping on a glass of wine won’t raise your IQ, knowing a bit of wine lingo will convince others that you know what you are talking about.

In today’s article I am going to address the question: “What wine goes with this?” But first let me layout a few grounds rules.

1. What I write here is of my own opinion. Though I do research for each article and read what others are saying everyone writing about wine is speaking from her own experience, so remember, what I write is a guide for entering the wine world not the rules you need to live by.
2. Go out and buy some bottles of your own. Try different regions and different wineries and see what you like. The best way to know wine is trying wine.
3. Find a wine buddy, talking to someone about the wine you are drinking and how it is matching with the food you are eating (that is, if you are eating) will help you understand what you do and don’t like.
4. Post comments. If you disagree with what I say here or you stumble upon a great find post a comment and I promise to get back to you.

Now, about that diner with your boss, she’s just asked “What kind of wine do you think will go best with this fish?” What do you do?

First, don’t panic. Now that might sound obvious, but nothing else I can say will help unless you first remember this.

Second, consider the question. Your boss has just asked you what type of wine goes with this fish. She is most likely pointing at a dish on a menu, read the menu and notice how the fish has been prepared. How does the restaurant describe the dish? Is it grilled in butter? Slow roasted with pepper? Or sautéed in lemon juice? Each of these things will effect how the wine matches with food.

Third, don’t be afraid of suggesting a wine you personally enjoy. Chances are your boss is less worried with your extensive knowledge of wines and more interested in how well you carry yourself. Plus, if she really cared about her wine/food paring she probably wouldn’t be asking you. So, though Pinot Grigio might not be the best wine for the dish on hand, simply knowing that white wine goes with fish and that Pinot Grigio is a white you enjoy will do.

There is a lot more to pairing your next dish with a good wine than what I have listed above. I still haven’t told you what to do with all the info you gather from reading the description of the dish, and though I could start to list all the combinations and what wines are commonly thought to go best with them there is a nifty site that lets you interact in a way that I feel is much more helpful than reading a long list. So, head on over to Wine Web Central and play around with their Food & Wine Pairing Guide it will really help you get a grasp on what wines go with what.

Next week “A Few White Wines Every Beginner Can Enjoy”.

Untangling the vines of wine culture-
one word at a time.

-Chase