cabernetwine.net » Wine and Food Pairing http://cabernetwine.net For Those Who Enjoy Wine and Food Sun, 30 May 2010 12:57:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 The Luscious Combination Of Wine & Chocolates http://cabernetwine.net/the-luscious-combination-of-wine-chocolates http://cabernetwine.net/the-luscious-combination-of-wine-chocolates#comments Sat, 19 Sep 2009 11:51:09 +0000 philv http://cabernetwine.net/the-luscious-combination-of-wine-chocolates

The Gift Of Champagne

I enjoy good champagne , and having champagne delivered as a gift is something I get great pleasure in, and I know my recipient appreciates it as well. . The fact that it is a extremely simple and an uncomplicated gift option makes me extremely pleased, but it is also the fact that the choices of  bottles of champagne are so immense, that I can spend a lifetime having champagne delivered to my friends and family and never run out of delicious champagne gift options.

So, it is no wonder that everybody who knows me, understands of that two of my favorite things in the world are decadent chocolates, and a fine bottle of champagne. I enjoy nothing more than a sensual evening of indulging, lingering and sipping champagne, while nibble chocolate covered strawberries, truffles, or a bit of silky dark chocolate with fruit and almonds.

There are champagne aficionados who get no pleasure from the coupling of chocolate and champagne. They find the experience to be unpleasant as it can leave a dry bitter after taste when the complexities of both the chocolate and the champagne come together.This dry and dusty finish lingers on the palate, and yes this can be accurate in many cases, as each wine or champagne will have their own complexities, it is best to experiment with different taste sensations.

If you are throwing a wine tasting party you might choose to include pieces of broken chocolate that contain nuts, and fruit which I have found pair very well with the wine, and break up the sweetness of the chocolate. Chocolate mousse of white or darker chocolate, cheese cakes with swirls of chocolate accents, chocolate tortes, and a light chocolate cake can all add charming taste sensations to your selected wines and champagnes. Why not also set out chocolate cherries, chocolate-covered fruit, and chocolate dipped pretzels? Of course the individual tastes of your guests will be the most significant factor in any food and wine pairing that you choose.

Preparing For Your Party Guests

Set out the chocolates, or desserts and have the bottles of wine, sparkling wine, sherry, port, dessert wine, ready, and the champagne chilled, with glassware on hand ready for a night of indulgence, and lavish taste sensations.

The flavor, aroma and taste experience of sparkling wines, champagnes, ports, wines and sherry, followed by an array of chocolates can be very tantalizing. Finding the right combination’s, and great pairing, it is nothing short of pure bliss.

Take Pleasure In Chocolate With Family & Friends

Imbibe; take pleasure in some of the most self-indulgent, and delicious selections. You will find some that will be a delectable combination’s and others will leave you literally with a bitter taste in your mouth, but once you find the perfect combination’s of wine and chocolate you will have found your own blissful nirvana. Of course champagne wine and chocolate always go best with friends, and family. Chanpagne Gifts are a lovely gift to share as well.


]]> http://cabernetwine.net/the-luscious-combination-of-wine-chocolates/feed 0 Reviewing Food and Wine Basics http://cabernetwine.net/reviewing-food-wine-basics http://cabernetwine.net/reviewing-food-wine-basics#comments Sun, 05 Jul 2009 01:47:06 +0000 philv http://cabernetwine.net/reviewing-food-wine-basics Wine country is undiscovered country for many people. Some people do not know what wine pairs nicely with what foods, or even what some good wines to try might be. This article is for those people to learn more about food with wine. Here, you will get an overview about food-wine relations and what wines typically go with what foods. No longer do people have to be ignorant about their food and wine combinations.

The idea that white wine is best with white meats and that red wine goes with red meats is an old idea, but still has validity in today. That is the most basic rule for wine. Another basic rule for food and wine is to pair tastes that counteract each other. Each taste of food should be overridden by the wine’s flavor and vice versa. Food and wine together should act as a palate cleanser for each other. Being able to taste the flavor of the wine or food over the other means that your wine is not a good match for that food. It has become more difficult to match wines and foods in recent years because dishes have become more flavorful. In these cases, matching the body of the wine to the body of the food is the best option. Light-weight foods pair best with light-weight wines and so on.

The main determination for food wine combinations is the balance of sweetness, acidity and bitterness of both the food and wine. It is pretty easy to figure out what wine should go with what foods by considering the wine and food characteristics. If a sweet food is being served, pair it with a sweeter wine. For bitter foods, a more bitter wine is in order. The best way to determine the acidity of a food is to determine if it would go better with more acid added. For example, adding lemon to a fish means that a more acidic wine should be consumed. Some common white wines that are acidic are: Rieslings, most sparkling wines and white Bordeauxs. Acidic red wines include: Gamays, Pinot Noirs and Sangioveses. Sweet white wines include: White Zinfandels, other forms of Rieslings and Chenin Blancs. Sweet red wines can include: Port and Lambrusco. There are not many bitter white wines, but there are some bitter red wines. These can include, red Zinfandels, Merlots and Cabernet Sauvignons.

Now you know how to pair food wine with the appropriate foods. There are a lot of different wines and it is nearly impossible to know them all. However, if you want to learn more, then joining a wine club or doing extra research can be a great help. It will increase your wine knowledge by a great deal.

]]> http://cabernetwine.net/reviewing-food-wine-basics/feed 0 Wine With Food http://cabernetwine.net/wine-with-food http://cabernetwine.net/wine-with-food#comments Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:49:07 +0000 philv http://cabernetwine.net/wine-with-food Pairing wine and food is what we’ll be looking at in this part of our wine 101 guide…

The taste of a wine can improve or worsen depending on the food that you drink it with. There are only a few combinations which really do not work, however, by learning a little you can bring the best out of both the wine and the food.

There are two basic and simple approaches involved; one is contrast, where the wine is different in character to the food, yet still complimentary, and the other is complimentary, where the wine and food work together through a similar trait (such as sweetness or acidic). Either style of pairing will work well; choosing one way over the other is just depends on the type of food being served and your personal preference.Regional combinations are worth paying attention to as food originating from a particular region or country will often pair well with the local wines, as they have both evolved to complement one another.Problem foods include eggs and egg dominated dishes, acidic foods, such as tomatoes or vinaigrette dressings, and spicy foods. {There are no specific rules or recommendations for these, and it’s really a case of hit and miss.} When it comes to such foods, personal experimentation is the only way to find a good wine match.

Here are some examples of wine and food pairings: beef is best paired with Cabernet Sauvignon, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Zinfandel or Pinot Noir; lamb pairs well with Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Gris, or Medoc; poultry served with a light sauce pairs well with Chardonnay, Chablis or White Burgundy; poultry served with a heavy or spicy sauce goes well Zinfandel, Pinot Noir or Beaujolais; fish is best served with Sauvignon Blanc or White Burgundy.{However, though these are said to be classic pairings, that doesn’t mean that you’ll necessarily like all of them.} Everyone has a different palate and appreciates different tastes and flavors. Keep in mind also that some people have a favorite wine style that they stick to regardless of the food being served. Therefore, you should always have different varieties on hand when entertaining other people. You can recommend a certain variety, but the final decision about what they drink should be up to your guests.

]]> http://cabernetwine.net/wine-with-food/feed 0 Three Things That Go Well With Red Wine On The Dinner Table http://cabernetwine.net/three-things-that-goes-well-with-red-wine-on-the-dinner-table http://cabernetwine.net/three-things-that-goes-well-with-red-wine-on-the-dinner-table#comments Wed, 27 May 2009 23:36:34 +0000 philv http://cabernetwine.net/?p=308 Red wine has become quite popular these days. Health conscious people are more inclined to drink dry red wine than any other types of alcoholic beverages because red wine is said to be good for the heart. Studies show that red wine has components that help unclog the arteries leading to the heart and that people who drink wine are more likely to live longer than those people who do not drink at all. Of course these claims that red wine can prolong life are still debatable but that is beside the point. Even if wine does not prolong life, the fact that this type of wine goes well with lots of things at dinner that is good enough for most people.

Red Wine And Cheese

Many people love to serve red wine with certain types of cheese. experts says that some types of cheese bring out the flavor of certain types of red wines. If you are one of those people who love to drink wine after dinner, try drinking your wine with some cheese.

Red Wine And Good Conversations

Wine can help you unwind and have fun with your friends after a long stressful day at the office. According to experts, a glass of red wine and a lot of good conversation at the dinner table can help reduce the risk of hypertension.

Red Wine And Good Food

A lot of people swear that their dinner is never complete without a glass of wine. No, these people are not tea teetotalers. Drinking wine is not a sign that the person is teetotaler or something like that. One can always enjoy wine at home without getting drunk. The Europeans are used to drinking wine before and after dinner. There are also a lot of Americans who like to have wine after eating a heavy meal. Red wine goes especially well with pasta or meat based food while white goes well with light dinner and vegetable based food. Wine makes dinner more enjoyable. Just make sure that you do not drive if you drink more than the required alcohol limits for drivers. You don’t really want to end up on the wrong side of the law because you have high levels of alcohol in your blood. If you must drink more than the allowed level of alcohol, you might as well ask someone else to drive you home.

]]> http://cabernetwine.net/three-things-that-goes-well-with-red-wine-on-the-dinner-table/feed 1 Tips For Pairing Food and Wine http://cabernetwine.net/tips-for-pairing-food-and-wine http://cabernetwine.net/tips-for-pairing-food-and-wine#comments Wed, 20 May 2009 04:35:25 +0000 philv http://cabernetwine.net/?p=211 There are two primary ways of pairing food and wine. First, it can be done by choosing a wine to accompany the food we eat. And, second, wine can become a major component in the preparation of a meal. Of course, the second operation should always be followed by the first for maximum enjoyment. And, of course, there’s no reason not to enjoy both activities at the same time providing an ideal combination of food and wine.

Enjoying Wine With Your Meal

Good wine will improve digestion, contribute to the flavor of the food and, in the case of red wine, assist in good health. There are several schools of thought as to which wines to combine with particular foods. However, my suggestion is that if it tastes right, it is right. While some gourmets may argue with this, there seems to be little downside in pairing food and wine in this manner.

Cooking With Wine

French and Italian chefs are renowned for successfully combining wine with food. Both cuisines make extensive use of both red and white wines in meal preparation from appetizers to sauces to desserts.

Pairing food and wine in this way avoids any alcoholic taste in the food as heating the wine or other typically boils away the alcohol portion.

The other rule to consider when cooking with wine is to never cook with a wine that you wouldn’t want to drink. This will often mean opening a bottle of wine just for cooking but the flavor boost to your dinner is worth it. Do not be tempted to cook with that wine that has been sitting open in the fridge for the last week. If you wouldn’t drink it, don’t attempt to cook with it. Get some more tips about cooking with wine, storing wine and tasting wine at Wine Cellar Secrets.

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