What foods pair well with a chilled red wine?

What better way to appreciate the subtle flavors and aromas of a dish than with a chilled red wine? However, not all foods pair well with this beverage, primarily produced in France in the Bordeaux, Loire Valley, Alsace, Languedoc, and Provence regions. This article will help you avoid any culinary faux pas.

The food served as an appetizer

You don't always have to wait for the main courses to be served to put red wine on the table. In fact, this beverage can be an excellent accompaniment to the starter. This is especially true when the starter includes charcuterie. More specifically, for a starter of mixed salad, a tannic red wine will be particularly well-suited . It will also be an ideal choice to ensure perfect harmony of flavors for starters featuring fish such as red mullet or tuna.

Dishes made with meat and farmed animal products

While red wine pairings are more limited for appetizers, this beverage complements a wide range of main courses, particularly meat dishes. A full-bodied, rich red wine is an excellent choice to balance the tannins in dishes featuring beef, game, lamb, or duck. Red wine also pairs well with poultry and roast or grilled pork. For these latter dishes, in particular, medium-bodied reds are the preferred choice.

Finally, if you're a big fan of dairy products like cheese, especially those with strong flavors, pairing them with a full-bodied red wine from Saint-Émilion would be an excellent idea. On the other hand, if you prefer mild cheeses, such as cow's milk cheeses, you'd be better off opting for Pinot Noir or another medium-bodied red wine with similar characteristics.

The other main courses

Meat and livestock dishes offer the most possibilities for food and wine pairings. However, there are other main courses where pairing is also possible, such as fish dishes. This may seem surprising, given that fish are often served with white wine. But every rule has its exceptions. Indeed, it's possible to choose red wines with reduced tannins to accompany fish and seafood dishes . These wines will further enhance their aromas and flavors.

When it comes to pasta, you'll need to choose the red wine to accompany it based on the sauces and ingredients . If it's Bolognese, you should opt for Gamay, or even Pinot Noir.

Chocolate and dessert

A chocolate or dessert paired with red or white wine might seem, at first glance, to be in poor taste. However, following a few simple rules can lead to an even more interesting flavor experience. So, if for you, a family meal isn't complete without red wine, choose a rich, flavorful chocolate . This type of chocolate requires greater attention to flavor balance, as it is characterized by:

• Its acidity level
• Its creaminess
• Its tannin

Your choice of chocolate will therefore be more limited, as only dark chocolates with a high sugar content meet this balance criterion . So, if you're interested in mild chocolates, you'd be better off opting for sweet wines or mature vintage wines to ensure the perfect release of their aromas.

Finally, for dessert, you should proceed in the same way as with the chocolate, paying particular attention this time to the acidity level of the fruit used. Since red wine already has a higher acidity level, it is not really suitable for fresh, crisp fruit. Therefore, this wine should be chosen primarily for a basket containing ripe and macerated fruit .

As you will see, red wine can accompany you at all stages of your family meals.

You can also opt for mulled wine; here is an article explaining what to prepare this winter wine with.