Why should food never be sweeter than wine? Liebherr wine expert and Master-Sommelier Frank Kämmer explains in today’s blog.
Choosing a wine to perfectly match a dish often seems like ‘Mission Impossible’! Why is it that one wine tastes fantastic with one dish and yet doesn’t work at all with another? Fortunately, things might actually be easier than you think, as a basic principle is frequently overlooked: the food must never be sweeter than the wine.
Never pair dry wine with sweet food
And the reason for this is: if you drink a dry wine with sweet food, you will get an indescribably overly acidic, completely musty and unpalatable taste!
Even if a dry wine has a fruity or rich flavour, you should never be tempted to serve it with a sweet dessert. So, for example, a honeyed and bold Auslese from Gewürztraminer will certainly taste great with a dessert, whereas a dry Gewürztraminer, although it may have a similar aroma, will definitely not.
Be careful with your desserts
Obviously, with desserts you are expecting sweetness but, in other instances, you might have to be a little careful because sometimes the sweetness of a dish is not particularly apparent. Many dishes have sweet components that you need to pay close attention to. For example, when served with butter-glazed vegetables, crab meat often has a slight sweetness; also gravies tend to have a residual sweetness. With foods such as these, you need to make sure that you avoid overly dry or excessively acidic wines.
If you have any questions or comments about what you’ve been reading please get in touch with us! Use the comment function below this post or start/join in discussions with us on Facebook.
