The food and wine pairing is this perfect balance that we find between a wine and a dish. Each enhances the flavors of the other, without ever taking over. To find the perfect match, you can then opt for different types of weddings.
The horizontal agreement
The horizontal food and wine pairing is probably the easiest to approach. It consists of pairing a single wine with a single dish . To achieve this, there are a few basic rules to follow:
- A light dish should go well with a wine that is not very expressive and light (eg: an Arbois white with white meat);
- A dish with more complex flavors goes very well with an expressive and full-bodied wine (e.g. a Médoc with peppered red meat);
- The wines must be in harmony with the character of the dishes (a rustic wine with a rustic dish, and a fine wine with an elegant dish).
Good to know: it is always very difficult to find the perfect pairing with eggs, soups or vinaigrette-based dishes, because these recipes do not really highlight the wine.
The vertical chord
Vertical pairing is a more complex exercise, which consists of harmonizing the wines with the dishes , but also finding an agreement between the wines themselves. To achieve this ideal, several rules must be followed:
- We always start with white wines, then red wines;
- In the same way, young wines are always served before wines for aging;
- It is better to save sweet wines for last, and start with dry wines;
- Wines with lower alcohol content are also served before wines with a higher alcohol content;
- We start with fresh wines, moving towards chambered wines;
- To avoid saturating the palate and taste buds, we avoid serving more than 3 different wines.
The flavors of wine: a story of balance
The pairing of food with wine must take into account the dominant aromas of the dish , because some flavors do not go well together, while others are a delight in the mouth.
If you want to go even further, the ideal is to find the perfect balance, taking into account the dominant flavor of the dish, its texture, but also the dominant tastes of the accompaniment.
For red wines, it is then a question of finding the balance between acidity, astringency and creaminess . For white wines, harmony must be achieved between smoothness, acidity and softness .
Best food and wine pairings: other rules to know
To achieve the best pairing with your main dish, your aperitif, your goat cheese, or even your red fruit salad, you can also take other criteria into account:
- The season : fresh and light wines are more pleasant in summer, and we reserve powerful red wines for winter and a dish with sauce;
- The moment : generally speaking, we prefer fresh and light wines at lunch, especially if it is hot;
- Tastes of the person : the best way to seduce a wine lover is to take into account their personal tastes;
- The vintage : it’s a proven fact, some vintages are much better than others.
Our selection of wines for a successful food and wine pairing
Provence wines are generally generous and fresh, and go easily with many dishes. Château de Berne offers you food and wine pairings for 3 vintages in 3 colors from the estate.
- Château de Berne Grande Cuvée rosé 2021 - AOP Côtes de Provence: this organic wine with a pretty pink color reveals fruity aromas and a beautiful balance, perfect to accompany seafood , fish or summer vegetables;
- Château de Berne Grande Cuvée rouge 2019 - AOP Côtes de Provence: this iconic red wine from the Berne estate is distinguished by its aromas of black fruits. It will work wonders with a cheese platter or grilled meats ;
- Château de Berne Grande Cuvée white 2017 - AOP Côtes de Provence: this white wine from Provence reveals complex aromas of bread pudding, pineapple, liquorice and grilled hazelnuts. Combined with foie gras, poultry or noble fish, it will make a perfect pairing.
Pairing food and wine is always delicate , because it is also a matter of taste. But here you are, informed to find the best pairings based on your dishes and the type of wine you like. All you have to do is choose your good bottles of wine at the Château de Berne estate.
