We know that there are days when we hardly eat, when there's so much to do that we don't even get a minute to enjoy the day. But we also know that, by divine justice, days of enjoyment come around. We choose the day, the time, and we treat ourselves to a glass of wine. It's then that we encounter the same question: How do I properly pair my drink? That's why this time, Dos Cuerpos will give you the key tips to choose the perfect wine pairing.
Seek Harmony
The first piece of advice we give you is to seek harmony between the aromas, flavors, and structure of the food and wine. This harmony is easy to achieve when you visit the land where the wine was made, as it's said that wines from a region naturally harmonize with the local ingredients and recipes. That's why they say the land is wise, and that's why we recommend pairing the smoky aromas of a wine like Plata .925, a blend of Tempranillo, Grenache, and Syrah, with some well-charred birria tacos from Ensenada. Young red wines like this one have enough acidity and astringency to cleanse the mouth of the fat levels produced, which allows for other foods like carbonara spaghetti to be chosen. Remember that what we're looking for is a new flavor created by the balance, interaction, and harmony between the pairing and the wine.
Wines have different structures (light, medium, and firm). The lighter the wine, the lower the alcohol content and tannins, making it perfect to pair with a light dish. You can look for the aromatic profile of the wine or the grapes used on the label or online and then do a tasting exercise (sight, nose, and palate) with a sweet food, a salty one, and some meat to understand which dish is necessary to pair with your wine. That's why for starters or light appetizers, like olives, you'll generally be recommended young and fresh white wines. Similarly, you can recommend a light red or a dry white for cold cuts.
White wines, like the Teo 100% Chenin Blanc from Retorno winery, have acidity and a light structure that pairs perfectly with Brie cheese. On the other hand, there are wines that can be paired with intensely flavored cheeses, like the Escala 100% Syrah from Hilo Negro winery with blue cheese.
Complement and Enhance
Remember that we want to find common characteristics between wines and dishes to successfully combine sweet, salty, acidic, and bitter flavors without one dominating. The acidity of the chosen dish reduces the wine's acidic sensation, softens the tannins, and makes it sweeter. On the other hand, bitter foods would enhance the presence of tannins and make it less sweet. Here we're recommending pairing a sweet wine with a dessert, like chocolate and red fruit ice cream with Kruger's Merlot, or alternatively, serving the same wine with which the meat was cooked.
In this case, a robust red wine, aged or reserve, like Vinos Cruz's Nebbiolo Reserva, pairs perfectly with lamb or oven-cooked meats with intense spices, as these wines balance the fat of the cut and intensify the flavor.
If you're choosing pasta, you need to consider complementing the sauce used. For example, in the case of a Bolognese pasta, it can be properly complemented with a red wine. In general, it's better to complement pesto with a white wine.
As we know, white wine is often recommended for pairing with fish and seafood, but what are the general rules for fish? In general, white fish (2% fat), like cod or sea bass, pair well with a dry white wine like Kruger Blanco; and oily fish (5% fat), like tuna or salmon, go better with barrel-aged white wines or even young red wines like Retorno's Piluchas.
Contrast flavors
By contrasting, we can enhance or diminish certain qualities of the wine. For example, salty food helps diminish the presence of tannins in wine, making it sweeter. The same goes for dry white wine, which can be used to refresh and mitigate the heat sensation of some spicy dishes. Similarly, this transformation will make the wine less refreshing and more alcoholic. A bold wine like Tinto de Cruz from Vinos Cruz pairs well with blue cheese; the wine's sweetness becomes a perfect counterpoint to the intensity of the cheese.
We've experimented with three different bottles of Cava 57—Brut, Brut Nature, and Semi—to define the appropriate pairings for sparkling wines. We've found that dishes with spices, chilies, and fat allow the texture of the bubbles to balance the flavors. From prepared oysters to mole poblano and even stuffed chiles de agua with quesillo, or fried fish with guajillo chili.
White meats like chicken or rabbit are neutral, and depending on how they're prepared, different wines will be chosen. For instance, if chicken is prepared in entomatadas or crispy tacos, you could choose a not too robust red wine but one with intensity, like Kruger Cabernet-Tempranillo. However, if the chicken is cooked with more acidic or sweet flavors, like lemon and garlic, ginger, honey, lemon juice, thyme, and oregano, or if it's duck with plums or apples, we'd recommend dry white wines with low acidity, like Cava 57's Independiente, 100% Xarel-lo.
At Dos Cuerpos, we specialize in tastings and the distribution of agave distillates and Mexican wine. Tastings are the reflection of the alcohol being sampled, and in that sense, these texts aim to foster continuous reflection. We hope you've learned about the 3 tips for finding the perfect wine pairing. Let us know if you liked this text, if it helped you in any way, and if there are any discrepancies, please let us know.
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