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Rich wines with great cherry fruit flavors and aromas, marked by high acidity with moderate tannins and astringency. Avoid sweet food flavors as they will intensify any bitterness and astringency in the wine. Be careful with tomato sauce as some preparations have a lot of sweetness that can strip away the wine's fruit and spike the acidity. Instead try pasta with Alfredo sauce. Grilled meats or vegetables will pair nicely as will earthy flavors of sautéed mushrooms -- try a filet mignon with a mushroom reduction.
Dry, light intensity red wines with lots of ripe fruit are extremely versatile food wines. With moderate to high acidity and low tannins, red wine fans can feel confident ordering dishes with some spicy heat and moderate sweetness. While sweet flavors may increase the tannin perception, the effect will be mild. The fruit flavors in these wines handle grilled poultry, fish and meat well. Think black pepper Ahi tuna, seared rare and drizzled with lime and ginger vinaigrette or grilled lamb chops with mint and lemon aioli or barbecued chicken. Another natural is wild mushrooms with garlic and a good squeeze of lemon over grilled sourdough bread or in pasta topped with crumbled goat cheese. Speaking of cheeses these wines are great with sharp cheeses like cheddars, fresh goat's cheeses or sheep's milk "pecorino peppato fresca".
Merlot and Zinfandel with their ripe berry fruit, subtle oak and mild tannins can taste delicious with seafood, meats and poultry. Red wines have tannins that become stronger with ripe vegetables; fruits or sweet sauces so pairing red wines can be a little more difficult. Be careful not to have too much sweetness in your dish or the wine will become more tannic and bitter. Proper seasoning with salt will help bridge the food and the wine. A popular choice is grilled or barbecued foods. Barbecue sauces should have a little vinegar added to balance the sweetness and spice. A wide variety of dishes will taste great with these wines such as Halibut with capers, olives and diced tomatoes. Rotisserie chicken marinated in herb vinaigrette, Greek style lamb marinated in olive oil, lemon and rosemary with a Greek feta, kalamata olive, and tomato salad in red wine vinaigrette. Try it with pasta puttanesca.
Cabernets have great black cherry fruit flavors with rich, complex textures and balanced tannins from barrel aging. Cabernets are a stronger style of wine with firm tannins so proper seasoning and the balance of acidity with any sweet ingredient are very important. Many different styles of food are wonderful with Cabernet Sauvignon. Dishes such as, chicken stuffed with Gorgonzola, rich lamb or beef stews made with a little wine, sharp aged cheddar grilled cheese sandwich, or a perfectly grilled steak with coarse salt and black pepper. For a surprise combination try classic sole in lemon-caper butter sauce and watch how the lemon and capers bring out the fruit in the Cabernet. Creamy blue cheese such as Cambozola is great too.
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Pairing - Red Wines
