Basically, the following always applies: taste is taste - it is something completely individual and subjective. What makes the path to the perfect pairing even more difficult is that there are billions of possible combinations and there are no limits to variety and creativity. So there is no way around trying, trying and trying.
But we do have a few hot tips for you.
Our tool
Our best tool for a successful pairing is the Vioneers taste profile. You can find it under each of our wines. Here we classify how intense and how sweet the wine is on two scales.
As you can easily see, we have made 4 gradations in both scales. On the intensity scale, we therefore have the following gradations:
Easy. - Rather Easy. - Rather Hard. - Hard.
On the scale of sweetness you will find:
Dry. - Rather dry. - Rather sweet. - Sweet.
If you are interested in which wines are hidden behind these names, you can click on them or set the scales in the filter area of our shop under " All Wines ".
Pairing with the intensity scale
Light wine – what goes with it?
We classify wines with an intensity of 1 on our taste profile as light wines. Light wines generally go well with fresh, summery and uncomplicated dishes. Ingredients such as citrus fruits, berries or vegetables are ideal.
Discover the most exciting wines to accompany light dishes: Here ...
Example: My favorite combination is a delicious leaf salad with a few shrimps and lime juice. Wine and salad are both light, go well together and are perfect as a starter or summer dish for hot days.
Rather light - Which wine goes with soup?
Light warm dishes such as soups or pasta dishes with light sauces are rated intensity 2 in the taste profile. They require a wine that is a little more intense than the wine I presented previously.
My pairing recommendations are our wines with an intensity level of 2 .
Example: This always works: Spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce, whole cocktail tomatoes and parmesan is one of my favorites. Add the rosé from the Lange Twins winery in California and the day is saved.
Rather heavy: Spicy and strong wine
If a wine is spicier, stronger and more intense, we classify it as an intensity 3 wine. Intense wines go well with spicy and fatty dishes. This includes grilled and roasted dishes, deep-fried or gratinated dishes.
If you have a stronger dish, our wines with an intensity of 3 are the perfect match.
Example: Smoked trout with fried potatoes is quite hearty and full of flavour. The Cremant D'Alsace Brut Millésime from Alsace can be used as a contrast. A lovely pairing for a festive Sunday.
Which food goes well with heavy, intense wines with strong aromas?
Heavy wines (intensity 4 in the taste profile) are the perfect accompaniment to dishes with strong flavors. Peppery, spicy, bitter or very fatty nuances in food need a counterpart on the same level. Roasted or smoke flavors also fall into this category.
To find the best heavy wines, filter our website by intensity of 4.
Example: A good grilled steak with lots of roasted aromas and a good dose of pepper needs an intense accompaniment. Block B, with its spicy tannins, is ideal for this.
Pairing with a focus on sweetness
The second scale of the Vioneers taste profile only shows the subjective sweetness of a wine. It is more difficult to classify which wine will taste good with which dish, as the perception of sweetness depends greatly on the season, physical condition and ambience. In addition, the question of sweetness is a question of type or mood. It is therefore not possible to generalize here.
Pairing with a focus on geography
An insider tip from our sommelier Theresa is the "geography" factor. It's obvious, because when it comes to wine, origin is the most important thing.
Sommelier Theresa recommends:
"If you know a little about the typical cuisine of the country of origin of a wine, you should try to combine primarily typical dishes with this wine. It becomes exciting when you create a conscious and unexpected contrast within a country."
There are a handful of exciting ideas here. On the one hand, the regional aromas of a country naturally reflect the terroir in the wine. It is in the nature of aromas to want to snuggle up to similar aromas and thus complement them. For example, a racy pasta dish with deep dark tomato sauce and meat or an arancino (a deep-fried Sicilian rice ball with a meat filling) would be a perfect pairing for a heavy Sicilian red wine.
An exciting trick, also with regard to geography, is the use of contrasts to create tension. An example: a well-aged fine wine from the Napa Valley - many years in a barrique barrel - fine notes of licorice and caramel ... and a cheeky pulled beef burger with fries and mayo . When no one expects it, everyone celebrates.
The perfect pairing
Achieving the perfect pairing is utopian. On the one hand, harmony, contrast and the perfect match are simply not measurable. On the other hand, tastes are known to differ. We see the whole thing as a worthwhile game that challenges and sharpens the taste buds in every case (whether successful or not). Like so many things, pairing is purely a matter of training.
If you want to go beyond the boundaries of what is familiar without much training and want more than just " a white wine with light meat " then click through our wine descriptions on vioneers.com. For each individual wine we have two exciting pairing recommendations with delicious pictures. Try it out! Have fun with food pairing!
