Wine tasting parties are fun events where one can enjoy life while experiencing an array of tastes exploding in your mouth. Like all parties, a wine-tasting party demands food. More importantly, having different snacks helps create a more fuller experience of wine tasting. For example, a standard sangria recipe is quite citric, which makes it complementary to various sorts of seafood. Similarly, a sparkling rosé wine has the light sweetness that makes pairing it with a dry muffin perfect. Of course, getting a whole platter of different foods for any wine-tasting party is difficult. But as long as you know what is the broad taste of wines you are serving, the process becomes easier.
Here are 5 foods you can pair with different wine tastes at your wine tasting parties.
1. Mushrooms for Earthy Red Wines
For full-bodied, deep red wines, it simply does not get better than a mushroom dish. Mushrooms and full-bodied red wines like Pinot Noir both have riveting umami tastes that explode in your mouth and leave a rich aftertaste. Red wine goes best with protein and mushroom is packed in healthy protein that infuses with the earthy taste of red wines. It definitely helps that both red wines and mushrooms are packed in antioxidants like selenium—which means your palate is left enticed and healthy! To maximize the combination, go with recipes involving earthy mushrooms like shiitake and chanterelle mushrooms that will complement the wine.
2. Cheeses for Acidic Dry Rosé Wines
One of the most popular food combinations for wine tasting parties is wine and cheese. However, this combination requires some knowledge about the things to avoid if you love wine. The golden rule of thumb is to serve soft, fresh cheese with lighter wines and hard cheeses with more full-bodied ones. Soft brie cheese, for example, goes best with fruity, light wines and sharp cheddar go best with full-bodied red wines. The reverse, on the other hand, can make for a bad wine-tasting experience. If you want to play it safe, serve different cheeses with dry rosé wines. With a perfect combination of fruity and deep, nearly all cheeses combine well with rosé wines. You can order an assortment of rosé wines and cheeses, and watch the magic unfold!
3. Leafy Salads for Light White Wines
It’s fairly easy to whip up a salad: and when done right, it is consumed by truckloads. However, it remains a surprisingly underrated combination for wines. If you are looking at being healthy, nothing can offset the empty calories of wine like salads can—to mention nothing of its near-perfect pairing with white wines! Light, white wines like Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc have a herby hint that invites experimentation with leafy salads. It does not just have to be your spinach, lettuce and zucchini in the mix: add citrusy cherry tomatoes and feta cheese into the mix! The complexity of taste lends itself well to dry, white wines.
4. Milk Chocolates for Spicy Port Wines
The rich, deep, spicy and sweet taste of Port wines has popularized them as a “dessert” wine. As any dessert aficionado will tell you: every dessert goes well with chocolate—and spicy port wines are no different. However, too much of a good thing is best avoided, so instead of using complementary flavours with your port wines, go with contrasting flavours. A spicy, tawny port wine goes best with a rich, creamy milk chocolate. A sweet, heady ruby port contrasts and combines well with dark, cocoa-laden chocolates. The heavy feel of chocolates and port wines will leave you feeling festive, so plan this combination for a celebration!
5. An assortment of Nuts for an assortment of Wines
If you are looking for a single food group that solves all your wine pairing woes, look no further than the humble nut! Besides making for healthy food (packed with antioxidants, good fat and vitamins), nuts make for a great accompaniment for wines. If you are serving different wines, serve little cups of various nuts to go with them. Almonds go great with sparkling white wines, with their neatly complimenting light sparkle. Toasted walnuts pack an earthy flavour that hits all the right notes with full-bodied red wines. You can serve the gentle hazelnut with your acidic Chardonnay. Finally, the one nut to rule them all is pistachio, which goes with nearly all wines. For a little more experimentation, you can mix and match nuts with salads, cheeses,
One of the stray times elegance and pure fun meet, is at a wine tasting party. For all its sophisticated charm, hosting a wine tasting party is surprisingly easy. All you need to do is bring together a few bottles of different wines (you can get both red and white wines), whip up a few flavourful cocktails like Sangria and get the perfect food pairing for your wines. Invite your adventurous wine-loving friends, and have an aromatic, heady and sensational evening to remember.
This is a guest post by Harold Camaya. She is a blogger who loves to write especially in the Beverages vertical. She has written many captivating and informative articles. Her hobbies are travelling and reading novels.