Which Food to Order With Red Wine?

When you're new to drinking wines, you'd most probably wonder which food to order with red wine when you're in a restaurant. Or which red wine should you buy if you want to serve certain dishes? To make it even more complicated, there is quite a number of red wines that you need to choose from in restaurants or in wine shops.

To give you an idea, here are descriptions of the flavors and dish samples for three of the common reds on the market - cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and pinot noir.

Cabernet sauvignon is often mistaken for merlot and vise versa. But the cab has more structure and definition than merlot. It has the rich fruity flavors of plums, berries, and blackcurrants plus the smoothness of chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and cedar.

Cabernet goes well with almost all red meat dishes. Italian pastas that have flavorful and hearty sauces also go well with a glass of cab. This wine's seductive flavors definitely meld with dark chocolates. Pair this wine with cow's milk cheeses and mild bleu varieties and stay away from those made from goat's milk.

Merlot tastes almost like cabernet sauvignon but is definitely softer and suppler. Like the cab, it carries a flavor splash of fruits like plums, berries, and blackcurrants. It may also give you tastes of chocolate, mint, and eucalyptus. It is normally consumed earlier than cabernet sauvignon, whose tannins take more years to mellow.

When you order this red wine, you can choose beef stews, roast lamb or pork, or pastas with red sauces. Poultry dishes and Mediterranean salads also go well with merlot. Like cabernet sauvignon, this one is in harmony with sheep's and cow's milk cheeses, but not those made from goat's milk. It's best to avoid bleu cheeses when you're having merlot.

Pinot Noir are among the best wines taken as a straight varietal. This delicate yet versatile red tastes of plums, red berries, cherries, and even tomatoes. It also gives you a distinctive earthy flavor that's almost like mushrooms.

Pair this wine with light dishes of salmon, poultry, and vegetables. Creamy sauces and spicy seasonings also complement this red wine. A glass of pinot noir goes deliciously with natural-rinded cheeses made from cow's milk and sheep's milk cheeses. Washed rind and goat's milk cheeses aren't recommended for this wine.

These examples are a good starting point for you if you'd like to learn about food and wine pairing. Try the matches mentioned here so you can literally have a taste of what they're all about.

Order red wine online for your next intimate dinner at home or for your company celebration in the office. Visit WineMarket for a selection of the best reds from Australia sold at discounted prices.

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