Pairing wine with food is one of the most debated topics among wine lovers. Some combinations are celebrated classics, while others raise eyebrows. For instance, someone close to me swears by pairing dry red wine with milk chocolate. For me, this is up there with matching apple juice with Colgate Total, but there you have it. This isn’t about right or wrong pairings. It’s that everyone has different tolerances and preferences to certain flavours.

Taste vs. Aroma in Wine Pairing

When discussing food and wine pairings, it’s important to distinguish between taste and aroma:

• Taste includes sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami.
• Aroma refers to the flavours we perceive through smell, such as fruit, earthiness, or wood.

Many flavours we describe while drinking wine, such as berries, spice, vanilla, are technically aromas detected via retronasal olfaction, when aroma compounds rise from the back of your mouth into your nose. Many of the aroma compounds will mix with the molecules in your mouth and change which is why a wine can smell different on the nose compared to how it tastes on the palate.

There’s also chemesthesis – the chemical sensations caused by certain compounds.

• Chilli heat creates a burning or tingling sensation.
• Tannins in wine can cause dryness or astringency in your mouth.
• Even carbon dioxide in sparkling wine adds a prickly texture.

These sensations aren’t “tastes” or “smells,” but they dramatically influence how we perceive food and wine together.

How Food Changes the Taste of Wine

The interaction between food and wine can either elevate the experience or clash badly. In most cases, food has a stronger effect on the perception of wine than the other way around. Below are some key principles of wine and food pairing:

Acidity in Food

• Increases sensitivity to sweetness and body in wine
• Decreases sensitivity to acidity

Best pairings: Acidic dishes like tomato-based pastas pair beautifully with wines that have bright acidity, such as Chianti.

Salt in Food

Salt is one of wine’s best friends.

• It softens tannins and sharp edges
• Enhances fruitiness and sweetness
• Reduces bitterness and acidity

Best pairings: A young Argentinian Malbec with steak frites (properly seasoned, of course).

Umami in Food

For centuries, Western cuisine only recognised four basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. The savoury, mouth-filling sensation we now call umami had no dedicated word in English. People described it as “meaty,” “rich,” or “hearty.”

By contrast, Japanese and other East Asian cuisines embraced umami rich broths, seaweed, fermented foods, and dashi – all naturally rich in glutamate (the compound responsible for umami).

Umami tends to make wine taste:

• more bitter, alcoholic, and astringent, while
• reducing fruitiness and sweetness.

Best pairings: Off-dry whites with low alcohol work well. For example, a German Kabinett Riesling with Pad Thai balances the savoury umami with refreshing acidity and sweetness.

Sweetness in Food

Sweet dishes:

• amplify alcohol, acidity, and bitterness in wine, making dry wines taste disjointed and jagged.

Rule of thumb: The wine should always be sweeter than the dish.

Best pairings: Sauternes or Sweet Rieslings with Tarte Tatin or other sweet desserts.

Spiciness (Chilli) in Food

Chilli heat:

• Increases the perception of alcohol and bitterness
• Mutes sweetness.

Best pairings: Stick to unoaked white wines or light beers. Some enjoy Australian Shiraz with mild curries, though a crisp lager is often the safer choice.

Bitterness in Food

Bitter flavours compound one another so bitter foods amplify bitterness in wine. Unless you enjoy an intensely bitter experience, avoid pairing bitter dishes with tannic or bitter wines.

Tip: Many people enjoy contrasting bitterness with sweetness, which is why dark chocolate and Port can be a delightful match.

Balancing Acid, Fat, Sugar and Salt

Classic wine pairings often play with contrasts:

• Acid + Fat: Acidic wines like Sauvignon Blanc cut through rich, fatty foods (e.g., goat cheese or fried dishes).
• Sugar + Salt: Sweet wines with salty foods create a crave-worthy balance (e.g., Sauternes and blue cheese).

Ultimately, the best pairings depend on your personal palate. The science of food and wine matching provides guidelines, but exploration and experimentation are what make it exciting.

Key Takeaways for Perfect Food and Wine Pairing

• Match sweetness levels carefully.
• Use salt to tame tannins and enhance fruit.
• Choose acidity to refresh fatty dishes.
• Be cautious with umami and spice, which can clash with bold wines.

By understanding how different flavours affect your perception of wine, you’ll be able to create pairings that bring out the best in both the food and the glass. Whether you prefer a bold red with steak or a crisp white with seafood, the art of wine pairing is about finding balance, contrast, and, most importantly, enjoyment.