3 Perfect Pairings for a Picky Palate

I find that people either overestimate or underestimate wine and food pairings. The truth is that there are no hard-and-fast rules to pairings because all of our palates are different. It should be understood that food does not transform wine or vice versa. If you know you dislike a certain wine, then no matter what food you pair with that wine or how strongly a sommelier suggests you pair it with a certain dish, you will probably still dislike it. The same goes for food.

On the other hand, if you give some consideration to pairing tips when ordering wine and food together, the two can certainly enhance each other. Every now and then you may discover a match so heavenly that you’ll never again have one without the other. I’ve stumbled across a few of these revelations recently and thought I’d share. I assert that if you are a fan of the following three wines and three foods independently then combining the elements are sure to please your (or anyone’s) palate, no matter how picky.

Pad Sea Ew + Riesling

Thai food has a lot going on in it. Spices and flavors jump out of nowhere. Pad Sea Ew is my favorite quintessential Thai dish. It’s spice-laden and salty, and once I add a copious amount of red pepper flakes, quite spicy. A dry, sweet wine like Riesling has a way of cutting through the salty and spicy and giving your mouth a sweet element to complement the flavors in dish. If you like pretzels dipped in chocolate or sweet and sour chicken then you will love this pairing. I recommend Standing Stone Riesling 2012 from the Finger Lakes, NY.

Seared Scallops + Sauvignon Blanc

Scallops are my favorite seafood. They are fresh and delicious, and take very little preparation. A crisp, light Sauvignon Blanc is able to capture and enhance the freshness and delicious simplicity of scallops. I was at a restaurant recently and chose a glass of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc 2012 from Marlborough, New Zealand to go with my seared scallop appetizer dish and was extremely pleased with my decision. My mouth is watering even now as I recall the pairing. It was an exquisite way to start the meal.

Sausage Pizza + Malbec

I received a baking stone last Christmas and have been making homemade pizza ever since. Pizza is great because you can make it hearty or light depending on your cheese choice and toppings. I made one recently that was on the heartier side using a mozzarella and parmesan cheese mix and loaded it with Italian sausage on top. When shopping for my pizza supplies, I picked up an inexpensive Malbec to go with it and was blown away with the pairing. My impulsive choice was a Cigar Box Reserve Malbec 2012 from Mendoza, Argentina. The weight of the pizza was perfectly balanced with the weight of this full-bodied red and the spice in the sausage was perfectly matched by the spices in the wine.

Have you had a recent food pairing revelation? Share it with us below in the comments section. For more wine and food pairing tips and suggestions, visit the WineCoolerDirect.com Learning Center article Wine and Food Pairing Made Easy. Buon appetito!