A great wine might taste less great if combined with food that integrates in a less pleasant way. Therefore the key is to know how to combine wine with food or cheeses – and I will try to write as much as possible about this, both a bit here but especially in every blog post about wines that I try!

Some main things to know:

• The two components sweetness and umami (like raw mushrooms) in food tend to make wines taste harder: more bitter and acidic and less sweet and fruity.
• The two components acid and salt (called ’the friends of wine’) tend to make wines taste softer: sweeter and more fruity and less bitter and acidic.
• Chili in food increases the perception of acidity and bitterness as well as the burning sensation of alcohol, and at the same time decreases the sweetness and fruitiness of the wine.
• Flavour intensity: the best is often to try to match the flavour intensity of the food with the wine – but there are of course exceptions to this rule 😉
• Acidity and fat: this combination of acidic wines and fat food is often appreciated!
• Sweet wine with salty food/cheeses – also a combination that many people like (think sweet wine and blue cheese).
• High-risk wines: the more complex the wine, the more taste interactions are possible which makes pairing more tricky! But you can also find marvellous combinations!
• Low-risk wines: simple unoaked wines with little residual sugar are quite simple to match with many combinations!