You have come to the right place if you are planning to have a wine tasting party or you just feel like having a dinner party with some of your closest friends. This is your first step to throwing the party of the year. You need good wine to keep everyone loosened up a bit.
However, good wine by itself won’t cut it. You need some complementary accompaniments, and this is where knowledge of which types of wine to pair with certain snacks kicks in. People tend to get choosy when it comes to the foods or snacks they take with their favourite glass of wine. Here are some of the best and easy snacks with wine of your choice:
1. Cheese
Having cheese snacks with wine is a pretty safe bet, but some options are much easier than others. Hard nutty cheese goes really well with a white wine such as the chardonnay. On the other hand, goat’s cheese partners pretty well with a zippy fresh white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc.
If you are planning to have blue cheese on your menu, go ahead and partner this snack with dry red wines. Sweet wines mix well with the saltiness of the cheese, especially if you serve it with an upscale drink like white wine.
2. French Fries
At first, this snack may sound like a bizarre pairing, but in actual sense, French fries and wine are a perfect match. To make your taste buds even happier, pair French fries with sparkling wine, which has bubbles that effectively cut through the salt on the chips.
This easy snack allows one to fully appreciate both the flavours of the wine and the French fries. If you are not a fan of French fries, or there are people at the party who do not enjoy them, you can substitute it with potato chips or, perhaps, some tater tots.
3. Popcorn
Popcorns go hand in hand with watching movies. At some point during the party, you will probably want to watch a movie with your friends. Having popcorn with your wine is a great idea, especially if the wine is Chardonnay, which has a buttery taste and a crisp finish that makes pairing it with popcorn a perfect match.
Just imagine how fancy you will feel watching your favourite rom-com with a glass of chilled white wine in your hand.
4. Pizza
It is safe to say that any red wine can be paired with pizza, but some reds are more ideally suited for this snack than others. These include Syrah and Italian reds. The reason for this is that the two types of wine have a high acidity that brings out the sweet, acidic flavour of the tomato sauce on the pizza.
Another reason why pizza would be a great pairing is that it also has cheese on it. To spice things a notch higher, you can top up with red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach.
5. Dark Chocolate
If you have been to a wine tasting event before, this should not come as a surprise to you. Dark chocolate pairs very well with cabernet sauvignon. Considering how richly flavoured dark chocolate is, it is only right to pair it with a wine bottle that packs just as much oomph.
6. Glazed Pastries
Pastries such as glazed donuts taste great when paired with wine, but not just any wine. A Moscato is an excellent choice for pairing with glazed pastries since Moscato wine tastes sweeter than most of the other types.
Wines such as Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc are not good matches for glazed pastries. Moscato wines have low alcohol content. In simpler terms, glazed pastries and Moscato wine are an ultimate desert package. It will surely leave your sweet tooth thoroughly entertained.
7. Oysters
This is an excellent choice for seafood lovers. Oysters pair well with Muscadet wine. Here is an interesting fact: this type of wine is made in the west of France, along the Atlantic coast. The reason it is a great pairing for oysters is that it heightens the oysters’ fresh flavour with its acidity.
8. Salmon
In most cases, fish pairs best with white wine; but when it comes to salmon, it pairs surprisingly well with Pinot Noir. The flavour of the salmon is able to stand up to the bold flavour of Pinot Noir. If there is a match made in wine and snacks heaven, this is one.
So, before throwing a wine tasting party, a birthday party, arranging a movie night or just a simple hangout with your friends, avoid randomly pairing wine with any snack. There are different varieties of wines to choose from depending on the snacks you will be offering your guests. The above wine versus snacks pairing tips should at least get you off to a good start.
