Food that is consumed with wine has an effect on the way a wine tastes, and wine can also affect the taste of food. The purpose of food and wine pairing is to take advantagge of there effects, so that the food and wine consumed together ideally provide more pleasure than either would if consumed separately.
When it comes to understanding the basic taste interactions between food and wine, it is important to remember that people have different sensitivities to
various flavor and aroma components. The same level of bitterness, for example, can affect one person much more strongly than another. This is different from a personal preference in that some people like strong reactions while others find them unpleasant. This variation in both individual sensitivities and preferences means that what seems like a ‘perfect pairing’ to one person may seem ordinary or even unsuccessful to another. Pairings should therefore take into account the preferences and/or sensitivities of the individual, as well as the basic interactions between food and wine.
PRIMARY FOOD AND WINE TASTE INTERACTIONS
When you place food in your mouth your taste buds adapt so that the perception of the levels of sugar, salt, acidity, etc. in what you taste next can be altered. An extreme example would be the unpleasantly acidic taste of orange juice when consumed immediately after using toothpaste. In addition to this, some foods, such as chocolate or thick creamy dishes, have a mouth-coating effect that can impair the sense of taste.
There are two components in food that tend to make wines taste ‘harder’ (more astringent and bitter, more acidic, less sweet and less fruity). These are sweetness and umami. There are also two components whose When presence in food tends to make wines taste ‘softer’ (less astringent and bitter, less acidic, sweeter, and more fruity). These are salt and acid. Generally, food has more impact on the way a wine will taste than the other way round.
Sweetness in Food
- Increases the perception of bitterness, astringency, acidity and the warming effect of the alcohol in the wine.
- Decreases the perception of body, sweetness and fruitiness in the wine.
Umami in Food
- Increases the perception of bitterness, astringency, acidity and the warming effect of the alcohol in the wine.
- Decreases the perception of body, sweetness and fruitiness in the wine.
Acidity in Food
- Increases the perception of body, sweetness and fruitiness in the wine.
- Decreases the perception of acidity in the wine.
Salt in Food
- Increases the perception of body in the food.
- Decreases the perception of astringency bitterness and acidity in the wine.
Bitterness in Food
- Increases the perception of bitterness in the wine.
Chilly Heat in Food
- Increases the perception of bitterness, astringency, acidity, and the burning effect of alcohol in the wine.
- Decreases the perception of body, richness, sweetness and fruitiness in the wine.
