The right wine can elevate a dish to new heights, creating a harmonious blend of flavours for a memorable
dining experience
The combination of the right wine and food on the palate creates a delicate dance of flavours that enhance one another, making the perfect pairing more pleasurable than tasting the food and wine separately.
Acidity in food and wine has a significant impact on flavour perception. In wine, acidity enhances the perception of body, sweetness, and fruit, while also contributing to overall balance. Salinity, conversely, softens the perception of body and reduces astringency, bitterness, and acidity. These two flavour profiles are excellent allies when it comes to pairing. Food acidity is generally beneficial, as it balances high-acidity wines and enhances their fruit notes. However, pairing a low-acidity wine with highly acidic food can make the wine taste flat. Salinity in food can highlight the fruit flavours in wine and reduce its astringency.
Sweetness, umami, and spiciness can make wine pairing more challenging. These elements tend to intensify bitterness, astringency, acidity, and the perceived effect of alcohol, while diminishing the perception of body, sweetness, and fruitiness in the wine. For example, a dry wine paired with a sweet dish can taste less fruity. Ideally, sweet foods should be matched with wines of comparable sweetness. Umami, often present alongside other flavours (such as saltiness in monosodium glutamate), is difficult to pair. However, adding salt can help balance it. Spiciness, while not a flavour itself, creates a warming sensation in the mouth. A high alcohol content in wine can clash with spicy food, as it can intensify the burning sensation.
Some wines are more versatile and easier to pair, such as those with low alcohol content, little or no oak, light-bodied (reds), and low tannin content. Very tannic and astringent reds with high alcohol levels and complex flavours are more difficult and demanding. They need foods like grilled meats and/or game stews.
Regionality is an important consideration. Lanzarote wines, produced from Malvasía Volcánica and Diego grapes, pair perfectly with the island’s fresh seafood. Our light, low-tannin reds offer excellent versatility for food matching. The island’s sweet wines, crafted from Moscatel or Malvasía Volcánica grapes, find harmony with local desserts and pastries whilst also providing a delightful contrast to a selection of cured cheeses.
Pedro J. Benasco Curbelo
D.O. Vinos de Lanzarote Tasting Committee
