It’s no great surprise to learn that wine remains a very popular alcoholic beverage throughout the world. This can be easily evidenced by the quirky t-shirts, mugs and aprons that scream out “It’s Winesday!”, “It’s wine o’clock somewhere,” and “You had me at merlot.” Despite wine being such a staple alcoholic beverage, many individuals are at a loss around which wine to purchase and what to pair it with.
Instead of enjoying their favourite glass of wine with ease, they become paralyzed by making the right decisions in terms of how to “correctly” consume it. Fear not. We removed the highbrow barriers that prevented you from easily pairing wines with appetizers, as we compiled a list of seven appetizers that go well with wine.
1. Cheese
One of the best appetizers that go well with wine is cheese, and this is likely not surprising at all. The best part about cheese is that most types pair well with any sort of wine. The rule of thumb is that the saltier the cheese is, the easier it is to pair with wine. This is due to the fact that saltier cheese overtakes much of the palate, and the taste of the wine is felt less acutely. If you are at a loss of which pairings to make, a great starting place is to mix and match your saltiest cheese with your favourite wine.
2. Bread
Bread is a wonderful complement to nearly every single type of wine. Bread is incredibly versatile as it can be served in a variety of ways such as freshly baked, toasted, or even in the form of breadsticks and crackers. As well, since bread tends to have a more underwhelming flavour, you are free to select any wine to go with it. Ice wine? Sweet dessert wine? An oaky vintage? The world is your oyster.
3. Nuts
Nuts are a wonderful appetizer to serve with wine due to their fun texture. Nuts are crunchy and can be either salty, sweet or spicy, which makes for an exciting combination when paired with wine. Nuts are also highly nutritious and filling, so they make for a more substantial snack. If your dinner guests plan to munch on some nuts with wine before dinner, it will be highly unlikely that they will stick around for the impending five course meal!
4. Seafood
Seafood makes for a wonderful appetizer, as it is a less risky choice than meat. Indeed, meat tends to have a clean rolex sea dweller deepsea mens special limited edition rolex calibre 2813 automatic strong flavour, which can overwhelm the wine. Seafood has a milder taste which can pair better with certain wines, particularly white wine. When you are in a luxurious fine dining setting, enjoying a glass of wine with your seafood appetizers can be a heavenly experience.
Another reason why seafood is a great choice for a wine pairing is due to the sauces that accompany seafood dishes. The sauces are immensely versatile and can range from spicy to sweet, so here is your chance to play around with flavours.
5. Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate that is bitter or semi-sweet is an excellent accompaniment to many types of wine. The key is to ensure that the chocolate is not sweet, as this will not overwhelm the taste of the wine. This pairing also goes very well with nuts, so feel free to mix and match!
6. Fruit Plate
Some people shy away from having fruits as appetizers that go well with wine, but fruits make for a wonderful wine pairing. The golden rule of pairing fruit with wine is to stay away from fruits that are too acidic or https://www.iqosvape.com/product/yooz-%ed%8f%ac%eb%93%9c-2%ea%b0%9c-%ed%8c%a9-3-nic-%ea%b7%b8%eb%a6%b0-%ec%95%a0%ed%94%8c those that leave a lingering aftertaste, such as bananas. Stick to fruits that are milder in taste and texture, as these can be mixed and matched with a wider variety of wines. Great choices are apples, pears, figs and of course, grapes!
7. Pizza
Pizza is a no-brainer when it comes to selecting a food to work with wine, as pizza is comprised of the two main appetizer staples: bread and cheese. Worried about what toppings should be on the pizza? Don’t be! Almost anything goes when it comes to toppings, dough type, crispiness or thickness. The main thing to keep in mind is that you should not let the toppings overwhelm the wine, so stay away from meats such as bacon.
The most important thing to keep in mind when preparing your appetizer-wine combos is to have fun. Many foods pair extremely well with wine, as wine makes nearly everything taste that much better! Don’t hesitate to try new combinations and be fearless when it comes to less orthodox pairings. Your guests will appreciate your sense of adventure and willingness to try new things. If you feel that you are not ready to get adventurous just yet, that is fine too. Stick to staple appetizers such as cheese, bread or wine, and as long as you keep the wine flowing, your guests will remain content. Cheers!
