Wine snobs would have you believe that it is incredibly difficult to pair the right wine with a cheese, or the right wine with a certain meal. But here’s the thing: once you know the guidelines, you can match wine with any dish like a pro. So, grab yourself a green waistcoat and embrace your inner sommelier.

Right, let’s get into it. Food comes in seven key taste categories, and each one plays differently with wine. I’ll walk you through them all, from the obvious (sweet, salty, sour) to the more mysterious (umami - what even is that, anyway?) and then you’ll have enough know-how to pick the perfect bottle for anything from Friday night curry to that lemon drizzle cake you’re famous for.

In general, there are seven main taste types:

Sweet: Think Sugar (obviously), Biscuits, Caramelised Vegetables

Sour: Lemon, Vinegar, Greek Yogurt

Salty: Anchovies, Prosciutto, Feta Cheese

Bitter: Dark Chocolate, Olives, Black Coffee

Umami: Mushrooms, Soy Sauce, Parmesan Cheese

Heat: Chili, Wasabi, Ginger

Fat: Butter, Avocado, Cream

The Easy Ones:

Some taste categories make pairing wine a doddle:

Salty & Fatty Foods – 

Why do wine and cheese go so well together? Simple: salt and fat are wine’s best friends. Salty food makes wines taste fruitier, and fatty food needs acidity to cut through the richness (for that we need tannins, and for that we need Reds like Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese or Nebbiolo - Whites like Pinot Gris/Grigio also work, as do Orange wines).

Try this for your charcuterie board: a juicy, big red like our fully organic Chateau Couronneau Bordeaux Superieur 2022 (Winner of Concours Mondial Des Vins Biologiques)

Or fish and chips with the driest, crispest bubbly you can find - like our Di Maria Prosecco or Di Maria Prosecco Rosé.

Sour Foods –

Acid loves acid. So, if your dish is tangy, pick an equally zippy wine. It’ll balance out the sharpness and make everything taste smoother.

Try this for your Weekend takeaway: a bright, citrusy Alsace like our Jean Biecher Gewurztaminer

The Tricky Ones - 

Now for the taste categories that don’t play nice with wine. These need a bit more thought.

Sweet Foods – 

Sweet food can make dry wine taste bitter and lifeless. The golden rule? Choose a wine that is sweeter than your dessert.

Try this for with your chocolate brownies: a rich, organic wine like our organic Chateau Dudon Sauternes.

Bitter Foods – 

Bitter plus bitter tastes, erm… bitter, and makes wine nasty and unpalatable.  Avoid heavy tannic reds and go for something soft and easy-going.

Try a bottle of this when you next have grilled asparagus or are snacking on olives: our organic Meinklang Roter Mulatschak or The Reserve Red from Stanlake Park

Umami Foods – 

Umami is a sneaky one. It makes wines taste harsher and more astringent. So, stick to low-tannin reds or crisp whites.

One to have with your garlic mushrooms : a fruity dry like our Verdejo from Bodegas Latue

Spicy Foods – 

Spice cranks up the burn of alcohol, so steer clear of big, boozy reds. Instead, go for something light and refreshing.

Try your Chicken Jalfrezi with a crisp, Sauvignon Blanc like our New Zealand Johnson Estate, or a decent Rosé, like our Sentina rosé.

The Truth

The truth is that good pairs tend to be very similar but also very different (think of your hands; left and right – exactly the same, but also completely opposite). And you want the same in food terms; you want things that compliment each other but are very different to each other (tomatoes and olive oil , gin and tonic, cheese and pickled onions, pancakes and lemon juice).

Wine pairing isn’t the rocket science it’s made out to be. Get a few basics right - match acid with acid, fat with freshness, and avoid heavy tannins with bitter or spicy foods - and you’ll be golden. Plus, if all else fails, just open a bottle you actually like. Because at the end of the day, what’s the point of drinking wine if you’re not enjoying it? If you like a sweet dessert wine with your steak, embrace that and enjoy it – there is no reason not to.

Oh, a good crisp white wine or a bottle of fizz will pair with just about anything.

Mothers – Look Away Now!

Mother’s Day is fast approaching so it’s time to step up and make your mum - or any mother figure who’s ever bailed you out of trouble -  feel like the queen she truly is. Now, you could just grab a card and some tat from the supermarket, but if you really want to cement your status as The Favourite, might I suggest something a little more thoughtful? Swing by our shop, pick out a few things she’ll actually like, and we’ll put together a beautiful hamper for you. It’s quick, it’s painless, and it won’t cost the earth - £25 will get you a lovely selection, or £40-£50 if you throw in some wine or gin (which, let’s be honest, she probably needs). And, if anyone deserves to be spoiled, it’s Mum.

Technology - Aaaarrggghhh!!!  

Last week, the computer that controls my car’s brakes decided to pack it in. Fun fact: fixing a tiny, invisible piece of technology costs roughly the same as replacing the entire car. Wonderful!

And this got me thinking (always dangerous). Do we really need all this progress? Medicine? Of Course. Sure. 100%. Absolutely. But other things? Do we honestly need AI to do our jobs for us?

I mean, we’ve already outsourced most of our real work to machines, and now we go to the gym to do pretend work.

If we learn anything from History is that we never learn anything from History…. (ooh, that’s a bit profound actually!)

Anyway, the good news is that while my car remains a financial black hole (but is now safe and working), our website is now fully operational again. And I’ve been busy adding all the products I ignored while it was having its digital meltdown - including a dedicated Mother’s Day section (which should appear over the next few days). So if you’re after a brilliant gift, look no further.

Saturday Tasters

This week: dark chocolate-covered mini pretzels. I mean, honestly, what’s not to love? And for a bonus point, what wine would you pair with those? Answers on a postcard please (or, you know, just tell me in the shop) –  it’s got to be really sweet though – maybe our Taylor’s LBG Port?

And, A Big Cheer Please ...

for the next (legendary, in my humble opinion) instalment of my ongoing series, “Why Shopping Locally is Not Just a Good Thing, but a Necessary Thing” – Here is Reason Number 7:

7.. Carbon footprint.

Shopping locally means less travel, fewer car journeys, and fewer delivery trucks thundering up and down the country. And since unnecessary food transportation contributes to around 40% of the UK’s CO2 emissions, the less we import from halfway around the world, the better. So, buy local, save the planet, and maybe reward yourself with a local indie pint after. It’s what Captain Planet would want.

And Finally

Last week, I confidently declared that it was warming up. This week, I’d like to retract that statement. But I have it on good authority (from a chap in the shop wearing sunglasses) that the sun is on its way.

See you next week for more shop shenanigans!

Take care and Have a great week !
Cheers!
Phil

Phil’s Good Food in Wokingham, 2-4 Broad Street, offers a range of high-quality, ethically sourced products, from local honey to world-class cheeses, indie beers, wines, chocolates and much more. Our beautifully curated hampers make the perfect gift, or you can handpick your favourites, and we’ll create a bespoke hamper just for you!
We don’t deal in mass-produced plastic nonsense!
www.philsgoodfood.co.uk
#shoplocal