The basic principles may be summarized as follows:
- matching according to tradition / regional criteria
- matching according to the season
- matching by contrast/opposition of flavors
- matching by similarity of flavors / structure / aromas
The first two principles are “universal criteria”, in the sense that they are applicable whether one bears in mind or ignores the choice between the two following ones (contrast or similarity), criteria that are alternatives.
Matching according to tradition
This consists in accompanying the dishes of a given region with the classic wines of the same zone, based on a rationale of affinity between their flavors and scents and the championing of typical local products.
Matching according to the season
This rationale for matching calls for one to serve wines that are appropriate for the period of the year, such as cool, fresh whites in summer, vino novello in autumn or red wines in winter; this principle also leads to a corresponding alternative in which one modifies the temperature at which one serves wines (slightly cooler in summer, a little warmer in winter).
Matching by contrast of flavors
This is the general rule for food and wine matching, even though there are many exceptions, and consists in serving wines with “opposing” characteristics to those of the food, with the aim of cleansing the palate and preparing it for the pleasure of the following mouthful.
Essentially,
- foods with a tendency towards sweetness (rice/pasta, vegetables such as carrots, pumpkin, peas and potatoes, shellfish, cooked ham, rare meat) should be contrasted with wines that have a certain hardness to them, which comes from their acidity and/or tanginess and/or effervescence;
- foods that have dominant sensations of hardness due to a bitterish tendency (grilled meats, foods containing spices or herbs, vegetables such as radicchio, chicory or artichoke) or which have an acid tendency (tomato-based sauces, or marinades using lemon or vinegar) need to be set off by wines that are particularly soft and rounded;
- with foods in which greasy sensations are dominant (braised meats, sausages and pigs’ trotters or foods dressed with olive oil) or which are particularly succulent (stews, casseroles, fish soups), one should serve wines that are particularly high in alcohol and/or tannic;
- with fatty foods (lard, mortadella, various cheeses, butter) wines that cleanse the palate are ideal: they need to have a certain amount of acidity, tannins or effervescence.
Matching by similarity of flavors / structure / intensity and persistence of aromas
Matching by similarity is to be sought in those cases where, for the sensations given by the wine and food to be in perfect balance, assonance between their characteristics is desirable. Examples are:
- sweet foods (such as desserts) need to be matched with a sweet wine;
- foods with considerable structure (because of the foodstuff itself or the sauce/condiment) require similarly full-bodied, well-structured wines, and dishes with very concentrated flavors (through cooking for a long time) call for complex (and perhaps aged) wines. On the contrary, with delicate foods similarly light wines are recommended;
- particularly scented foods (because of the use of spices and herbs) should be matched with very aromatic wines.
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