Arguments that prove that pairing wine and food is not an exact science

In these uncertain times we live in, our day-to-day lives are already too rigid to have to adhere to strict rules when it comes to pairing food with wine. Today we have set out to debunk some of the best-known myths about the misnamed "pairing", also known by the pompous term "harmonies". Whatever you may call it, there are theories that are not always correct. Here are five typical errors.

Mith nº 1.

Mith nº 2.

It has always been thought that in a meal in which we are going to consume different types of wines, white and red, for example, the logical order should be first the white and then the red. However, this is not necessarily the case, as the order of the wine will be directly determined by the food we are going to serve, always seeking to match the flavours regardless of the colour of the wine. In this way, we can go from a red wine to a white followed by some sparkling, or from a sweet wine to a white followed by a red. Just look at the pairing menus of many Michelin-starred restaurants. A different matter is a wine tasting, as we saw in our article "Prepare a wine tasting at home", where the order of the wines should follow the rule of tasting from the smoothest to the most powerful.

Mith nº 3.

Sherry wines are only for aperitifs. Of course, we are referring to finos, manzanillas, olorosos, amontillados, palo cortados... Nobody denies that they are a delicious match for dried fruits, a plate of Iberian ham, olives and some types of cheese, but, as we have already seen in our article "Tips to enjoy more sherry wine", we can accompany all kinds of dishes with this type of wine: a salad with a glass of fino, grilled fish with some manzanilla, artichokes with amontillado, oloroso with a gamey dish and even a very spicy recipe with a glass of palo cortado.

Mith nº 4.

Sparkling wines are drunk with dessert. In Spain this belief comes mainly from the tradition of drinking a glass of cava or champagne to toast with desserts during Christmas celebrations. However, at Peñín we have been advocating for a long time that sparkling wines -just like sherries- should be served at any time of the meal. There are many types of sparkling wine depending on their residual sugar content: brut nature, extra brut, brut, extraseco, dry, semi-dry, sweet..., and it is a shame not to take advantage of their delicious flavour to harmonise an aperitif, seafood, a good rice dish, grilled fish or a white meat, to give just a few examples. Some bubbles at the end of a meal when we have a full stomach is not the most pleasant thing in the world, but enjoying them while we are eating is a very pleasurable experience.

Mith nº 5.

These are just some of the false myths that continue to surround the harmonies between food and wine, I am sure you know many more and we will be able to dedicate another chapter to them soon. Follow your instinct when combining food and wine, and make mistakes if necessary, trial and error is the best way to learn the different options that exist.