The old rule "white wine with fish; red wine with meat" is based on matching body (the weight of the wine in the mouth) and color. The adage dates from the days when many white wines were light in body and whitish in color (like fish), and many red wines were weighty and, obviously, red (like meat). It is, however, the body and components of the wine- not its color- that are important in matching wine with food. Today many red wines, such as Oregon pinot noirs and nothern Italian merlots, are far lighter in body than, for example, barrel-fermented and barrel-aged California and Australian chardonnays. In the 1980's many of us realized this (or at leased sensed it unconsciously), abandoned the old rule, and began drinking red wine with fish and white wine with meat. By the mid-1980's top American steak houses were selling almost as much chardonnay as cabernet sauvignon.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
The White Wine with Fish Rule
The old rule "white wine with fish; red wine with meat" is based on matching body (the weight of the wine in the mouth) and color. The adage dates from the days when many white wines were light in body and whitish in color (like fish), and many red wines were weighty and, obviously, red (like meat). It is, however, the body and components of the wine- not its color- that are important in matching wine with food. Today many red wines, such as Oregon pinot noirs and nothern Italian merlots, are far lighter in body than, for example, barrel-fermented and barrel-aged California and Australian chardonnays. In the 1980's many of us realized this (or at leased sensed it unconsciously), abandoned the old rule, and began drinking red wine with fish and white wine with meat. By the mid-1980's top American steak houses were selling almost as much chardonnay as cabernet sauvignon.
