Ask the Wino: Wine Pairing Ideas!

I’ve been avoiding this topic for quite sometime.   One, because, I wouldn’t call myself an expert on the food and wine pairing arena. Tastes are so subjective, what I may like, someone else may dislike profusely but after this past weekend of wine tasting I gathered some great wine pairing ideas just by the offerings I was given at certain tasting rooms.

Now this, this is something I can talk about:

Wine and Cheese go hand and hand, however, what I liked about this offering at Galante Vineyards Tasting Room is the fact that they added nuts and also craisins to the mix.  Mixing in a bit of salt and sweet worked really well for the darker, bolder, red wines that were being served that afternoon.
Chocolate and Wine go hand and hand.  Combine two of your favorite things.  The fun part with this kind of pairing is that you can go to a sweet candy shop before the pairing takes place and pick out some fun chocolates.  Grab some Milk, Caramels, and Dark Chocolates for a variety and have fun mixing the wines with the chocolate.  This was a chocolate pairing available at DeTierra Tasting Room in Carmel, CA.

Another fun option is to create that fun charturie plate with a variety of meats.  From different varieties of salami to little smokies to more.  Add in a little bread to make it more fun.  Pair this plate with your sides of cheese, and you’re golden.  I feel inspired by Vendange Carmel Inn and Suites.

And last but not least when preparing your wine pairing plate is to add in fruit.  Wine has fruit characteristics to them, and as you’re tasting the different varietals of wine, adding in fruit makes for a great pairing.  Strawberries with Champagne.  Raspberries, Grapes, Pears, and more.

The best part of creating a pairing plate is that you can add the foods you love to it, and that’s just as much part of the fun.