Cómo maridar vinos y comidas para realzar sabores | Guía esencial

Pairing well is not a matter of rigid rules, but of understanding how the plate and the glass converse. With a few clear ideas you will stop being wary of pairing and start enjoying it.

The underlying idea: seeking balance

A good pairing aims for neither the wine nor the dish to overpower the other. What you look for is for them to enhance each other: for the wine to bring out the best in the food and vice versa. There are two ways to get there, and neither is better than the other. You can seek affinity, joining flavours that go in the same direction, or contrast, pitting elements that offset each other.

Pairing by affinity

Here you bring together intensities and profiles that resemble each other. A powerful dish calls for a full-bodied wine; a delicate dish, a light wine that won't crush it.

• A braised meat or a spiced tomato sauce goes with fruity, structured reds, such as a syrah or a garnacha.
• A fresh fish or a herbal salad calls for lively, aromatic whites, in the style of a verdejo or an albariño.
• A creamy dish finds its match in a white with some ageing, which brings unctuousness.

Pairing by contrast

Sometimes what works is to pit opposing sensations against each other to balance the mouthful. A wine's acidity cuts through fat; sweetness calms spice or heightens saltiness.

• A wine with good acidity cleanses the palate against a fatty dish, like a fried food or a cured sausage.
• A sweet or fortified wine wonderfully balances blue cheeses and certain spicy foods.
• A fresh sparkling wine, with its bubbles, lightens fried foods and salty appetisers.

Tricks that hardly ever fail

If in doubt, fall back on these basic principles:

• What grows together, goes together: dishes and wines from the same region usually get along wonderfully, because they have evolved together.
• Match intensities: strong dish, strong wine; mild dish, mild wine.
• Think about the sauce, not just the main ingredient: it is often the sauce that rules the pairing.

Try, fail and enjoy

The best pairing is the one you like. These guidelines are a starting point, not a dogma; the fun lies in experimenting and discovering your own combinations. A great way to learn is to do it on the ground, at a paired meal in a winery, where the wine is served to match each dish. You can find experiences like these by exploring all the wineries and choosing the one that best fits your tastes.