Wine is not only a delicious and refreshing beverage on its own – it’s also the perfect way to set off an amazing meal. If you’ve ever wondered how to match wine with food, but just didn’t know where to start – start right here!
We’ve whipped up a complete guide to help you pick the perfect vino to set off any scrummy eat. It’s not as complicated as you might think, and you don’t have to be a wine snob to know how!
Wine 101 When deciding on which wine to pair with your meal, the most important thing to think about is keeping both elements in synergy and balance. Ooohhh – sounds flash doesn’t it?! Don’t worry – it’s not that hard! Simply keep in mind that you don’t want the wine to over power the food, or vice versa. Wine drunk by itself tastes different than when served with food, because wine interacts with the different flavours within the food to provide different taste sensations. The right wine can definitely enhance the flavour of food, bringing out the contrasts of flavour, body (texture), intensity and taste.
Basic Rules
There are three basic principles to keep in mind when matching wine with food.
Balance flavour intensity Remember the key rule – you don’t want to over power either the food or the wine, so make sure you pick with balance in mind. Pair light-bodied wines with lighter food and fuller-bodied wines with heartier, more flavourful, richer and fattier dishes. For example try a steak meal with a full bodied red wine such as Monkey Bay’s Cabernet Merlot.
Sweetness Be sure to balance the sweetness between food and wine. However it’s generally a good rule to stay away from pairing a wine with food that is sweeter than the wine.
Flavours
Match key flavours in the food with the same flavours within the wine. For example the citrus flavours in a Chardonnay go fabulously with a chicken pasta dish that has a cream and lemon sauce.
This Sav is crisp and refreshing with lots of yummy tropical fruit notes - this makes it perfectly suited for meals with white meats such as chicken and pork but especially and seafood fish and shellfish. It is also great with fragrant salads such as Greek or Caesar, Thai food and sushi.
Monkey Bay Pinot Gris
The great thing about this wine is its versatility. A vibrant wine with lovely floral notes, this wine is a smooth and refreshing style that matches an array of dishes and it is equally good enjoyed on its own. This makes it a great wine to have when you¹re not sure what you will be eating but it does go particularly well with white meats dishes.
Monkey Bay Chardonnay This is a lightly oaked style which means it still has lots of lovely fruit intensity and it isn¹t too heavy. It is fuller bodied and richer than a Sauvignon Blanc which makes it a great match with creamy pasta meals, seafood and rich butter and Saffron sauces.
Monkey Bay Rosé This is the essential summer wine, lovely fresh flavours of strawberries, raspberries and cherries. Crisp and refreshing it is a perfect wine to have with tapas. Try with smoked salmon with capers on toast or tomatoes and garlic on grilled baguette.
A vibrant wine with lovely dark berry notes, Monkey Bay delivers a smooth, warm Merlot that goes equally as well with summer barbeques as with winter roasts. With being a slightly lighter styled red wine (than Cabernet
Sauvignon) it also goes well with lighter red meat dishes such as beef/lamb tomato based pasta dishes and pizza .
The added complexity of Cabernet makes this wine well suited to more strongly flavoured foods such as beef and lamb casseroles.
Ramarea
Monkey Bay is giving you the chance to win a Spectacular Trip from Auckland to the gorgeous Monkey Bay in the Rarangi Wine Region for you and three of your best friends! They've got everything covered, from transport, luxe accomodation, delicious food and of course wine! All you need to do is purchase any bottle of Monkey Bay wine and click here to enter...
own – it’s also the perfect way to set off an amazing meal. If you’ve ever wondered how to match wine with food, but just didn’t know where to start – start right here! 
Wine 101
Monkey
Monkey Bay is giving you the chance to win a Spectacular Trip from Auckland to the gorgeous Monkey Bay in the Rarangi Wine Region for you and three of your best friends! They've got everything covered, from transport, luxe accomodation, delicious food and of course wine! All you need to do is purchase any bottle of Monkey Bay wine and click (184).jpg){kind=small}