Discuss the General Guidelines When Matching Food and Wine

Discuss the General Guidelines when Matching Food and Wine

The harmony of food and wine is seen as a very controversial issue around the world. This essay will discuss not only the general guidelines to follow but will highlight traditional food and wine combinations and ingredients which are seen as problems when pairing with wines.

The production and history of wine is one that dates back thousands of years. To date the oldest archaeological evidence found, would suggest that wine was being produced between 5400 and 5000 B.C. (Potts, 2012). Archaeologists found remains of a jar in Hajji Firuz Tepe; an excavation site in the Zagros Mountains, Iran. The jar was found to have contained compounds of those seen in wine.

Estreicher (2006) writes about the importance of wine after this time, when wine was known for more than mans "first alcoholic buzz" (Estreicher, 2006, P4). Wine was seen as a liquid which was safe to drink and was often added to water; in small amounts, making drinking water in those days safer. It was also used as an antiseptic until distillation was invented; cloths soaked in wine would be applied to wounds to stop infection.

Over thousands of years, development in the production and exportation of wine meant that wine was being made and enjoyed in many countries around the world. As the availability of wine grew so did peoples knowledge of the flavours. Bode (2000) writes about how food and wine advanced from B.C to the 19th century. He suggests that in Athenaeus times people were beginning to become familiar with types and vintages of wine and links between certain wines and dishes were starting to emerge. During the middle ages because of the price of wine, only the rich could afford it. It would be drunk on special occasions and often during social gatherings. Bode (2000) tells us that sometime between the 15th and 17th century, people started establishing sherry and port in the order of service of drink. Sherry would be drunk at the beginning and port at the end of the meal; this order is still used today. By Edwardian time, wine was being classified much like what it is nowadays. For example, country, regions, new, old, sweet, dry etc. Because of the advancement in the classifications of wines, it was simpler to match food with wine. Wine began being served with nearly every course on a menu.

Nowadays, wine can be enjoyed from various countries throughout the world. It can be purchased from shops, supermarkets, bars and restaurants. Bars and restaurants are under pressure more than ever to have wines' which complement the food being offered in their establishment. Even producers of wines are starting to make recommendations on their labels as to what their wine will go with.

So how exactly do you choose from the thousands of wines available on the market, the