whys of food & wine matches

[wattguitar]

I've been told there is real reasons why certain wines complement certain foods, such as the acidity in chardonnay cutting the fat in a white cream sauce (?) or the tannins cutting thru the fat of the steak (?) I've forgotten the actual facts.
could you re-educate me about this; how the components of different wines work in harmony with the characteristics of different foods? thanks.

[Innkeeper]

Hi Wattguitar, and welcome to the Wine Board. There are some guidelines that are just that. Personal preferences trump guidelines all the time. You got part of the guidelines right. That's the one about big wines with big foods. The opposite one to that is light wine with light food. Others include acidic wine (which does not include chardonnay) with acidic food, e.g. Chianti with pasta and tomato sauce; and the ever popular sweet wine with sweet food.

For details there are dozens of good books on the subject. Three of my favorites are: "The Wine Avenger", by Willie Gluckstern; "Garlic, Wine and Olive Oil, Historical Anecdotes and Recipes", by Thomas Pellechia; and "The Wine Lover's Cookbook", by Sid Goldstein.

[mrdutton]

Another tome I found helpful, in addition to those mentioned by Innkeeper is WINE WITH FOOD by Joanna Simon.

Her suggestions follow more ¿Traditional? matches. However the information and guidance provided is useful. I believe the book provides a good basis from which one can start.

[winoweenie]

Hi there wattguitar and velchome to dis here board. When i was first getting interested in wines I found an invaluable reference source was " Fannie Farmers Guide to Wine and Grits" Probably not in print now but what the hay? WW

[Botafogo]

AND, you've just got to get "Red Wine with Fish" by Joshua Wesson and David Rosengarten so you can see the fun in BREAKING all the rules as long as you do it with malice aforethought!!!!