Don’t listen to what all
self appointed wine buffs and wine snobs say – it’s what you like that counts. It’s not what Mr X, Mrs Y or Sommelier Z says but what you personally enjoy that matters when it comes to wine. Taste is individual to you and must always be treated as such.
If you like really “unsophisticated” sweet German wines such as those 70s standards Liebfraumilsch or Hock (which incidentally almost put a whole generation off drinking wine) then that’s great.
Feel free to carry on drinking them but make sure that you take time to carry on experimenting with other wines of a similar nature or perhaps a different style of your preferred grape.
If you like a white Burgundy, such as steely Chablis, then you may also like other wines matured in metal casks such as a Sancerre.
If you enjoy a nice Sauvignon Blanc then take a look at a South African Chenin Blanc. But don’t put yourself off by scaring your palate through trying completely new and perhaps a bit ‘left field’ choices immediately.
Work up to these experiments. Try more obvious ones first. If you go from a nice oaky Australian Chardonnay to a Gewurtztraminer right away you might never appreciate subtle pleasures of German speciality, which is a bit of an acquired taste for most people though it can be dynamite paired with right foods.
And when it comes to teaming wine with food then same rules apply. If you like your oysters with a full-bodied claret rather than a dry white or a champagne, then that is great too.
White wine with fish dishes is accepted combination worldwide but now many people are realising delights of eating a ‘meaty fish’ such as tuna with a light red wine.
However do bear one thing in mind : ‘rules’ have evolved over time and reflect preferences of millions of palates over many generations of fine dining. Like classics of fiction, classic combinations of food and drink are exactly that for a reason – they have proven to be superior over time.
