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<p>There are die-hard conservatives who take care to observe the strict tried-and-trusted traditional rules, by which a wine must be paired with foods that have been prepared in a certain manner. Then come the modernists, who, not knowing the previously tried-and-tested culinary delights, preach food and wine matching combinations as their taste buds command, as long as their sense of fantasy and taste is being sated.</p>
<p>However, <strong>a basic set of rules for the study of harmony in the culinary arts</strong> does exist. Let us try and revise a few of them, some of which you are perhaps familiar with. You will then be better able to make your choice of wine according to your personal taste:</p>
<ul>
<li>Acidic + acidic adds up. Acidic food with acidic wine will come across as aggresive, as acids taste metallic.</li>
<li>Acidity + fatty foods. Acidic wines dissolve the greasiness and the result is quite pleasing.</li>
<li>Acidity + alcohol + spices. Acidity with alcohol increase the pungency of the spiciness.</li>
<li>Acidity + sweetness. Stand up well to each other and increase the vigour of the dish.</li>
<li>Tannins + salt. Mutual enemies, cannot stand one another and cause a confusion of tastes.</li>
<li>Salt + sweetness. Do not entirely come to terms, but the sensation softens.</li>
<li>Tannins and sweetness. Tannic food and sweet wine complement one another nicely.</li>
<li>Bitterness + acidity. Do not go together as they increase the sensation of bitterness.</li>
<li>Tannins + fatty foods. Suitable combination. They neutralise each other.</li>
<li>Sweetness + sweetness. Harmonious combination. The impression of sweetness does not increase, in fact it is lowered if the wine is sweeter than the food.</li>
<li>Bitterness + tannins. Tannic wine increases the bitterness of the dish. The only exception is a combination of walnuts with a youthful red wine.</li>
<li>Tannins + smokey tones. The bitterly tannic taste of young red wines, which would be unpleasant when combined with other dishes, will be eliminated in the company of smoked or grilled foods.</li>
<li>Smokiness + acidity. Only wines that have well-rounded acidity or oak ageing in barriques with high toasting.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Examples of mutual accord between food and wine</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Light wines - light food.</strong> Food which is not heavily spiced and contains little fat (fish, lean poultry, other white meat) is best combined with dry kabinet-type wines - Sylvaner, Müller-Thurgau, Riesling, Blauer Portugieser.</li>
<li><strong>Heavy foods - full wines.</strong> The fattier the foods (streaky pork, bacon, oily fish, dishes with mayonnaise) the more they need a higher level of alcohol and extract in the wine – e.g. late-harvest wines or quality wines with a higher alcohol content. Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Neuburger, Kerner, Pinot Noir, Dornfelder.</li>
<li><strong>Spicy foods - full and expressive wines.</strong> Dry and intense on the palate, alternatively mature reds from Blaufränkisch/Lemberger, Pinot Noir, Saint Laurent, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon grapes would marry well with roast beef, steaks, lamb, game.</li>
<li><strong>Sweet foods, sweet wines.</strong> Sweet dishes are far better combined with mature sweet wines that are sweeter than themselves, otherwise the wines would taste rather tart.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Wine Consumption</h3>
<p>On average every Czech citizen consumes some 20.1&nbsp;litres of wine per year. This means that over the past 20&nbsp;years there has been an increase of around one third, while over the past 10&nbsp;years the increase is approximately one quarter. The European average totals around 36&nbsp;litres per person per year.</p>

<h3>Procedure for Serving Food and Wine</h3>
<h2>Aperitif</h2>
<p>The function of the aperitif is to draw out the special moment in a mundane day, to stimulate the sense of expectation before the arrival of the next anticipated event, to tantalise the taste buds, tune the company, but not to satiate. On a hot day: wine spritzer with mineral water or else well-chilled sweet wine. On a chilly day: dry white sparkling wine or a dry white wine with a higher alcohol content.</p>
<h2>Soup</h2>
<p><strong>Soup, unsweetened, spicy</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>old mature wines or grape brandy</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Spring vegetable soup</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>light, fruity wines, such as Müller-Thurgau, Sylvaner, Grüner Veltliner</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Cream Soup</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>mature Neuburger, Pinot Blanc</li>
</ul>
<h2>Starter</h2>
<p>A starter should prolong the anticipation of the main course and retain a certain sense of suspense. It should not be too hearty and so one should serve light, white wines - most suitable are dry white wines to quench the thirst, which is usually greater at the outset of the meal. The exception here is a heavy starter such as foie gras. This we would associate with an aperitif and serve with a naturally sweet wine (special selection of berries and so on).</p>
<h2>Main course</h2>
<p><strong>Fish</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>baked, braised – dry white wines</li>
<li>smoked, or in cream sauce – white wines of late-harvest type</li>
<li>grilled, fried, or with a distinctive-tasting sauce – mature dry white wines or lighter red wines</li>
<li>eel – light red wines</li>
<li>sea fish – white wines (since sea salt and red wine would give a bitter taste)</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Meat dishes</strong></p>
<p>The old rule "white wine with white meat and red wine with dark meat" is valid WHEN the meat is cooked in a very delicate manner and the taste of the dark meat is highly pronounced. BUT the combination may vary depending on the way the dish is cooked:</p>
<ul>
<li>meat without a sauce – wine to suit the taste of the meat</li>
<li>meat with a sauce – wine to suit the taste of the sauce</li>
<li>braised or boiled meat – dry white wine</li>
<li>meat on the grill, lean – white late-harvest wine</li>
<li>meat on the grill or roasted in the oven, fatty – very full white wines, blush or rosé wines, light red wines</li>
<li>mutton, game – deep red wines, richly tannic</li>
<li>meat with a rich vegetable garnish – lighter wines than those paired with the type of meat itself</li>
<li>smoked meats on a wooden platter – rustic white or red country wine</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Cheese</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>fresh – light white wines, for example Müller-Thurgau, Sylvaner, Grüner Veltliner</li>
<li>buttery cheeses, cheese patés – Neuburger, blush or rosé wines</li>
<li>cheeses with white mould – light, dry wines from Pinot Gris</li>
<li>sliced cheeses – very full and round white wines, blush or rosé wines, light Pinot Noir</li>
<li>cheeses with dark mould – mature red wines, though not too tannic, special selection of berries</li>
<li>cheeses having a very distinctive taste – rich and well-structured tannic red wines</li>
</ul>
<p>Food is a necessity, but matching it with wine is an art. Creativity is on your side. We wish you many wonderful ideas, plenty of inspiration and a fortunate hand in your wine selection. Do not, though, forget our fine Moravian and Bohemian wines.</p>
<p><em>Author: Professor Vilém Kraus, CSc.</em></p>

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