Wine has a long history at our dining tables. Although not the case on our shores, the dishes and the culinary traditions we’ve borrowed from the world have evolved alongside local winemaking. The art of matching food and wine as it is today is a relatively modern endeavour. In the years past, local foods were drunk with local wines.
Today, the rules of food and wine pairing can be daunting. You wouldn’t be alone in wondering why getting a food and wine pairing right needs to seem like a challenge. If someone has a wine they enjoy, regardless of the situation, why should they have something different? The short answer is, they shouldn’t. Personal taste is everything.
It’s impossible to please everyone, but wine is an integral part of the dining experience, and there should be careful consideration. The right wines with the right dishes emphasise the best of the meal or can even bring out something new altogether. Likewise, a bad pairing can ruin the dining experience altogether and turn customers away.