How to choose wine: some advices to never make mistakes!

If you are wondering how to choose the right wine for a dinner party, rather than for a business lunch, then you are reading the right article. Choosing the right wine for the occasion, sometimes, can become a real and proper little drama. There are many factors to be considered and one cannot limit oneself to the basic rules of wine and food matching. In fact, it is also necessary to take into account the tastes of the many diners, the right price range, the origin of the product and so on. These are all factors that often complicate the life of the ones who need, for example, to buy wine online from a wine shop. Let’s try to make things clearer about this subject, as well as giving some good advices about how to get the best out of it.

How to choose wine according to classic rules

Let’s start from the classic rules about wine and food matching. In the article: “Matching Wine with Food: How to Perfectly Conjugate Flavors“, we have already seen that every food, whether it is liquid or solid, has well defined flavors and aromas. Every food has a precise sensorial spectrum, which takes into consideration: sweetness, smoothness, sapidity, acidity and tannin.

From the analysis of all these elements it is possible to draw some pretty general conclusions, when one is looking for how to choose the right wine. In case the dish is full bodied, it is better to choose a full bodied wine, such as Amarone della Valpolicella in matching with a great roast meat, game and noble game. In case the dish is lighter, it is possible to choose a light and crisp wine as well. Just to make another example, Fratelli Vogadori’s Bianco dei Leoni is a perfect match for delicate first courses, fresh water fish, vegetables and fresh cheese.

First courses, main courses and desserts: which wine to choose?

Pasta and risottos direct the choice of wine towards a solution, rather than another, according to the seasoning or sauce. For example, with meat or game sauces, it is possible to choose a full bodied red wine (such as an Amarone della Valpolicella). For fish sauces can also be used a dry white wine, as well as a dry white wine can be used for pasta or tortellini with butter and sage. Soups, on the other hand, often require a dry white wine, such as Bianco dei Leoni we mentioned before. In case one is eating pizza and wants to taste a good wine as well, the choice changes according to the seasoning.

For main courses, instead, it makes a difference the type of meat eaten. For example, with white meat, grilled or baked, it is possible to choose light white wines, or sparkling wines. For beef or veal are very good red wines of medium structure. In case of pork, it is also possible to dare with something more structured and to taste an Amarone della Valpolicella. The same is also true, as mentioned before, for game and big roasts.

A short parenthesis about desserts as well. Desserts are always matched to sweet wines. In this regard it is worth mentioning the wonderful Recioto della Valpolicella, which perfectly matches with desserts and fruit tarts, as well as with chocolate. It is also excellent with traditional dry confectionery. In case of desserts made of cream, it is also possible to opt for a bubbly wine and choose a Spumante Brut by Fratelli Vogadori which will surely enhance the sweetness of the dessert.

How to choose wine according to the label

If the sensorial sphere of food is the first factor to be considered in order to choose the right wine, the second one is surely the label. Identity card of a product, label reveals a lot about wine (and about any other product). We discussed this subject in detail in our article: “Wine Label: Knowing Wine Thanks to its Indications“, but we would like to remind you that from a small label it is possible to know a lot about our wine, even when it is bought online.

From the category of the wine product to the alcoholic strength, from the place of origin to the bottler, the label reveals the hidden secrets of wine and helps us to understand how to better orientate in the choice. Producers and sellers of wine are obliged to label their products by writing precise and detailed information on the label. Besides the legal obligation imposed to wine producers, label also represents a valid tool to make consumers better know their product.