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fine With
wine
a Must
Great Food!
R
ich flavourful Caribbean food & rum may be a main feature
of the Bajan food scene, but Barbados also offers varying
choices of food, Chinese, Brazilian, Italian, Greek, Mexican
and a wide selection of fine wines that can make food and
wine pairing exciting and fresh.
If you generally enjoy sampling and experiencing various
wines then you will be delighted to encounter the islands new exotic
wines. However if you are a novice, like many of us, and nothing seems
remotely familiar on the sommeliers list, have no fear; just remember
these basic tips to make pairing simple when dining out.
The old adage “red wine-red meat, white wine-white meat,” still works
quite well as a general principle. This is simply because a powerful,
tannic red wine would simply overwhelm delicate white fish, while a light,
refreshing white wine would be lost alongside your Kobe beef.
Meal Type
Accompanying Wine
Barbeque
Wines can be both fruity and rich, zinfandel or rosè make
good choices and sauvignon blanc’s are popular with seafood.
Fried
Foods
Here sparkling wines are terrific but any crisp, dry, fruity wine,
(white or red) should work well too.
Chinese
Choose slightly sweet or off-dry wines, rosès or rieslings. With
peking duck, try cabernet, merlot, pinot noir or zinfandel.
Notably too much plum and hoisin sauces will kill any wine.
Japanese
Choose very cold, off dry, fruity white wines or any sparkling
wine.
Thai
Rosé is the best choice but rieslings can also be a good bet.
Warning—dry whites and reds are generally to be avoided.
Mexican
Try very cold, fruity, full-bodied sauvignon blancs and rosés.
Pinot noirs will perform well, too. But Cabernet and merlots
are not a good choice because the tannins and spices clash.
Indian
Choose full-bodied sparking wines and reds such as merlots
and zinfandels or drier, full-bodied rosés.
Middle
Eastern
Fruity wines, both red and white are favoured here.
Whats your favourite local wine or rum brand and where do you like to have it ? Email us at
[email protected] and tell us about it!
60 | Caribbean Dreams