So, you’re going to have a delicious glass of wine with your dinner. Now, you just need to decide which wine matches your meal. There are so many great wines out there that you have a ton of options to consider. In fact, you may feel overwhelmed by all of the options. First, you need to choose where you want to get your wine from, searching on canada 411 can help you decide the best place to procure your wine of choice. Canadian wine is a great choice for any meal!
Pair Your Wine to Your Meal
Those who are new to drinking wine may not realize that it is suggested to pair your wine to what you are eating. There are a few ways to do this. One way, which most people find to be the simplest, is to choose a red wine for red meats (or to go with a heartier meal in general) and white wines with white meats (or lighter meals).
Though this is just a base standard, and there are a lot of other considerations to think about when choosing the wine for your meal, this is not always the absolute best way to pair your meal and your wine. If you are at a restaurant, you can easily ask for a pairing, and sometimes you will even get this directly in the menu.
If you are having a nice evening at home, though, you may have to do a little more research. What do you need to take into consideration? Why, the flavor palate, of course!
Dry Wine
Obviously, when talking about dry wine, we aren’t talking about the moisture that is present. All wine is wet! However, when you are talking dry wine, it is the level of sugar that is in the drink that is being discussed.
A dry wine has very little sweetness. Instead, the sugars that naturally are in the grapes have been turned into alcohol. Dry wine, many feel, is an acquired taste, simply because there is very little sweetness left to it.
When choosing a dry white wine, you may want to choose one of Canada’s Sauvignon Blanc wines, such as Peninsula Ridge’s Vintner’s Private Reserve Sauvignon Blanc. On the other hand, if you are having a juicy steak, you may want to pair it with Southbrook’s Triomphe Syrah.
Off Dry Wine
If you are looking for something a little sweeter, you may want to consider a sweet table wine, also known as off dry. Many types of wine are available in both dry and off dry varieties, which can be confusing.
The off dry wines have a little more sugar in them than a dry wine, and many people who don’t like dry wines are able to easily find an appreciation for off dry wines. Thirty Bench’s Riesling is a great option for a white wine, while EastDell’s Red Cab is a great option for a red.
Dessert Wine
Though sometimes consumed with dessert itself, the name dessert wine simply means that it is a much sweeter wine than you may find elsewhere. There are many great options when considering a Canadian dessert wine.
Icewines, which can come in white or red, are a great dessert wine option. The grapes for this wine are not picked until they have thoroughly frozen, and this gives the wine a richer flavor. Gehring Brothers’ Signature Series Riesling Icewine is great, sweet option to add to your meal.
Another delicious Icewine is Tawse Winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine. Many times, with a dessert wine, it is personal preference whether to go red or white. Many choose to continue with the color that they had with dinner, if they are continuing after the meal with a dessert.
Sparkling Wines
You may be looking to celebrate something that has happened recently, or maybe you just feel like adding a little fizz to your meal. Either way, a sparkling wine is a great way to go about it. There are quite a few great options when looking at the bubbly from Canada.
If you want a sparkling red wine, consider SummerHill’s Cipes Blanc de Noir. A great pair for an all white wine evening would be Meyer Family Vineyard’s Old Main Road Vineyard Micro Cuvee Chardonnay. When thinking about sparkling wines, most people do think chardonnay, but this is most definitely not the only option. For example, Pillitteri’s Riesling Sparkling Icewine is a fun, flavorful Canadian sparkling wine.
Don’t Forget the Rose
Some connoisseurs feel that rose wines aren’t as good of an option as choosing red or white. Simply put, rose wines are seen as less sophisticated in some circles. On the other hand, they are becoming more popular; this is most likely due to the great flavor profiles that rose wines can achieve. Many rose wines are made by combining both red and white.
Others have the rose color because of the grapes that are used. In most cases, rose wines are a little sweeter than their counterparts. Finding a great Canadian rose is much easier than it used to be. Stratus’ Wildass Rose is a delicious choice for those seeking out a rose with their dinner.
Finding a Great Wine
When putting together a sophisticated meal, you want to consider all aspects of your meal as a whole. This includes your wine choices for each course. If you choose the wrong wine, it can reflect poorly on the whole meal. Because of this, many people find that choosing wine is not as easy as they thought.
You can check online to find the ratings of any type of wine you are interested in. Many times, there are also ratings, pairing options, and even body profiles with wines when you go to purchase them. If you still aren’t sure which wine to pair with your meal, another option is to talk to those you are dining with.
Though you may be new to the finer points of wine, those you plan to cook for may not be. In fact, they may have a type or flavor profile that they specifically like. If this is the case, it is always a good idea to go with what others have tried and like.