Food and Wine Matching

Much is made of the pairing of food with wine these days and of course in the end it all comes down personal tastes and preferences, but if one considers regional foods and the wines of the same area they generally work well together. Is this coincidence, could it be to do with the terroir the food and wine both derive from or was either the food or the wine developed to match the other?

There are general rules such as white with fish and red with meat, but much more relevant as a guide is the suggestion that if the food is light, the wine should also be light and if the food is rich and heavy it will require a wine of equal richness and structure.

These ideas should be used very much as a guide and a springboard to encourage experimentation with wines and dishes to suit your own personal predilection.