Food and Wine coupling

A tasteful meal and a fine wine are a match made in heaven. Even the best of meals, devoid of a company of a first-class wine, or even worse, paired with a wrong wine, looses so much of its quality. Even the most luxurious tables look poor enough without a fine bottle of wine. If a delightful first-rate wine is served at the wrong moment, both wine and meal are at a loss, and even the best of meals can easily go unnoticed. It is therefore extremely important to compliment every meal with a proper wine, so the combination of the two can bring out the best in both food and wine.

When pairing wine and food, there are a few general rules to follow:
• Light dishes pair well with light wines
• Heavy dishes pair nicely with strong wines
• Sour dishes pair nicely with sour young wines
• White meats and boiled fish pair well with white wines
• Crabs and shellfish match beautifully with neutral white wines
• Dark meat dishes, game and fried fish make a perfect match with red wines
• Sweet desserts pair nicely with dessert wines or sparkling wines
• Coffee pairs well with liqueurs, wine brandies and the like

When the meal has several courses, white wines should be served first, followed by the rosé or "blush" wines, and only then comes the red wine.

As a general rule of the thumb, young wines should be served before the ripe and aged ones. The wines with less developed bouquet should be served before those with pronounced bouquet and aroma.

True character of any wine will be revealed only if the wine is served properly chilled, that is warmed.

Bleeding Heart Vineyards

From Mendoza, 1080 meters above sea level. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 Malbec, 10% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot. 18 months in new French oak.

Smooth, velvety finish. A great wine for big Argentine steaks!