White Wine vs. Meat - All you need to know

Of course, the meat main courses are usually matched to red wines, because of their structure, fat component e aromaticity. However we should underline that they can easily be matched to white wines as well, but we have some rules to follow when it comes about white wine and food pairing.

Meat can be used in many recipes, from boiled and braised meats to grilled meats as well as raw carpaccios, such as in case of tartare, and of course the taste-olfactory persistence of these dishes is not necessarily exalted with a glass of red wine.

With the way meat is cooked and together with the type of cut also the wines capable of enhancing its taste vary.

In particular in the matching of the simplest dishes, opting for white wines having personality can enrich the taste and add character to the dish.

Before understanding which white wines are capable to be matched to meat, we should learn to know better the fundamental rules for tasting meat with wine, according to color and cooking.

Meat to be matched to wine is distinguished by its color, which can be white, red or dark, according to the quantity of hemoglobin contained in the animal it comes from.

For example when it comes about rabbit this type of meat is classified, for example, among white meats, whereas cattle and pigs are classified as red meats. Remember always that when it comes about wild board it is totally a different world.

As a general rule, white wines are better matched to white meat, whereas red wines, because of their complexity and body, are preferably tasted with meats having a stronger taste and dishes having a fuller body.

Anyway, this is not a universal rule

White meats, such as chicken and rabbit, differ for their delicate taste and tenderness and for this reason they are best tasted with white wines capable of exalting their simplicity, in particular in case they are cooked with grill.

Among red meats, young bovines such as veal and calf are characterized by the high content of water which makes them particularly tender, whereas beef and adult bovines are characterized by darker and less tender meats, therefore they cannot be tasted with white wines.

Also the type of cooking strongly influences the choice of wine as it can vary the succulence and tenderness of meat, in particular when it is raw or cooked rare.

Here are the main options to be considered in order to match meat and wine in the right way:

Raw meat, such as beef tartare and carpaccio, are characterized by an acid tendency and by a strong aromaticity, which can be matched with fragrant white wines having a good complexity.

Grilling is a cooking process which gives meat a characteristic juiciness or succulence, which requires a red wine with good tannins capable of drying the palate.

The fatness of meat such as grilled pork requires, instead, a higher effervescence, such as the one of bubbles or a red wine capable of cleaning the palate from greasiness.

Leaner cuts of pork, instead, can be perfectly matched to a white wine of good finesse and freshness, with a slightly acidic taste and high aromaticity.