Wine Pairing + Mixology: Here's Everything You Need To Know

There are many kinds of wine—pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, merlot—but at the very heart of the wide selection is a simple binary: Red or white?

The main difference between the two is how they’re made. Red wines are made from the juices of pressed dark grapes and fermented with the remains of the grapes. White wines, meanwhile, are made from the fermented juices of pressed grapes, as the remnants of these grapes are removed.

That being said, if you're looking for a nice wine buzz, any good wine—red or white—will get you there.

The pickiness of wine

To fully draw the relish from any wine requires the appropriate culinary partner. Red wines tend to be on the less acidic side of alcohol and so they go better with less salty, less spicy food. Cabernet Sauvignon—the most popular of the red wine varieties—goes well with Bresaola, a cured beef fillet. The two make for a refined, elegant pair.

White wines, on the other hand, are more acidic and have fruitier, zestier flavors, making them easier to pair with a greater variety of delicatessen. Riesling’s natural acidity complements fattier meats, like Riesling and Prosciutto ham. Together, they make a joyful and energetic duo.

Inventive intoxication

As lovely as properly paired wine is, it can sometimes be a little too classic. So for something with a lot more bite and dynamism, one should turn to mixology.

Mixology as a culinary discipline is rooted primarily in a powerful drive for innovation. Mixologists are always on the lookout for new flavors and ingredients to give their cocktails immediate modernity. If you ever find a cocktail you’ve never heard of on the menu at a nice bar, chances are a mixologist dreamed it up.

The Beer, Bourbon, and Barbeque Cocktail is an example of what mixology has to offer. The drink features bourbon whiskey, watered down barbeque sauce and some orange juice, shaken forcefully and strained into a cocktail glass.

That’s not to say that mixology disregards the rich and storied history of tending bar. But it compulsively strives to re-contextualize it by twisting it up with avant-garde techniques and a previously unimagined variety of edible elements.

Globe Postpaid hosted a series of events that celebrate wine pairing and mixology, as well as beer pairing, coffee shop entrepreneurship, and wellness at Fete de la Musique 2019.

These afternoon sessions —“How to Open a Café” at Commune Café + Bar, "Beer and Chow Pairing" at 2020, "Cocktails 101" by RRR Mixologists and Chivas Regal at Run Rabbit Run, "Wellness Afternoon" at Gallery in the Gutter, and "Wine Pairing & 5 Course Degustation" at Dr. Wine—were enjoyed exclusively by Globe Postpaid subscribers.

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