不管是酒配餐還是餐配酒，味蕾平衡最重要

不管是酒配餐還是餐配酒，味蕾平衡最重要

Whether it is wine pairing food or on the contrary, the balance of taste buds is the most important one.

葡萄酒是西式美食的好夥伴，一杯適當的美酒，能使一道普通的料理昇華成美味十足的佳餚。餐酒的「搭配」英文是marriage，也就是「婚姻」的意思，而關於餐酒的搭配也有各種說法。的確，葡萄酒與料理擁有千變萬化的組合，正如同上演著成千上萬種婚姻場景。配得好，兩者相輔相成，襯托彼此的風味和香醇，是再好不過的美談佳話！因此，無論是餐配酒，還是酒配餐，懂得一些基本的match方式，料理和美酒不但各自加分，而且能讓一加一大於二，全局Hold住你的饗宴！

Wine is a fantastic partner for western cuisine. A proper glass of wine can elevate an ordinary dish into a delicious one. The "matching" of food and wine is marriage in English, which means "matrimony", and there are various theories about the matching style. Indeed, wine and cuisine have the myriads of changing combinations, just as thousands of marriage scenarios are staged. Pairing the food and wine suitable can become a splendid tale that could make the two complement each other and set off their flavor and mellowness. Therefore, whether it is the wine pairing the dishes or the opposite, knowing some basic matching methods can not only add flavors to the meal but can make one plus one greater than two, which leads the feast more delicacy than before.

搞定宴席三幕劇，餐前餐後飲酒大不同

Knowing the three different ways of drinking before and after meals.

談餐酒怎麼搭配之前，先來說說喝葡萄酒的順序吧。葡萄酒百百種，要從哪些酒開始喝，才能符合餐酒禮儀又不失料理風味呢？原則上，先喝白酒再喝紅酒；先喝淡酒再喝烈酒；先喝不甜的酒再喝甜酒；先喝年份較新的酒再喝陳年老酒。為什麼呢？甜酒和較濃烈的酒雖然香氣誘人，但也會影響味覺和嗅覺，一開始就養大了胃口，讓開場的清淡料理食之無味，豈不是浪費了美食嗎？所以，「先淡後濃」是很基本的餐酒法則。

Before illustrating how to match the wine and food, let's talk about the order of drinking wine. There are hundreds of styles of wine, and which should start with can best correspond to the etiquette of dining without missing the unique flavor? In principle, drink white wine first and then red wine; drink light wine first and then strong one; drink the unsweetened first and then the sweet; drink the newer first and then the old. This comes to the reason that although sweet wines and stronger wines have attractive aromas, they can somehow affect people`s sense of taste and smell. It brings blandness to the later wines when drinking the strong one first. Isn`t it a waste of those incredible treasures? Consequently, "first light and then strong" plays a significant basic role in table wine.

而依據用餐的順序，葡萄酒大致上分為三類：餐前酒、佐餐酒和餐後酒，原則上也遵循淡酒搭配清淡料理；濃烈的酒搭配重口味料理；甜酒則搭配甜食等不成文規定。

According to the order of meals, wines are roughly divided into three categories: pre-dinner wine, table wine, and after-dinner wine. There is also an unwritten rule that sweet wines usually go with deserts.

餐前酒又稱「開胃酒」，具有促進食慾的功能，一般會搭配暖場的小吃或冷盤一併享用。一杯香檳（Champagne）氣泡酒，或是清爽口味、酸度適中的白酒，就非常適合作為餐前酒飲用。

Pre-dinner wine, also known as "aperitif", has the function of stimulating appetite and is usually enjoyed with warm-up snacks or cold dishes. For instance, a glass of Champagne sparkling wine or a refreshing white wine with moderate acidity is perfect as an aperitif.

佐餐酒，一般遵循「紅肉配紅酒，白肉配白酒」的原則，例如海鮮類或是雞肉，為了不讓餐或酒掩蓋住彼此的風味，會選擇較不甜的乾式白葡萄酒；除了食材本身，烹飪方式也須納入考量，如果是經過燒烤或是燉煮處理等口味較重的海鮮，就佐以清淡型的紅酒或是過桶的白葡萄酒，這兩種酒的濃淡和香氣適中，過桶的白酒擁有層次豐富的香氣，進而產生香草、煙燻和焦糖等風味，適合搭配重口味的海鮮料理；而牛羊豬等紅肉，各式的紅酒是它們最佳的夥伴。

Table wines generally follow the principle of "red meat with red wine, and white meat with white wine". For example, in order not to let the dish or wine cover up the flavor of each other, it is common to choose less sweet dry white wine with seafood or chicken. Except for the ingredient itself, the ways of cooking must be taken into consideration as well. When it comes to the grilled or stewed seafood with a heavier taste, it should be accompanied by light red wine or barrel-aged white wine, which have moderate intensity and aroma. The white wine in the barrel is multilevel, which then produces flavors such as vanilla, smoke, and caramel. These are suitable for pairing with heavy-taste seafood dishes. As for red meat such as beef, mutton, and pork, can best match with red wine.

至於餐後酒的部分，記得要「甜甜相搭」，晚收（晚摘）酒因為製程中的風乾、水分蒸發或排除等程序，留有較高濃度的糖分，基本上都是屬於較甜的酒，包含德國的甜雷斯令（Riesling，又稱「麗絲玲」）、貴腐甜白酒（德語：Trockenbeerenauslese，簡稱「貴腐酒」），以及德國、奧地利和加拿大的冰酒等等，都是相當適合的餐後酒。

In regard to after-dinner wine, remember to "match the sweetness". The late harvest wine has a higher concentration of sugar due to the air-drying, water evaporation, or elimination in the production process, which is basically a relatively high concentration of sugar. Sweet wine, including German sweet Riesling, noble rot sweet liquor (Known as Trockenbeerenauslese in German), as well as ice wine from Austria, German, Canada, etc, are an excellent choice for after-dinner drinks.

燙手山芋怎麼搭？教你幾招來靈機應變

What to do when it comes to the tricky one? Here are some flexible solutions that can help.

上述都是一些基本款、好應付的情況，有時遇到了較棘手的「僵局」，就連專家也頭疼。例如麻辣鍋，它適不適合「迎娶」葡萄酒呢？答案是：視情況而定。好像很敷衍，但實際確實如此。一般而言，酒精會提高麻辣鍋的辛辣度，使得口中的灼熱感更加強烈，大概只有嗜辣如命的人敢這麼做。但如果是夠冰、夠甜的葡萄酒，也是一種不錯的選擇！甜度有緩解辣度的作用，葡萄酒的酸味也能去除油膩的口感，冰涼感更不用說，是最能解辣的法寶，而且還能為燙口的麻辣鍋帶來另一種滋味的享受。

The above are some basic and simple situations, but sometimes we can encounter a more difficult "deadlock", even experts cannot deal with it in a smooth way. For instance, spicy hotpot, is it suitable for going with wine? The answer turns out that it depends on the situation encountered. It might seem to be perfunctory, but it's actually true. Generally speaking, alcohol can increase the spiciness of the food, making the burning sensation in the mouth more intense. Probably only the ones who are addicted to spicy have the bravery to do so. But when it matches with a wine with enough ice and sweetness, the sourness help remove the greasy taste, and the sweet has the effect of relieving the spiciness, so it somehow could be a good choice.

凡事都有例外。中餐能不能搭葡萄酒呢？帶有一定酸度的白葡萄酒，例如法國阿爾薩斯（Alsace）的雷斯令，就是各式中國菜最溫柔婉約的新娘；辣味的中式料理，以剛才提到的冰甜葡萄酒來試試看吧，說不定很速配呢；魚肉一定得配白酒？輕盈酒體且帶有濃郁果香的佳美（Gamay）紅葡萄酒，可以營造另一種浪漫多彩的餐酒婚姻。

There are always exceptions to things. Can Chinese dishes go with wine? White wines with a certain degree of acidity, such as Reisling from Alsace, France, are the most gentle and graceful ones for it. As for the spicy Chinese dishes, the ice-sweet wine that was just mentioned should be on the list for sure. And must fish be paired with white wine? Light-bodied and fruity Gamay red wines can create the most romantic and colorful flavor for it.

誰說白酒才能配海鮮？這幾款紅酒也很適合！

Who says white wine is the only option for pairing with seafood? These red wines are also excellent choices!

By Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

我們都說「白酒配白肉」，但這並不是絕對的。如果想要以紅葡萄酒搭配海鮮，可以選擇一些相對較輕盈或柔和的紅葡萄酒品種，可能更適合與某些海鮮菜餚搭配：

We often say "white wine with white meat," but this is not an absolute rule. If you want to pair red wine with seafood, you can choose relatively lighter or milder red grape varietals that may be more suitable for certain seafood dishes:

1. 風味較輕的紅葡萄酒：

選擇風味較輕的紅葡萄酒，例如低單寧和較高酸度的紅酒。像是黑皮諾（Pinot Noir）和佳美（Gamay）。

1. Light-bodied red wines:

Select red wines with lighter flavors, such as those with low tannins and higher acidity. Examples include Pinot Noir and Gamay.

2. 義大利葡萄酒：

一些義大利紅葡萄酒因其輕盈和柔和的特點，可能較適合搭配某些海鮮。例如，一些散發出明亮紅果和鮮花香氣的多爾切托（Dolcetto）或巴貝拉（Barbera）可能是不錯的選擇。

2. Italian wines:

Some Italian red wines, with their light and mild characteristics, may be suitable for pairing with certain seafood. For instance, Dolcetto or Barbera, which offer bright red fruit and floral aromas, could be good choices.

3. 較冷涼氣候產區的紅葡萄酒：

來自較冷涼氣候的產區所產的紅葡萄酒，通常擁有較高的酸度和較低的單寧，更能與海鮮搭配。例如，德國的輕身黑皮諾（Spätburgunder）或奧地利的茲維格特（Zweigelt）。

3. Red wines from cooler climate regions:

Red wines produced in cooler climate regions typically have higher acidity and lower tannins, making them more compatible with seafood. For example, lighter-bodied Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) from Germany or Zweigelt from Austria.

紅葡萄酒搭配海鮮的選擇因個人口味和偏好而異。最佳的搭配方式是根據海鮮菜餚的特點和個人的喜好來進行選擇。

The choice of pairing red wine with seafood varies depending on personal taste and preferences. The best approach is to select based on the characteristics of the seafood dish and your personal preferences.

省去繁文縟節，走出自由的婚姻之路

Leave behind the prolix style and hackneyed rites and walk confidently to the path of unimpeded marriage.

不想被眾多教條束縛，喜歡享受自由配的你，鎖定清爽風格的幾款葡萄酒隨時備著，雖不是最速配的佳偶，但也能八九不離十。帶有一定甜味和冰涼感的白酒，幾乎是最百搭的大眾款，可以是異國料理的好麻吉，即使單獨品飲也能一枝獨秀；酒體清爽的紅葡萄酒，像是以佳美或是卡本內弗朗（Cabernet Franc，又稱「品麗珠」）為主的酒款，以及桃紅葡萄酒，多數海鮮也都能與她們相處融洽；最能創造浪漫氣氛的冰鎮香檳酒更是不能遺漏，在一場宴席中她可不是冰山美人，而是從頭到尾都能扮演好新娘的角色，所有料理靠她也能獨撐全場！

For people who don't want to be bound by lots of dogmas and love to enjoy liberty, several wines with a refreshing style are always on hand. Although they might not be the most speed-matching couples, they can still be inseparable. Liquor with a certain sweetness and coolness is almost the most versatile popular style. It is wonderful for exotic dishes and can stand out even alone. Red wine with a refreshing body, such as Gamay or Caramel Cabernet Franc, as well as rosé wines, can also get along well with seafood. The chilled champagne that can create the most romantic atmosphere shall not be missed. It is not like icy beauty at a party but can pleasantly play the role of the bride from beginning to end, and also elevate the feasts.

從結識、戀愛到走向婚姻，或許有一定的模式，餐酒的搭配經過千百年的琢磨，也發展出一條慣性之路讓人有跡可循。但在這個講究自由戀愛的時代，只要我喜歡有什麼不可以？挑選一款屬於自己品味的葡萄酒，只要覺得順飲適口，搭起喜愛的食物也毫無隔閡，也能是一場最完美的婚姻場景。

There may be a certain pattern between acquainting, falling in love, and getting married. Same as the matching of food and wine, after thousands of years of pondering, it has also developed a path of inertia for people to follow. In the generation of the freedom to select love, nothing can be stopped as long as people choose what they love. Picking a wine that belongs to your own taste that makes you feel comfortable, there is no barrier between seeking your favorite food, and it can also be the most perfect marriage scene.