Discover Delightful Combinations of Flavours with Wine Dining

A nice dinner isn’t complete without a bottle of wine, but did you know that you can have a multi-course meal with a number of wines that perfectly complement every flavour? This way of enjoying food and wine together is known as wine dining, and you can either find it in restaurants or host your own. Read on to learn more about the ideal wine dinner.

What is wine dining? 

Wine dining is a special dinner that pairs multiple courses with a different type of wine, from starters to desserts. This allows guests to enjoy every dish and wine slowly and appreciate the combination of flavours. For food and beverage enthusiasts, this is a great way to explore a wider variety of wines together with unique menus. These dinners usually last longer, letting the conversation and drinks flow.

Stages of wine dining

Wine dinners commonly consist of three to six courses. It typically starts with lighter food like hors d’oeuvres paired with a light wine. The dish and wine become bolder in intensity as the meals progress. A six-course dinner usually goes as follows:

Course 1: Hors d’oeuvres 

To start, light hors d’oeuvres are usually served with equally light wines. Bright and acidic wines served cold work perfectly for starters, as the acid triggers the stomach’s gustatory juices and prepares it for the meal ahead. Ideally, appetizers are served with a dry sparkling wine that is only slightly sweet.

Course 2: Soup

Next comes soup, which is typically paired with a chilled white wine. This wine goes well with something rich and creamy like a mushroom soup or a lobster bisque.

Course 3: Fried appetizers

To increase the intensity of the wine, the third course is usually a fried appetizer that presents a nice and hot crunch. This kind of dish is best paired with a full-bodied white wine, a light-bodied red wine, or even rosé for that nice in-between.

Course 4: Salad

A salad is the perfect way to cleanse the palate before the main course. The wine is paired with the salad’s dressing instead of the salad’s greens in order to complement a wider range of flavours. Often, salads are paired with a light-bodied red, rosé, or even orange wine.

Course 5: Mains

The varieties are endless when it comes to main courses. Unless the main entrée is fish, many will opt to pair this course with a full-bodied white or red wine. Meanwhile, if it is fish or seafood, the wine may be much lighter in intensity.

Course 6: Dessert

Finally, desserts are also paired with a rich dessert wine to complement the final dish. Chocolate desserts will go well with full-bodied fortified wines like Port, while a berries and cream dessert will benefit from a sparkling Moscato.

Hosting the perfect wine dinner

Wine dinners can be as versatile as you want it to be. You can host one at home or utilize the private room in a restaurant for a more exclusive feeling. However you intend to run it, here are some tips to host a memorable wine dining experience.

Set the table

For an elevated experience, use a formal dinner setting with nice dinnerware, centrepieces, and decorative napkins. Be sure to also set out the appropriate wine glasses according to the wines you’re going to serve.

Create a warm ambiance

Lighting, décor, and music will make or break your wine dining experience. Having a mood board can greatly help you achieve the desired vibe for your dinner. Do you opt for candles or just dim lighting? What genre of music should be playing? Will the space be understated or over the top? These are just some things to consider.

Master your pairings

The key to a successful wine dinner is achieving the delicate balance of flavours between the food and wine in each course. You can start by deciding on the bottles of wine you want to serve and then finding dishes that would go well with them. Conversely, if you already have food items in mind, what’s left to do is to find the wines to match.

Remember, you can pair to complement flavours or to contrast them, so feel free to play around with different matches. You may discover pairings that can delight your guests!

Wine dining with Indonesian food

With its unique blend of spices and wide range of flavour profiles, Indonesian cuisine is a top contender for wine dinners. Dishes from all around the country bring every taste and texture, from sweet and soft to tangy and crunchy, making them great pairs for various wines.

If you’re looking to experience wine dining with Indonesian food, look no further than Merah Putih Bali. This luxury Indonesian restaurant offers a four-course tasting menu paired with delicious wines from around the world.

Begin the night with a choice of yellowfin tuna, scallops, or a chicken dumpling soup cooked Indonesian style and paired with Albaluna Prosecco Extra Dry from Italy.

Then, an appetizer of either beef rendang steamed bun, chargrilled tiger prawns, or grilled duck satay with a Californian Round Hill Chardonnay.

For mains, enjoy a rich Sumatran beef curry with fragrant coconut rice and sambal, served with a full-bodied Finca Las Moras Malbec from Argentina.

Finally, choose between a starfruit sorbet with raspberry granita or a coconut and pandan sponge cake for dessert. The final course is paired with a wonderful Thomas Barton Reserve Sauternes from France.

Don’t miss out on this sophisticated gourmet experience. Book a table today and enjoy exclusive gift vouchers for your meal.

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