Here are some principles to help bring your food and wine into better balance.

There are five primary taste sensations present in every food: salty, sweet, sour, bitter and savory. Each affects how a wine - red or white - is perceived on the palate.

 Wine has four primary components: alcohol, acid, sugar and tannin.
 Alcohol adds aromas and a slightly sweet taste to the wine, as well as body, making the wine feel richer.
 Acid in wine provides tartness and structure, and complements and dissolves the salt, oil and fat in food.
 While sugar is present in grapes before fermentation, most wines are fermented to "dry," removing all perceptible sugar from the wine.
 Tannin is the astringent sensation found in red wines.

When food and wine are consumed together, these principles interact.
 Foods that have a prominent salty, sour or bitter taste will make a wine seem sweeter and less tannic.
 Foods with prominent sweet or savory tastes will make a wine seem more tannic, less sweet and more acidic.

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