Aug 20, 2024

What food pairs with Icewine?

Written by VJ Gandhi, Kascadia Wine Merchants

Icewine is a truly unique and captivating wine style, with its intense sweetness, concentrated flavors, and lively acidity. Ultimately, the key to pairing icewine successfully lies in finding flavors that can stand up to its bold and complex character, while also creating a harmonious balance that allows both the wine and the food to be elevated to new heights

Cheese makes an excellent partner for icewine, as the wine's sweetness and acidity can help to balance and enhance the bold, savory flavors of certain cheese varieties. Strong, pungent cheeses like creamy blue cheese or aged, sharp cheddars and parmesan are ideal, as their robust flavors can hold their own against the intensity of the icewine. Milder cheese varieties, on the other hand, would simply be overpowered and disappear into the background. The interplay of the wine's sweetness and the cheese's saltiness and creaminess creates a truly delightful synergy on the palate.

Spicy dishes from cuisines like Mexican, Indian, or Thai also make wonderful pairings with icewine. The wine's natural sweetness acts as a foil to the heat and spice, creating a harmonious balance that allows both the food and the wine to shine. Meanwhile, salty foods such as olives, capers, pizza, sausages, and tacos can enhance the flavors of both the icewine and the dish, with the acidity of the wine cutting through the richness of the salty ingredients. Sausages, lamb, and pork also pair beautifully with icewine, as the wine's bright acidity helps to cleanse the palate and prevent the richness from becoming overwhelming.

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Lastly, it may seem odd to pair sweet desserts with a sweet wine, but it works wonderfully if the dessert is slightly less sweet than the wine to preserve the sweetness contrast.