Top 5 wine pairings

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Nothing brings people together like good food & wine

We believe that every part food should be appreciated. From cutting vegetables to sitting down and eating, every part makes the experience of living more special. Our senses are a gift, let’s enjoy the aromas, the sounds of vegetables cooking. Wines helps add a little more love in every dish you create. Because every meal is an opportunity to fall in love.

Now for the fun part... Wine picking

Each ZestyKits wine are hand picked based on these principles:


⦁ Availability: Available at most SLGA
⦁ Affordability: priced under $25 at the SLGA
⦁ Flavour profile: Flavour of wine goes well with the dish
⦁ Support local: Include Canadian and Saskatchewan wine

5 characteristics of wine

Wine is defined by 5 characteristic: sweetness, acidity, tannin, alcohol, and body

Sweetness

A wine is sweet when there is more sugar in the grapes than needed for alcohol to ferment. This is called residual sugar. Wine sweetness is measured in a range of bone-dry, the unsweet wine, to very sweet, the sweetest wine you’ll ever have.

Sweetness of wine is also affected by the level of acidity. When wine is less acid, it taste sweeter. The dryer a wine is, the less calories it has.

Acidity

The acidity of wine comes from the grapes and gives it the sour flavor. Grapes loses their acidity as they ripen, and therefore wine that is made in a cooler climate has higher acidity.

Tannin

Tannin is found in the skin of the grapes and in the new wooden barrels. It is only found in red wine because the skin is removed for white wines. Tannin is the texture of the wine. You’ll recognise a wine with high tannin by the dry and pucker sensation it leaves on your tongue. High tannin wines are great to serve with food because it is palate cleansers to rich, fatty meats; cheeses; and pasta dishes.

Alcohol

Wine is made when the yeast converts the sugar of grapes into ethanol. Alcohol plays an important role in the transfer of the wines aroma. You can measure the alcohol in wine in a reach from low, less than 10% alcohol, to high, over 15% alcohol.

Body

The body of wine is shaped by the sweetness, acidity, tannin & alcohol level. When you talk about the body, you are talking about how bold or light the wine is.
A wine is lighter when it is more acid, low alcohol, less tannin and less sweet. A wine that is bold will have less acidity, higher alcohol, more tannin and is sweeter.

ZestyKits Top 5 Wines

1. Living Sky Winery Rhubarb

Wine description

  • Region: Saskatchewan, Perdue
  • Colour: White
  • Price: $23.30
  • Alcohol: 12.7%

Wine flavour: Fruit Wine

  • Body: Average
  • Acidity: Low
  • Sweetness: Sweet
  • Alcohol: Medium
  • Serve: Cold
  • Description: Mellow earthy rhubarb with a delightfully light, lemony touch.

Pairings

Meats

  • Poultry
  • Fish
  • Seafood
  • Pork

Herbs & Spices

  • Sage
  • Rosemary
  • Fir
  • Lavender
  • Bay leaf
  • Ginger
  • Galangal
  • Green cardamom
  • Turmeric
  • Paprika
  • Vanilla
  • Fenurgreek
  • Anise

Fruits & Vegetables

  • Blueberries
  • Strawberries
  • Raspberries
  • Peach
  • Apple
  • Corn
  • Mushroom
  • figs

Desserts

  • Rhubard pie
  • Angel cake
  • Chocolate
  • Chocolate cake

Cheeses

  • Mascarpone
  • Crème fraiche
  • Mascarpone
  • Blue des basques brebis
  • Blue de sassenage
  • Cashel blue
  • Fourme d’amabert

2. Pelee Island Gewurztraminer

Wine description

  • Region: Ontario, Kingsville
  • Colour: White
  • Price: $12.99
  • Alcohol: 12.5%

Wine flavour: Aromatic White

  • Body: Average
  • Acidity: Low
  • Sweetness: Medium dry
  • Alcohol: Medium
  • Serve: Cold
  • Description: Pale straw/yellow colour; floral, ripe peach, honey and lychee fruit aromas; off-dry, light to medium bodied, softly structured with balanced acidity, flavours of honeysuckle, rose water, pear, citrus and lychee; hints of spice on the finish.

Aromatic white wines include these varieties

  • Chenin blanc
  • Gewurztraminer
  • Muscat blanc
  • Riesling
  • Torrontes

Aromatic white wines have highly perfumed and sweet-fruit aromas but can range from dry to sweet in taste. They are ideal pairing with Asian and Indian cuisine because they match so well with sweet-and-sour flavors and quench spicy sauces.

This wine pairs well with: spicy cuisines, Indian, Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese cuisine.

Pairings

Meats

  • Poultry
  • Pork
  • Bacon
  • Shrimp
  • Crab
  • Lobster

Herbs & Spices

  • Cumin
  • Coriander
  • Bay leaf
  • Lime leaf
  • Almonds
  • Sesame
  • Soy sauce
  • Turmeric
  • Allspice
  • Cinnamon
  • Clover
  • Ginger
  • Cayenne

Fruits & Vegetables

  • Shallot
  • Scallion
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Bell pepper
  • Eggplant
  • Tomato
  • Butternut
  • Pumpkin
  • Turnip
  • Carrot
  • Squash
  • Artichokes
  • Eggplant
  • Bell pepper
  • Red onion
  • Coconut

Desserts

  • pumpkin pie
  • Sweet potato pie
  • Baklava
  • Pastries
  • Apple crumble
  • Cinamon cake

Cheeses

  • Boursin
  • Goat Cheese
  • Pecorino romano
  • Swiss Cheese
  • Wensleydale
  • Tumalo tome
  • Robiola
  • Muenster
  • Durrus
  • Alpine shepard
  • Ardrahan

3. Cono Sur Bicicleta Pinot Noir Rose

Wine description

  • Region: Chile, Pirque
  • Colour: Rose
  • Price: $11.22
  • Alcohol: 13%

Wine flavour: Rose

  • Body: Average
  • Acidity: Average
  • Sweetness: Sweet
  • Alcohol: Medium
  • Serve: Cold
  • Description: Pale salmon colour; pomegranate and cranberry nose with light floral notes; juicy, sweet cherry flavours followed with a fresh finish.

Rosé wine is produced when red grape skins macerate in their juices for period of time. Rosé is produced in every major country and is made of nearly every grape variety, both red and white. Rosé wines range in taste from dry to sweet.

Meats

  • Poultry
  • Game meat
  • Seafood
  • Salmon
  • Shrimp
  • Lobster
  • Bacon
  • Prosciutto
  • Lamb
  • Pork
  • Beef

Herbs & Spices

  • Truffle
  • Ancho pepper
  • Cayenne
  • Paprika
  • Bay leaf
  • Lavender
  • Fir
  • Rosemary
  • Sage
  • Chervil
  • Caraway
  • Cilantro
  • Mint
  • Basil

Fruits & Vegetables

  • Bell pepper
  • Eggplant
  • Butternut
  • Pumpkin
  • Turnip
  • Carrot
  • Squash
  • Strawberries
  • Dried fruits
  • Mushrooms
  • Onion
  • Leek
  • Chive
  • Shallot
  • Tomato
  • garlic

Desserts

  • creme brulee
  • white chocolate
  • shortbread
  • fruit pudding
  • chocolate cake
  • dark chocolate truffle
  • strawberry cheesecake
  • fruit tarts
  • Madeleines

Cheeses

  • Cheddar
  • Gruyere
  • Gouda
  • Edam
  • Goat Cheese
  • Berkswell
  • Epoisses
  • Comte
  • Inverness
  • Lancashire
  • Saint andre
  • Port salut

4. Heritage Road Bloodstone Shiraz

Heritage Road Bloodstone Shiraz is a Saskatchewan favourite wine. Read more about it here.

Wine description

  • Region: Australia
  • Colour: Red
  • Price: $14.49
  • Alcohol: 12%

Wine flavour: Full-bodied red

  • Body: Full
  • Tannin: Light
  • Acidity: Average
  • Sweetness: Dry
  • Alcohol: Medium-high
  • Serve: Room temperature
  • Description: A cherry and raspberry fruitiness with a hint of spicy shiraz combined with light tannins.

Full-bodied red wines include these varieties

  • Aglianico
  • Bordeaux blend
  • Cabernet sauvignon
  • Malbec
  • Mourvedre
  • Nebbiolo
  • Negro d’avola
  • Petit verdot
  • Petite sirah
  • Pinotage
  • Syrah
  • Tempranillo
  • Touriga nacional

Full-bodied red wines typically have high tannin, opaque ruby color from high anthocyanin content, and rich fruit flavors. Wines that are bold such as these can be enjoyed on their own or with equally bold-flavored foods.

This wine pairs well with: South american, Eastern European, German and Mexican cuisine.

Meats

  • Beef
  • Venison
  • Charcuterie
  • Tuna
  • Bacon
  • Lamb

Herbs & Spices

  • Vanilla
  • Nutmeg
  • Allspice
  • Clove
  • Cinamon
  • Cumin
  • 5-spice
  • Saffron
  • Ginger
  • Tumeric
  • Anise
  • Chili
  • Chipotle
  • Thyme
  • Sage
  • Marjoram
  • Oregano
  • Lavender
  • Juniper
  • Rosemary

Fruits & Vegetables

  • Currants
  • Tomato
  • Beet
  • Chanterelle
  • Eggplant
  • Bell pepper
  • Onion
  • Chive
  • Shallot
  • garlic

Desserts

  • coffee-based dessert
  • rhubarb pie
  • Black forest cake
  • Cherry pie

Cheeses

  • Gouda
  • Edam
  • Cheddar
  • St. nectaire

5. Buried Hope Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine description

  • Region: California
  • Colour: Red
  • Price: $15.47
  • Alcohol: 14.5%

Wine flavour: Full-bodied red

  • Body: Full
  • Tannin: Astringent
  • Acidity: Average
  • Sweetness:Very Dry
  • Alcohol: Medium-high
  • Serve: Room temperature
  • Description:Deep garnet colour; intense aromas and flavours of cassis, blackberry fruit, oak, chocolate and vanilla; ripe, soft and juicy on the palate.

Full-bodied red wines include these varieties

  • Aglianico
  • Bordeaux blend
  • Cabernet sauvignon
  • Malbec
  • Mourvedre
  • Nebbiolo
  • Negro d’avola
  • Petit verdot
  • Petite sirah
  • Pinotage
  • Syrah
  • Tempranillo
  • Touriga nacional

Full-bodied red wines typically have high tannin, opaque ruby color from high anthocyanin content, and rich fruit flavors. Wines that are bold such as these can be enjoyed on their own or with equally bold-flavored foods.

Meats

  • Beef
  • Venison
  • Charcuterie
  • Tuna
  • Bacon
  • Lamb

Herbs & Spices

  • Vanilla
  • Nutmeg
  • Allspice
  • Clove
  • Cinamon
  • Cumin
  • 5-spice
  • Saffron
  • Ginger
  • Tumeric
  • Anise
  • Chili
  • Chipotle
  • Thyme
  • Sage
  • Marjoram
  • Oregano
  • Lavender
  • Juniper
  • Rosemary

Fruits & Vegetables

  • Black cherries
  • Broccoli
  • Shallot
  • Tomato
  • Crimini
  • Chanterelle
  • Bell pepper
  • Onion
  • garlic

Desserts

  • Chocolate chip cookie
  • Bitter chocolate
  • Hazelnut cheesecake
  • dark chocolate & raspberry cake
  • Blackberry sorbet
  • Blueberry pie
  • Chocolate cake

Cheeses

  • Cheddar
  • Gouda
  • Compte
  • Tome de couserans
  • San andreas
  • Reblochon
  • Ouray
  • Le moulis
  • Danish blue
  • Chalosse
  • Bra tenero
  • Abbaye de belloc
  • Ardrahan