When it comes to the task of pairing vegetables with wine, an award-winning sommelier and wine writer is up to the challenge.
“A lot of us are eating a lot more than meat these days and even if you haven’t gone completely vegetarian the move towards more healthy eating means there is a lot more greenery on our plates,” says Natalie MacLean of Ottawa. Full-bodied red wines “must be avoided” because they contain tannins, she explains. These are the natural substance from the stems, skins and seeds of grapes that give wine a furry feeling.
“This natural compound in wine is really harsh with green vegetables,” she explains.
MacLean says, in general, white wines do much better than reds with vegetables. However, she cautions that high-alcohol white should be shunned because its fruit clashes with the zesty flavours of vegetables.
