Taste Combinations

Ever notice that walnuts turn bitter with red wine? Or that bitter greens are less so if they're salted? Combining certain tastes (i.e., sweet, salty, bitter, and sour) can have a strange-but-true impact on the food you eat.


Sweet + Sweet = Less Sweet
A bite of an übersweet confection blocks any residual sugar in a dry wine, which will make the win taste more acidic (sour). This is also why dessert wines taste less sweet (and pair well with) sugary desserts like crème brûlée or a fruit tart.

Salty + Bitter = Less Bitter, More Sweet
Sprinkle salt on grapefruit and the fruit will taste less bitter and more sweet. Salting leafy, bitter green like frisee and radicchio will block some of the bite. Why? Salt tempers bitterness.


Sour + Sour = Less Sour
A sour taste, like vinaigrette, followed by another sour taste, such as an acidic Sauvignon Blanc, will flatten the taste of the wine.

Sour + Salty = More Salty
Adding lemon (sour) to a barley-seasoned fillet of fish will bring out more of the seasoning because sour enhances salt.

adapted from Canadian Living.