FOOD AND
WINE PAIRINGS
Though each
individual has their own unique preferences and predilections to both food and
wine, making the experience truly personal here are some recommendations that
we have run across. Take them for what
they are, recommendations.
Strong
wines for strong food dishes. Dishes with modest fat content and lower acidity
prefer either full-bodied, low acid white wines, or full-bodied, lightly tannic
red wines. Rich dishes with higher fat content from oil, butter, cream, prefer
lean, acidic white wines, and/or lightly acidic, full flavored red wines,
depending on the nature of the dish. Dishes highly acidic, from vinegar, lemon,
tomato, or capers, prefer acidic wines. Sweet desserts prefer wines of equal or
greater intensity of sweetness.
The general
rule is to find wines and foods that complement, rather than compete with each
other. Match the weight and intensity of the food with a wine of comparable
weight and intensity of flavor. It always comes down to having to choose a
specific wine for a specific dish. The better the dish the better the wine. The
better the combination, the better the meal.
The wine
served should not overwhelm a light or delicate dish. It is better to find a
neutral flavored wine, with delicate nuances that will support and not mask or
shadow the flavors in the food. Some wines are excellent at this, not too
exciting to drink on their own, but outstanding at showing the best food has to
offer. Many chefs will only allow second-tier wine at their restaurants to
ensure that the food is the star. But there are times when the primary
attention is to the wine. If a complex bottle of well-aged wine is to be
showcased, food is best kept simple, low on spices and neutral, in order not to
interfere with or overpower the wine.
The best
accompaniment for a fine, well-aged bottle of wine may be some fresh French
bread and a piece of simple cheese. Aged and complex wines deserve the attention
of what it has to offer.
Exciting the
palate becomes a matter of balance of flavors against flavors. Spicy food
demands wine that are either massively fruity, like bold young Shiraz, or spicy
like Gewürztraminer, or aromatic like Riesling, an old vine Zinfandel with
grilled meats or herbaceous like Sauvignon Blanc (hot and spicy hates acids,
and is usually better with beer). Wines that have both sweetness and tartness
going at the same time (like Rieslings, Chenin Blancs or late harvest dessert
wines) can stand up equally well to both oriental dishes and a variety of
cheeses.
One of the
best-known rules is to pair red wine with meat; white with fish. Usually, the
darker and fuller flavored the meat the darker and fuller flavored the wine
needs to be. Grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo, Syrah and Merlot are
obvious choices for red meats and game; Syrah/Shiraz with lamb, and Pinot Noir,
Grenache (Rhone) or a Tempranillo (Spain) with pork and game birds.
With white
wines, light varieties like dry Rieslings or dry Chenin Blanc with shell fish
and sole; heavier Chardonnays and Semillons with snapper, swordfish, tuna, salt
water fish. But for every food rule there will be at least one exception.
Typically, you should only drink white wine with fish, but red Pinot Noir works
with salmon, swordfish or tuna. Red wine goes best with meat, but Chardonnay
goes well with chicken or veal and dry Riesling with pork, turkey and
Gewürztraminer with spicy sausage.
Our
advice, match your pleasures with your tastes and don't fear to experiment.