Food & Wine Pairing
We share your passion for food as much as for wine, we would like to give you our simplified tips and suggestions for a delicious meal and a successful wine pairing. Perhaps the most important tip to keep in mind is that it is not necessarily the food itself that you are matching the wine to, as it is the dominant flavour/spice (ex. lemongrass, curry, basil, thyme, etc.) of the dish. For example, if you have salmon with Asian spices, it is the Asian spices which need to be considered when attempting matched a wine as well as the salmon itself.
Or, if you are serving a steak au poivre (black pepper encrusted steak, it is the taste and heat of the black pepper you need to concern yourself with, as well as with the steak itself. This alters the taste of your wine, a lot of people look at the wine and tell me it tasted funny.
Regardless of what you're planning, we want you to remember to have fun, experiment, and try to remember what works for you and why: both food and wine are personal, after all.
Weight & Intensity
The weight of a dish is important to consider. Try to get a balance between the food and the wine. For example:
- Rich Meat Stew + Full-Bodied Red (ex. Bordeaux or an Australian Shiraz)
- Delicate Grilled Chicken Breast + Lighter White or Red (ex. a red or a white Burgundy)
The wine should never overpower the dish's flavours and vice versa, and don't forget that the meal's prep technique will affect wine pairing: poached salmon, for example, will require a lighter wine than a grilled salmon prepared with chutney.
The intensity of flavours is the only exception to the weight rule. It is possible to pair a light bodied wine with a rich meal as long as the wine chosen has good concentration of flavours. The idea is to create a sharp contrast. Have you ever tried barbecued ribs with a good German Riesling? Absolutely delicious!
Sensational Partners
These four major components come with their own set of rules.
Acidity: Its presence in a dish has to be matched with the acidity present in the wine; otherwise, the wine will seem flabby and dull. Look for wines from cooler climates such as Germany, Austria, Alsace, or New Zealand.
Tannin: High-tannin wines, such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz, are meant to be enjoyed with red meat. The proteins found in red meat counteract the tannin found in red wine. A red wine that may seem harsh to drink on its own due to its high and astringent tannins, will be quite enjoyable when paired with lamb or filet mignon.
Salt: The classic combination is sweetness, the best example being Stilton paired with Port. Salt can also be echoed in a wine. Dry sherry is always a good choice in this case. Tapenade, anchovies and roasted almonds go very well with a Fino or a Manzanilla Sherry. WARNING: Tannin (present in grape skins, pips, oak, and therefore red wine) does not go well with salt. Salt will make a red tannic wine taste bitter. If red wine is a must, try to go for a wine with lighter, rounder tannins ex. Beaujolais or a Pinot Noir.
Sweet: Wines for dessert have to be at least as sweet as the dessert; otherwise the wine will seem thin and tart. For lighter dessert, try to go with dessert wine from cooler climate like a Coteaux du Layon or a German Beerenauslesse. A rich chocolate cake on the other hand, will require a much sweeter wine than a crème caramel. For intense and very sweet desserts, Muscat from Australia, Pedro Ximenex Sherry, Moscatel from Portugal and Banyuls from France, are often a good choice. Finally, remember that ice cream demands a sweeter wine because it will freeze and numb your palate.
Perfect food and wine pairing? You know you've got it right when "synergy" has been achieved: each element is better paired than it could ever be by itself. Some pairings are so perfect that they are simply a marriage made in heaven: if you haven't experienced them yet, this up-coming holiday season will be the perfect time to try something new!
Here are some suggestions: Oysters or caviar and Champagne, foie gras and Sauternes, lamb and Bordeaux (especially from Pauillac), goat cheese (especially Crottin de Chavignol) with Sancerre, Roquefort and Sauternes, Stilton with Vintage Port, seafood platter with Muscadet.
A last bit of advice: when cooking regional foods, try to find matching regional wines. People around the world have been eating and drinking for centuries, and for the most part, they've paired their foods and wines out right!