Pairing food and wine should
be simple and fun!
One of wine's greatest pleasures is its ability to enhance the dining
experience, to join its solid counterpart at the table and to transform a
meal from simple nourishment to sensual pleasure. At its best, a
well-matched wine will enhance the tastes and textures of a dish, or
elicit subtle flavors that might otherwise go unnoticed. Some wines and
food pairings are classic,it is almost as if certain wines were designed
to accompany particular foods. Most, however, are flexible and
versatile,the fun comes in experimentation. Here are a few classic
pairings as well as some general guidelines for selecting a befitting wine
to accompany your meal.
Above all, there are two things to keep in mind with all wine pairings. First, there
is no single rule that can apply to wine pairing in general. Both wine and
food can be quite complex, and the possibilities in pairing the two even
more so. (The decades-old adage, "red wine with red meat; white wine with
white meat," hardly applies to the full spectrum of foods and wines).
Second, the ultimate goal of a wine and food pairing should be to increase
your enjoyment of your meal. The most important thing is to be aware of
what you enjoy, to note which wines increase the pleasure of a dish for
you and which wines just don't excite you, and to apply that awareness to
your decisions each time you dine.
The overall goal in selecting a wine to accompany a meal is to have the
wine and food balance. You don't want the wine to overpower the food or
vice versa. There are two reliable approaches you can use to achieve this:
you can select wines whose features compliment those of the food, or wines
whose features contrast those of the dish. What factors into pairings:
Body
The body is the actual weight or thickness of a wine, or how a wine feels
(not tastes) in the mouth. Light bodied wines are comparable to the feel
of water in your mouth; full-bodied wines feel more like heavy cream. In
terms of body, it is usually advisable to look for complimentary
features. To pair light-bodied wines with lighter food, and full-bodied
wines with heartier fare. For this reason, full-bodied whites, such as
Chardonnay, often do not pair well with delicate seafood, and lighter red
wines, such as Beaujolais, don't do justice to a hearty steak but will
pair well with chicken or pork.
Classic Pairings: Full-bodied Chardonnay with thick cream- or
butter-based sauces, medium-bodied Pinot Noir with salmon, light-bodied
Sauvignon Blanc with delicate fish.
Tannins
Tannins are a chemical compound present in grape skins, seeds, and stems,
as well as in wood barrels. They are especially prominent in red wines, as
grape skins are left on for a portion of the wine-making process, but are
also present in some oak-aged white wines. Tannins are a natural
preservative and are most prominent in young wines; as wines age they
become less tannic. Tannins taste dry (astringent) and bitter, and have a
very particular effect when paired with certain foods. For example, salty
foods bring out the bitterness in tannins, and cream-based foods make
tannins seem more astringent. Tannic wines pair well with low-salt and
high-fat food, like well-marbled meat. When enjoyed together, fat lessens
the astringency of tannins, and conversely tannins prevent fat from
seeming too rich.
Classic Pairings: Cabernet Sauvignon with steak
Acidity
Acidity in wine comes from both the grapes and the fermentation process.
There is some degree of acidity in all wines, although it can be
overshadowed, or masked, by tannins. Acidity is most noticeable in wines
where tannins are not very prominent. White wines, such as Sauvignon Blanc
and Pinot Grigio, often have prominent acidity, which gives them their
crispness. As a general rule, acidic wines are very food-friendly. Acidic
wines pair well with acidic foods, including citrus fruits, tomatoes, and
tomato sauces, as well as rich, creamy foods, as the acidity "cuts
through" the richness. They pair particularly well with fish as well as
fried foods,the acid in the wine serves the same role as the acid in fresh
lemon so often squeezed on these dishes. Acidic wines also often pair well
with salty foods, helping to cut the salty taste on the palate.
Conversely, low-acid wines often clash with acidic foods. The pairing of
the two should be avoided.
Classic Pairings: Sauvignon Blanc with fish, Chianti with fresh
tomato sauce
Sweetness
Sweetness in wine is a result of sugar in the grapes that is not converted
to alcohol (called residual sugar). In an excellent example of contrast,
sweet wines are a natural match for very spicy or salty foods. However,
the sweet flavor of semi-sweet or off-dry wines also pairs well with
naturally sweet dishes, such as honey-glazed ham, or pork with a port wine
reduction sauce. Sweet wines are also often served alongside desserts. The
general rule with sweet and semi-sweet wines is to pair them with foods
that are less sweet than the wine itself.
Classic Pairings: Riesling with spicy Asian dishes
Alcohol
The percentage of alcohol in a wine can influence a wine's ability to pair
with certain foods. Cream-based, spicy, or salty foods particularly clash
with high-alcohol wines. The cream makes alcohol seem stronger; alcohol makes
spicy foods seem spicier; and alcohol together with salt can taste bitter.
High-alcohol wines often pair well with high-fat dishes, such as steaks,
as the fat can lessen the intensity of the alcohol
Classic Pairings: Chardonnay with lobster, Zinfandel with
barbecued beef
Aroma
Aroma may be the most difficult, as well as the most gratifying component
of pairing wine and food. If all other factors of a wine (say body,
acidity, tannins, sweetness, and alcohol) are harmonious with a food, a
mismatched aroma won't necessarily hurt a wine pairing; however, if all
factors are harmonious and the aromas of the wine match those of the food,
the pairing can be elevated from excellent to sublime. Highly aromatic
wines, such as Gewurztraminer and Viognier are often best paired with
aromatic dishes, such as those with orange or exotic fruit flavors. Nutty
Chardonnays can seem ideally suited to roasted nut flavors. Earthy Pinot
Noirs pair especially well with wild mushrooms, while peppery Syrah can
seem dynamic with a peppercorn sauce. Aromas of herbs, spices, fruits, and
vegetables in a dish as well as hints of minerality, earthiness, and other
notes can all be cues to pairing a wine.
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