| | | Food and Wine Pairings | FOOD AND WINE PAIRINGS
The sensual experience of a great food and wine pairing can be extraordinary; however pairing these two individual items can also seem confusing and intimidating. Matching a wine with a meal can actually be easy and fun just by understanding a few basic guidelines. To eliminate any possible barriers, the following list examines some major food and wine pairing methods that you can try at home.
The only difficult part is to remember that there is no such thing as the perfect combination for everybody. We all have our own likes and dislikes and wine can taste completely different paired with different foods. A chilled dry white can be great with fish but awful with dessert.
Basic Tastes and Sensations
1. Smell: We have the ability to smell an untold number of scents and aromas.
2. Taste: sweet, sour, bitter, salt, umami (meaty). With wine:
a. sweet (natural grape sugar) reduces bitter and acid tastes
b. sour (acids in the grapes) causes salivation
c. salty (rarely found in wine)
d. bitter (tannins), drying
3. Sensation of hot and cold.
a. temperature sensation
b. spiciness
Texture
Food and wine both have their own unique texture. Texture can be defined as how a wine or specific food feels in the mouth.
1. Skim milk feels rather thin, but heavy cream feels thick and coating.
2. Poached fish can feel lean and light while a grilled steak with a rich sauce will feel mouth-filling and highly
textured. The same goes for wine:
a. A dry Sauvignon Blanc, fermented in stainless steel, will be refreshing, with a light texture.
b. An oak-aged Chardonnay will be thicker in texture and richly coat the mouth. The same goes for a
lighter red as compared to a heavier red.
c. Different wine-making techniques will also effect the texture just as different cooking techniques effect
texture. Please see the “Wine Terminology” section for details on the following
i. Malo-lactic fermentation
ii. Sur Lie
iii. Stainless Steel or Wood aging
d. Cooking method is important in matching food and wine.
i. Poached white fish/ crisp light white wine, no oak
ii. Grilled white fish/ heavier oak aged white wine or light-bodied red
Matching Power with Power
Match equivalent levels of flavor intensity in both the food and the wine. The goal is not to overpower either the food or the wine. You don’t want to mask the flavors of good ingredients on the plate or the glass. The use of a sauce with the food can also help in pairing the wine. If the sauce is rich like a hollandaise, the wine power can increase. The accompanying vegetable and starch also play a role in food pairing. A lighter wine would pair better with steamed rice and steamed green beans; while a heavier wine would taste better with sour cream mashed potatoes and a vegetable stew.
1. Flavor intensity of Food provided by the preparation: Poached, steamed, sautéed, stir-fried, pan-fried,
deep-fried, braised, roasted, broiled, grilled, blackened.
2. Flavor intensity of White Wine (in rough order of intensity: Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc,
Gewürtraminer, Chardonnay, Viognier
3. Flavor intensity of Red Wine (in rough order of intensity): Gamay, Barbera, Pinot Noir, Dolcetto, Sangiovise,
Merlot, Zinfandel, Nebbiolo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah
Complementing and Contrasting Flavors
1. Complementary Pairing: Complement / Echo the same flavors and textures of the food and the wine,
matching intensity with intensity, richness with richness, and power with power.
2. Contrasting Pairing: Contrast the flavors and textures of the food with the wine, playing off tannin against
fat, fruit against spice, complex against simple, while being careful to maintain equivalence in the intensity of
flavors in the wine and the food.
a. Off set a salty, smoked or spicy dish by pairing with a wine that has good fruit or is semi-dry.
b. Cleanse the palate with acidity or bubbles (Champagne). Great for richer or higher fat foods.
c. A chilled wine can serve as a contrast to heat. As an example, serve a chilled white wine with hot fried
chicken or fatty sour cream with spicy chili.
d. Contrast flavors, never intensity.
Progression of Intensities in Food and Wine for a Multi-Course Meal
1. Light Dishes Before Heavy. Dry Wine Before Sweet.
2. Don’t overwhelm the palate with heavy food early in the meal. Lighter dishes usually precede spicy or heavy
dishes when planning a menu.
3. Lower Alcohol (lower body) before Higher Alcohol (fuller body, more glycerin.)
4. Create an Echo with a “Liquid Bridge.
Food prepared with wine should be served with wine of the same type or grape variety, perhaps of a higher quality. The longer a product is cooked, the less important wine quality is. The shorter a product is cooked, the quality of the wine becomes more important. This effectively creates a liquid bridge, or flavor connection between the wine and the meal.
5. Progression of Intensity
a. Light whites precede full-bodied whites; light reds are followed by more robust reds. The most powerful
whites are never as intense as the most full red.
b. The crossover rule: Works with Medium Intensity Foods (stronger fish leaner meats). Though the
tannin levels are important, a white or a red can be used for a pairing, just so they match on the power
scale. Light reds can be served instead of heavy whites. (Example: Pinot Noir with Chicken or Tuna
instead of a barrel-aged Chardonnay.) A powerful white wine can be used with a leaner cut of meat with
a less intense preparation.
6. Matching Intensities
Match delicate simple food with delicate simple wine. Balance intensities, so no flavor components in the wine or food are lost. Don’t overpower. Protein content and fat content are important. The higher in fat and/or richer in protein, a more powerful wine can be served.
Of course, there are exceptions to the rule of matching intensity:
a. Hot spicy food tastes hotter with full-bodied high alcohol or high tannin wines.
b. Never use medium-full to full body reds with seafood. The omega-3 fatty acids clash with tannins to
produce a metallic effect.
c. Never serve a dry wine with sweet foods. (The wine will taste bitter.)
d. Beware of creating an imbalance (red wine with raw oysters).
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