Pairing Food and Wine – The Six New Rules
Pairing food and wine is about synergy - neither one should
overpower the other. Trust your palate when pairing food and wine
to find similarities or contrasts in flavours. This is done with
the food and wine’s flavours, weight, intensity and basic taste.
Let your palate guide you.
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Wine and food pairing’s "old rules" don’t suitably
address the wine and cuisine diversity (New World and Old World)
available today. Food and wine’s recent innovations calls for
"new rules". Although some may say there aren’t rules,
my research indicates a general consensus on some guidelines.
According to Goldstein (16-17), there are 6 steps in his
guidelines:
Wine and food pairing’s
"old rules" don’t suitably address the wine and cuisine
diversity (New World and Old World) available today. Food and
wine’s recent innovations calls for "new rules".
Although some may say there aren’t rules, my research indicates
a general consensus on some guidelines. According to Goldstein
(16-17), there are 6 steps in his guidelines: |
Balance: Use the
dominate flavour of a dish, often the sauce, as your guide in
pairing. For example, use the wine used in the sauce as the
compliment drink with the dish.
Contrast:
Opposites attract, therefore sweet wine goes with sour or acidic
food. Subdued, complex older wines deserve simple foods not heavy
sauces.
Highly seasoned foods:
Spicy, salty, and smoky flavours are best paired with fruity, low
tannin, lower alcohol-content wines.
Rich foods:
Rich and fatty foods often work well with full-bodied chardonnay,
cabernet sauvignon, merlot or shiraz.
Sweet foods:
The sweetness of the dish should be less than the sweetness of the
wine. This is easily accomplished by adding citrus juice or vinegar
to the dish.
High acid:
Highly acidic foods such as tomatoes, citrus fruits and goat cheese
usually go best with acidic wines such as a sauvignon blanc.
A seventh example can be
added to this list- the condiment style. Think of the wine as a
condiment. If veal picatta or chilled shellfish would go well with
fresh lemon juice, try a crispy acidic wine like a sauvignon blanc.
If you savor butter on shellfish, such as lobster, team it with a
buttery chardonnay (Schowe 1).
At present, there are
some general rules to follow with multiple wine courses: dry before
sweet; white before red; young before old; simple before complex;
and light before heavy. There is one notable exception to this and
that is a sauterne with a foie gras. A palate cleanser
(intermezzo), or a glass of water may help if there is a conflict in
the wine sequence of a meal.
Wine and Specific Cooking
Methods
Wine can also be paired
with cooking methods. Think of the difference in flavour between a
grilled fish and a poached fish. Sid Goldstein (17) states that
grilling, roasting; sautéing and braising are the preferred methods
for matching food and wine. Poaching, steaming and smoking tend to
limit your choices for a successful match. In poaching or steaming,
a lighter weight, acidic, non-tannic wine with less intense flavours,
and do not overwhelm the softer flavours of the dish is usually
best.
When frying, a wine with
some acidity provides a nice contrast to the oils used with this
cooking method, often whites work best. Wok stir-frying typically
produces clean crisp flavours, which favor light-bodied white wines.
Grilling, roasting
sautéing and braising are the preferred cooking methods for pairing
food and wine. Grilling adds flavours, which often require fruity,
oaky wines. If the grilled meat is beef, then tannic wines work
well. Barbeque sauce can add sweetness, so a less tannic win such as
a Zinfandel, may be required. The effect of marinades on the meat
is important if they impart strong flavours. Thai or Indian style
marinades require a bolder-flavoured wine such as a New Zealand
sauvignon blanc or chablis. A fruity grenache or tempranillo may be
the best choice for reds. Roasting choices can become complicated –
generally, meats call for red wines.
Herbs, sauces, jellies
and stuffing’s that accompany many dishes may be the determining
factor in choosing a wine. Most herbs call for white wines,
although, rosemary and thyme are an exception. Subtle mature wines
are often lost on the flavours of these dishes.
Sauces play an important
role in wine and food pairing. Is the sauce bland, sour, sweet, or
herbal? Was the sauce added before roasting or afterward
(cranberry, horseradish or chutney)? The sauce may determine the
wine pairing as much as the roasted meat.
An important ingredient
for cooking – is cook with good wine! You wouldn’t prepare a dish
with bad fruit , protein or vegetables.
Reduction sauces may have
an intense flavour, which requires a powerful wine such as a
Cabernet sauvignon or Shiraz. Often drinking the type of wine used
in the sauce is a safe bet. With braising or stewing, it is best to
consider the stock or wine used in cooking as well as the type of
meat. Red wine sauces call for a red wine. White wine sauces and
ciders usually call for a white wine. Stews cooked in stout or beer
usually work best with low tannin red. Consider the intensity of
the sauce. A more intense sauce needs a more intense wine, such as
a Nebbiolo or Shiraz. A less intense sauce would call of a less
intense wine, such as a Pinot noir. Creamy sauces often pick up a
mild sweetness from vegetables- consider an Alsace Pinot Blanc, or
creamy chardonnay.
Don’t forget that sweet
or acidic white wines may get concentrated in the cooking process
and therefore may need to be used more sparingly. A beurre blanc
sauce (butter sauce) will usually pair best with an acidic white
wine. An acidic wine is needed for tomato sauces or vinegar
sauces. A slightly sweet wine may be called for with a sweet wine
sauce. Egg based sauces (Hollandaise, mayonnaise) often work best
with a white wine (Simon 26-37).
The bridge ingredient
concept is useful in cooking and wine selection. According to Sid
Goldstein (14), "bridges
ingredients help connect the food
to the wine". For
example, Pinot noir can pair with a variety of base ingredients
including beef, veal, duck, chicken, salmon and tuna. What can make
the pairing to Pinot noir more successful than another varietal such
as Cabernet sauvignon? The other ingredients in the dish may help
you decide. Some examples for Pinot noir would be berries,
cherries, mushrooms, sweet onions, black beans, lentils and eggplant
just to name a few. Spices and herbs can act as "bridge
ingredients". For Pinot noir try ginger, cinnamon, pepper, clove,
basil, tarragon, thyme or rosemary (Goldstein 128).
In food and wine pairing,
there are some easy to match ingredients and some hard to match
ingredients. A few examples of foods that combine easily with
wine would be roast chicken and risotto. Foods that are difficult
to pair are asparagus, artichokes or strong cheese. These foods,
however, can pair well with wines from the same region (
Johnson-Bell 96). Other foods that are difficult to match are
chilies and eggs. Chiles can have a palate numbing effect. Eggs,
particularly the yolk, can mask the taste of wine. Goldstein
states on page 13, that vinegar and pickles can rob a wine of its
flavour and make it seem more astringent. Balsamic vinegar when
used modestly is an exception. Capers and pickled ginger are also
exceptions and can work with a white wine.
Chef Byron Korus, of AIM,
believes that in addition to the regional culture of countries like
Germany, France and Italy the regional wines were a significant
factor in the development of the regional cuisines. This supports
the concept of optimal food and wine pairings. The regional wines
generally are a good match with the regional cuisines of many
wine-producing countries.
Wine from the same region
is often a good choice for a hard-to-match selection, but what of
cuisine from countries that are not well known for their wine
production? What teams with these countries? Linda Johnson-Bell
(77-80), takes a reasoned approach to this situation and suggests
the following:
Chinese:
Seasonings include ginger, garlic, soy sauce and oyster sauce.
Sauces include sweet-and-sour, peanut, ginger, and oyster. These
ingredients match the sweet and salty flavours – so a sweet, spicy,
fruity white or possibly a low tannin red wine for dishes such as
duck would be good choices.
Japanese: Bitter
and vinegar ingredients are common, therefore, avoid acidic wines
and utilize dry, fruity whites or sparkling wines. Heavier dishes
like tempura require fuller, fruity wines such as a red chinon,
sancere or brut champagne.
Thai: Aromatic
and spicy flavours are common. These combine well with a crisp,
dry, white or slightly sweet wine like a sauvignon blanc, marsanne,
chardonnay or a robust red, such as a shiraz (with beef dishes).
Mexican:
Chile-dominated cuisine that can affect your palate is best coupled
with a spice wine that has a touch of residual sugar. Chilled,
fruity whites, or a beaujolais cru (low tannin red) may also work
well.
Indian: Common
ingredients include curry, coconut, cumin, creamy or milk based
sauces. These combine deliciously with low tannin, fruity wines
with little oak, like a merlot or shiraz.
Middle Eastern:
Figs, raisin, nuts and tumeric are common ingredients. These would
match well with the soft fruity reds or whites (Beaujolais or New
World Pinot noir).
Pacific Rim and
Fusion: These are generally bold dishes and need a confident,
forward wine such as a New World Cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, or
Sauvignon blanc.
Food and wine pairing is
a trend-setting phenomenon in the restaurant business that is
enjoyed by a minority of the population. Chef Ken Grogg of AIM,
states that there is an increased expectation for restaurants to
provide knowledgeable wine service. More today, than ever before,
chefs need to regard wine as an ingredient to the dish to be served.
It is difficult for many
people to acquire the knowledge of the world’s cuisines and wines
and have the resources to enjoy the multitude of wine and food
combinations available. Fortunately, it is a game like horseshoes
where "close" counts. For those who have a passion for food and
wine it is fun to play a game where you can always win.
Works Cited
Goldstein, Sid. The Wine
Lovers Cookbook. San Francisco: Chronicle, 1999.
Grogg, Chef Ken, CEC.
Personal Interview. 12 Feb., 2000.
Johnson-Bell, Linda.
Pairing Wine and Food. New Jersey: Burford, 1999.
Korus, Chef Byron, CCEC, AAC.
Personal Interview. 22 Feb., 2000.
Matching Food & Wine.
The Wine Professor. 24 Feb., 2000.
http://www.wineprofessor.com/mfwcontent.html.
Sardo, Piero. Slow Food.
24 Feb., 2000.
http://www.slowfood.com/drink/wine/ default.html.
Schowe, Sheral.
Paring Wines with Food. Robin Garr’s Wine Lovers Page. 24 Feb,
2000.
http://www.wine-loverspage.com/sheralschowe/foodpair.shtml.
Simon, Joanna. Wine With
Food. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996.
Sorre, Lucio.
The Matching of Wine and Food. Banfi 24 February, 2000.
http://www. castellobanfi.com/features/foodwine.html.
From the
West Coast Wine Network
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