Wine and Food Pairing
By Matt Sheker
Pairing wines with foods allows chefs to heighten the dining experience and bring out similar characteristics in both food and wine. For example, a nice acidic Chianti pairs excellently with tangy tomato-based pasta or a pungent cheese such as parmesan. A light and fragrant vernaccia white with a nice garlic and butter-based seafood dish complement each other. If you add basil to the dish, you’re working with the herbal textures of the wine. Sommeliers will assist you with matching wine and food, adding layers and complexity for a more complete, enjoyable dining experience.
Sometimes wine is best paired with people, because many people have a preferred type or taste of wine that they stick with regardless of the food being served. If you are not a red-wine drinker, you should not be forced to have a cabernet sauvignon with a hearty steak. There is always considerable room for interpretation, and customizing a wine to your preference will always make the meal more enjoyable. When you do pair wine with food, try to match the weight and texture of the food to the weight and texture of the wine. For instance, a light-bodied fish—sole, for example—works best with a light-bodied white wine like pinot grigio, while a heavier-bodied fish—salmon is a popular choice—calls for a richer, fuller-bodied white wine such as chardonnay.
It is also important to balance the intensity of flavors in the food and wine. A mildly flavored food like roast turkey goes well with light-bodied white and red wines such as sauvignon blanc and Beaujolais. However, in the context of a Thanksgiving dinner featuring stuffing, cranberry sauce, and other strongly flavored side dishes, an intensely flavored white such as gewürztraminer or a rich, fruity red—syrah or zinfandel, for example—would be preferable. Flavors are combinations of tastes and aromas, and there are an infinite number of them. When possible, fine-tune food and wine pairings by matching flavors in the food with those in the wine. For example, a roast duck in plum sauce is nicely complemented by red wines such as barbera or syrah, which have pronounced black-plum flavors. Grilled steak in a pepper sauce, on the other hand, goes beautifully with a peppery zinfandel.
Sometimes the best choice is to counterpoint flavors rather than match them. Pairing a spicy dish like Jamaican chicken with a high-alcohol red wine may seem logical, but the heat in the dish will ignite the alcohol in the wine to produce an unpleasantly hot, harsh impression. A better choice is a low-alcohol fruity wine like riesling or gewürztraminer, which will tame the spicy flavors of the dish.
And to properly finish off a meal, pair desserts and dessert wines. Remember, the wine should always be sweeter than the dessert. Otherwise, the wine can taste dull and acidic. Dark, intense, rich chocolate cake needs a full-bodied vintage port with concentration, dark fruit, some tannin, and occasional spice, but not so much of anything as to be overwhelmed by all the chocolate.
For your next dinner, put a little extra effort into food and vintage pairing, and watch the compliments come pouring in with the wine.