Hi friends! It's Wednesday and here we are with another topic on the amazing world of wine. We want to send a big thank you to everyone who took the time to express their opinions on our Thanksgiving dinner recommendations. Pairing wine and food always arouse a lot of curiosity among you so we'll talk a little bit about this today.
Pairing is about complementing. Synergy is the ultimate objective. Basically the wine and food combine to create a totally new and superior gastronomic effect. On the flip side, a poor wine pairing can destroy the flavor of the wine and lessen the overall dining experience. This is why it's so important to understand that wine should always enhance the food experience, and not dominate it.
Wine has been paired with food for centuries. Although wine making may go back as far as 8000 years ago, recent archaeological finds place the origins of wine making (in large scale) to 4100 B.C. In early times wine was paired with food since it was safer to drink than local water supply. That was the beginnings...
In many cultures winemaking and culinary experiences evolved over many years. Many pairings that are considered 'classic' today are the result of a region's cuisine and wine growing up and merging together in. In Italy or France one rarely dines without wine and a region's wine is known to be "food friendly" to match the area's cuisine.
Wine dinners are fun and educational experiences. Having organized dozens of them with different restaurants and cuisines has given us the insight to deliver a flawless experience.
Many old wine adages such as 'white wine with fish; red wine with meat' are no longer considered axiomatical. The subjective nature of taste makes it possible to drink most any kind of wine with any kind of food and have an enjoyable experience. Of course, there are guidelines. In my opinion, the first crucial thing to consider in pairing is your own preference (or your guest's), as drinking a type of wine you don’t care for isn’t going to be a pleasure (even if it’s 'the perfect pairing' with your delicious steak or fish). The most important elements to pay attention to in pairing wine and food are the acidity, tannin, alcohol, and any overt wood flavors in the wine. Always consider the ingredients of the recipe! Another important aspect is to pair the texture and weight of the food with the wine. A heavy red sauce pasta goes well with the weight or 'body' of a Cabernet Sauvignon. A fresh and light salad goes great with a 'delicate' Pinot Grigio. I also recommend you to bear in mind the temperature of the food since it makes a total difference when selecting what wine to pair. For instance, a roasted chicken out of the oven will call for a wine served at room temperature such as a Pinot Noir from Sonoma County in California. However, the leftover chicken served the next day in a chicken salad will call for a wine to be served chilled such as a rosé from Provence in France.
Loriñón Reserva was a perfect match for this dish exclusively created for our wine dinner at the amazing Aromas Del Peru.
Tannic wines love fatty food. The tannins, responsible for the astringency of the wine, will be tamed by the fat that’s in the meat and the sauce. If you choose not to eat meat, you need to find the fat component elsewhere and there is nothing better than cheese. Feta cheese is an excellent way to replace the fat in the meat when pairing with a vegetarian dish.
Our wine dinners are always a great opportunity to dare and taste!
An acidic wine will always pair with acidic food. Actually, it makes both components less acidic in taste. The vines that produce these kind of wines also take in some salinity out of the air and rain thus they tend to pair well with seafood. Instead of squeezing lemon on your oysters, just eat them with an Albariño and the acidity of the wine will do the same job as the lemon juice.
Consider a key ingredient in your chosen dish. A paired wine might showcase aromas that share similar tones to this ingredient. For example, a dish featuring a béchamel sauce might be well-paired with a buttery chardonnay.
We collaborate with Master sommelier Yamir Pellegrino to educate and train business owners and personnel in the art of pairing and other wine'related topics.
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Over the years, The Wine Chaser has conducted several wine dinners to help many of you to get into the details of pairing. This is a skill that you can tune up and ample as you grow your tastings and gastronomic experiences in general. You can start now, you just need to take a moment, smell, taste and discover the wine you are drinking. Let it evoke memories in you. Focus. For restaurant owners this is even more relevant since making a truly unique food and drink pairing can be the factor that sets them apart from the place down the street. Creating a perfect match and -more importantly- training your staff to know these recommendations inside and out let customers know you value quality, taste, and a love of food at your place. If interested in learning more about this topic, follow us on social media and come to our wine dinners and training workshops. We can always be contacted through here, DM's or emails.
And that is wrap for today!
Hasta pronto!
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