What to drink with dinner One of our favorite questions we get from guests is “What do I want to drink with my dinner? I am having…”. We hear everything from pizza (Valpolicella), sushi (Riesling), barbecue (Zinfandel), and shaved asparagus salad with soft poached egg, smoked olive oil and black sea salt (Verdejo). These decisions are not taken lightly because honestly, the wrong wine can ruin the meal. A perfect pairing can make magical food memories to the simplest of meals. A few years ago, one of our many wine dreams came true and we took a trip together to the tiny town of Quintanamanvirgo in the region of Ribera Del Duero, Spain. It’s the land of high elevation Tempranillo and all the meat you can imagine. Over a fire of the previous year’s grape vines, the producers cooked suckling lamb and sausages as well as potatoes. In this tiny Katie Rice & Sarah Pierre town of 92 people, they make one wine – Rice owns VinoTeca in Inman Park Torremoron. This Tempranillo sang with and Pierre owns 3 Parks Wine Shop in this rustic meal. Glenwood Park.. Just because we aren’t in an episode of “No Reservations,” doesn’t mean we can’t recreate equally memorable experiences at home. When deciding how to pair your food and wine, there is one major thing to consider: the palate of the dish and the palate of the beverage. We use this phrase often in our day-to-day pairing conversations – ‘what grows together goes together’. In other words, what is the origin of the dish – French? Italian? Chinese? American? What wines do they produce? What vegetables or herbs do they grow? That, my friends, is the cheat sheet to food and wine pairings. But of course, there are those instances when you are pairing wines with dishes that are not created in wine growing regions. That’s when the experts really create the magic. When we think of the palates or flavors of what we are consuming there are several factors and complexity is the first step. Complex food doesn’t need complex drinks. Spicy foods can’t handle spicy wines. Simple dishes, especially raw foods, beg for a fresh clean beverage. White wine pairings tend to have more precision than reds. If butter and cream is involved a wellrounded Chardonnay does the trick. It is all about balance. Acidic foods need to have wines that are not overly acidic. Tannic wines will wreak havoc on foods that have any bitter component, like endive and arugula. Temperature is also something to consider. Cold food and cold wine, but warm food should never be served with overly chilled anything. Try your richer whites after 30 minutes out Kellie Thorn of the fridge, it does wonders for awaking the nuances of the wine. We poured a glass of our favorite Albariño and sat down with Kellie Thorn, Atlanta superstar mixologist and beverage educator, to hear her thoughts on the subject at hand. Being deeply involved in the wine world we tend to not consider other libations and Kellie has a passion for finding the right cocktail to pair with just about anything. When pairing with spirits Kellie’s advice is twofold: “Complex food and complex drinks make a clashing of flavors a muddled mess in your brain” and “deconstruct the spirit into the notes that you can construct in the dish.” Think shochu and sushi – notes of saline and fresh herbs compliment the flavors of raw fish. She also notes that frozen VS Cognac and foie gras are “life changing,” a rich and silky dish paired with a fruity and complex spirit. The edict that what grows together goes together is an even simpler thought. Italy is a perfect example – wines are produced to pair with the food of the region
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