Crafting Perfect Food and Wine Pairings

PHOTOS COURTESY OF KATHRYN HOUSE MCCLASKEY, HOUSE OF WINE

By Kathryn House McClaskey

Winter means time for gathering and enjoying great meals together. From holiday cooking to scrumptious Sunday dinners, the conviviality of the season makes it a wonderful time of year. And what better way to celebrate than with a perfectly paired glass of wine with your meal? The good news is that by following a simple set of guidelines, you don’t need to be a Michelin starred chef to create wonderful wine and food pairings.

The first key to wine and food pairing is to keep the acidity of the food less than the acidity of the wine. Why is this important? If the acidity of the food is too high, it will make the wine taste too so or “flabby”. When enjoying high acid foods such as rich tomato sauces and salads finished with vinaigrettes, consider high acid wines such as French Pinot Noir, Italian Sangiovese, and white wines such as Sauvignon Blanc.

Next stop in successful pairing is to ensure that the sweetness of the food is less than the sweetness of the wine. If a food has too much sweetness, the wine will lose its fruity components and can become bitter, spirity, and sour. Beware of hidden sugar in some foods such as barbecue sauce and dressings. For foods with a hint of sweetness, choose an off-dry Riesling, Extra Brut Prosecco, or fruit-led Zinfandel. When considering desserts, the route to success involves pairing them with sweet and fortified wines such as Sauternes, Ice Wines, and Ports.

The third key to crafting amazing pairings is to match the richness of the food with the body of the wine. Body in wine is the feeling of fullness in the palate. Think of whole milk as having a full body and skim milk as having a light body. Each creates a different feeling in the palate, which explains why they pair differently with food. A great example of this phenomena is the positive effect you get pairing a rich, full-bodied Chardonnay with a pasta with cream sauce or a fresh Pinot Noir or Gamay with turkey and cranberry sauce. The similar densities on the palate of the food and wine create a wonderful sense of consistency.

Food has more persistence in the palate than wine, so when a pairing doesn’t work, it’s often the wine that gets the blame. Therefore, the fourth key to wine and food pairing is to match the flavor intensity and persistence of the food with the wine. is means combining highly flavorful and intense foods such as blue cheese with similarly intense wines like Zinfandel or port.

Lastly, matching or contrasting flavors is the final key to creating amazing pairings. Matching flavors is the easiest pathway. Notes of dried herbs in the wine? Try herb-encrusted beef tenderloin. Holiday ham cooked with cloves and spices? Choose an oaked Pinot Noir that will showcase similar spice notes but not overwhelm the wine.

Crafting the perfect wine and food pairing doesn’t have to be a chore. By considering the sweetness, acidity, weight, intensity, and flavors of both the dish and the wine, you’ll find that the task is easy and enjoyable. The only question will be just how many fabulous pairings your stomach can handle!

Kathryn “Kat” House McClaskey is the founder of House of Wine, a wine shop and bar in downtown Boise, Idaho. As a 20 year wine industry veteran, she has worked in positions in almost all parts of the business and is a stage three Master of Wine candidate.