BEYOND BOTTLE The

Food and Wine Pairings as Told by Local Sommelier Carrie Lyn Strong

By Deborah Lynch

Beyond a red or a white, and basics like merlots and pinot grigios, there’s so much more to explore when it comes to different types of wine, especially when pairing wine with food. However, since wine usually isn’t a part of our early cultural experiences and education, many of us are a bit apprehensive when it comes to ordering or pairing wines. While some local restaurants may offer impressive wine lists, fewer have sommeliers—trained wine stewards— on staff to help us with our food and wine pairings. Therefore, diners tend to stick with what they know, even if it might not be the best wine complement to the dishes they have ordered.

Carrie Lyn Strong, a sommelier with a long New York City resume who now lives in Marietta, can help. “This country’s culture is different from European countries because wine is not something that we grow up with. People can get intimidated,” she said, adding that, “I approach it in a way that people can understand that’s both fun and informative.”

Since moving to Marietta where her fiancé (now husband) had a home, Strong has focused on her wine consultant business, educating restaurant staff, teaching for the Sommelier Society of America, working with wine associations, interviewing prominent wine industry leaders, giving online wine tastings, and hosting wine dinners. Her work takes her everywhere, from local restaurants to New York City, and from online events to wine professionals around the world.

Using her expertise with a local spin, Strong considered the menus of some of her favorite area restaurants for the perfect food and wine pairings that will have you ordering like a pro and serving both congruent and complementary pairings at your next dinner party.

First

Course

Recently, Strong has been working together with the staff at The Railroad House Inn in Marietta to educate and host wine dinners for the creation of the perfect pairing. So, our journey begins there with an appetizer of seared Hokkaido scallops over a spring pea & saffron risotto, pea foam, and candied pecan gremolata. Strong suggested pairing this dish with Delamotte Rosé NV Le Mesnil sur Oger from Champagne, France, which is sold by the bottle at Railroad House Inn.

“It’s such an elegant champagne,” she said. “It’s bright, fresh with rose petal tones, and aromas of cherry blossom. It’s the perfect aperitif. It excites your palate and gets you ready for what’s to come.”

Delamotte Rosé Champagne pairs well with the scallop dish as scallops are delicate and sweet with a bit of salt. That works with the spring pea, which is sweet, light and lively with saffron. “This whole dish is very delicate yet savory with a light balance of seafood, cherry blossom, fresh pea, and sweetness from the candied pecan. This pairing is more of a parallel pairing to my mind.”

By that, Strong means that the flavors of the food and the wine will be more similar to each other. That contrasts with opposite flavor pairings such as a spicy food with a sweeter riesling in which the sweetness will calm down the spice.