Food and Wine Pairings Made Easy

FOOD AND WINE PAIRINGS MADE EASY MADE EASY

When chefs understand the principles of pairing, they build menus that allow the food and wine to enhance the avor of the other.

By Robert J Mancuso, CMC, DipWSET, Contributing Chef Editor

FOOD ENJOYED WITH WINE AFFECTS the

way a wine tastes. Wine can also a ect the taste of food. The purpose of food and wine pairing is to take advantage of these e ects so the two consumed together provide more pleasure to the diner than either would if consumed separately.

While serving as Executive Chef of The Bohemian Club, I loved when members requested upscale wine dinners with specialty pairings. While the dishes and wines were each unique, the process for building a pairing menu was reasonably formulaic.

STEP 1: DETERMINE THE THEME.

Depending on the number of guests, how adventurous those guests were, and the budget, themes would vary. I’ve done everything from “Paris Is for Lovers and Tru es” to “Everything Is a Steak.”

I always found it especially useful in this stage to speak with the host to gather preferences. Then, I would determine the seasonality of the menu—and try to take the snobbery out of the process.

STEP 2: GET TO KNOW THE WINE.

It’s critical to understand the aroma and fl avor profi les of wine if you are to create the perfect pairing. If possible, always taste the wine being served for an event.

When tasting, fi rst determine the level of sweetness (dry, o -dry, medium-dry, medium-sweet, sweet or luscious). Then determine the level of acidity (low, medium or high) followed by the tannin and alcohol levels (low – medium (-), medium – medium (+) and high).

A Beaujolais would have low tannins, while a Barolo would come in pretty high. An o -dry riesling would most likely be low in alcohol, while a shiraz would be high.

Next, examine the body and fl avor intensity of the wine. This can usually be determined by the grape variety, but not always. For instance, an inexpensive Italian pinot bianco might show low body and low intensity, while a highly aromatic grape like a gewürztraminer will show high in both categories.

There are three fl avor characteristics to note as you taste: Primary, Secondary and Tertiary. Primary fl avors generally include fruity, fl oral and herbaceous aromas. Secondary fl avors are usually the aromas and fl avors of post-fermentation winemaking, like cream, bread/dough, mushroom or butter. This is where you fi nd aromas and fl avors of oak aging, like vanilla, dill, coconut, smoke or chocolate. Tertiary fl avors are aromas that develop with aging and oxidation. These include nuttiness, dried fruit (e.g. raisin, fi g, date), leather, co ee, meat and many others. Finally, assess the fi nish of the wine: Is it short – medium (-), medium – medium (+) or long?

CHEAT SHEET

The main taste groups when building wine pairings are sweet, salt and acid. Sweet foods make dry wines taste harder, meaning more astringent, bitter and less sweet. As a result, wines paired with sweet foods generally taste less fruity. So, when pairing sweet foods, make sure the food is not sweeter than the wine. Umami foods have a similar e ect. If pairing umami ingredients with wine, try to choose foods that are high in salt, such as cured or smoked meats, seafood or hard cheeses, like parmesan. Salty foods tend to make wine taste softer, fruitier, sweeter and more full-bodied. Acidic foods decrease the perception of acidity in the wine therefore acid in food can bring a medium (+) to high acid wine into balance. However, if the level of acid in the wine is low to medium (-), foods with high acid can make the wine seem fl at or lacking focus. Salty foods also increase the perception of body in wine and decrease the perception of astringency, bitterness and acid. High salt foods can make a red wine taste more tannic. Protein and fat in foods decrease the perception of tannins and bitterness. This is why everyone wants to pair a fatty ribeye steak with a big, bold cabernet from Napa. Taste the di erence by fi rst pairing that same fatty ribeye with a Barolo or hot climate cabernet sauvignon. Then pair it with a grilled chicken breast. You’ll understand the di erence. Bitterness and chili heat are both worth noting, as they are very diffi cult to pair with wine. (I often joke that bitter foods and chili peppers were derived from non-wine-drinking planets.) Bitterness in food increases the perception of bitterness in wine. And chili heat in food increases the perception of bitterness, astringency, acidity and the burning e ect of alcohol in wine. It also decreases the perception of body, richness, sweetness and fruitiness in the wine.

There are plenty of classic pairings out there—goat cheese and Sancerre, oysters with Muscadet, stilton with port and briny olives with Manzanilla sherry are just a few. These pairings work well because of the interaction of the structural components in the food and the fl avor profi les of the wine. But this list is not fi nite. There are millions of pairing possibilities to be found if you’re willing to put in the time and e ort to experiment. C+RC