Wine and Food Pairing
As a sommelier, I have to say that the one question I am asked more than anything else is, “What wine goes with…?” It’s an interesting question and one that I just love being asked. To me, what wine to serve is the missing piece of the puzzle for dinner and finding the right wine means joining all the ingredients together and creating a complete and memorable meal. Too often we look at wine as simply a drink and not an ingredient to the meal. The first rule that MUST be obeyed is NEVER cook with a wine that you would not drink. This means never using “cooking wine” to cook with as these wines are inferior and contain high levels of sodium.
To put it plainly, even the cheapest of wines at the LCBO taste better and save you money in the long run as you have only one wine to buy…one to cook with and the same one to drink.
That all having been said, it still does not give a clear answer to what wine to serve with what meal. The first rule of pairing food and wine is white wine with white meat and red wine with red meat. While this is a good start, it is just that…a start. If you look at wine as an ingredient it will make cooking and pairing much easier. In one of my previous blogs (Grape Varieties 101) I outlined the flavour profiles for the 6 most popular white and red grape varieties. These descriptions should help you to choose what wine to pair with what food. This is just the beginning though. We have to remember to consider all aspects of the meal, the primary flavours, aromas, and the texture as well, not just the meat. The main reason why red wines are suggested to be paired with red meat has to do with texture. The thick tannins in a rich red wine help to cut through the protien and fat of red meat thus complementing the
richness of something like a medium rare prime rib roast while the fat and protein will ease the strength of the tannins making a big bold red smoother and not so stringent.
We finally come back to my favourite saying, “Go out of your comfort zone.”
Wine and food pairing is an ideal time to experiment with wine. While I would generally recommend serving a white wine with chicken, there are times when a red wine works much better. A perfect example of serving red wine with chicken is when making Coq au Vin stew. This is a very hearty and rustic dish with many earthy flavours that lends itself beautifully to red wine. To pair a wine with this dish I always keep in mind the fact that the main flavours are earthy
and include mushrooms, bacon and thyme. I have found that French Cotes du Rhone reds pair perfectly with this and I always include the wine in the broth of my stew. By using the same wine to cook with and to drink with makes pairing a lot easier. Another example of an unusual pairing would be seafood with Pinot Noir.
The first time I ever had this pairing was at Beckta`s a number of years ago when I had just begun studying wine. They had a lobster risotto appetiser and I was feverishly trying to decide if I wanted to go with a Chardonnay or my favourite Riesling when the waiter suggested the Pinot Noir. I was very surprised and questioned him on his reasoning for this pairing and he informed me that the dish included mushroom and truffle oil and the earthyness of this dish would pair best with the pinot. I decided I would follow his suggestion and much to my delight discovered that discovered that it was a perfect pairing. It was the first time I had ever gone out of my fomfort zone with wine and it was fantastic!
So here are a few suggestions that fall into the standard and out of your comfort zones:
- Pepperoni Pizza – Chianti or any red Italian wine
- Hawaiian Pizza – Riesling – the pineapple and ham pair better with riesling and the sweetness
of the wine balances a slightly spicy sauce - Pasta with meat sauce – any red – don’t just stick with Italian reds here, this is a perfect
opportunity to try something new! - Chicken in a butter sauce – an oaked chardonnay
- Nuts - port, port’s earthiness pairs nicely with nuts and dried fruit – great not only
with your dessert, but try macerating (marinating) dried fruit in port and pairing, yum! - Light fish (sole, tilapia etc) – Sauvignon Blanc
- Thai – off dry Riesling – the residual sugar and acidity of riesling cuts through spice wonderfully
- Steak – Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Bourdeaux, Merlot…pick something with strong tannins
I would love to hear about your successess and failures with wine and food pairing. You can contact me by email at: sommeliers@rogers.com or tweet me @nancyztaste. Until then, drink well and drink responsibly!
Wine Notes:
F. Martini, $8.90, LCBO #00390187
Trentacinquesimo Parallelo 2008
Italy – Sicilia
Nero D’Avola/Shiraz
Appearance – cherry red
Aromas – red/sweet cherries, red berries/fruit and some spice
Palate – cherries and spice
Body – medium bodied
Finish - medium finish (approx 30 seconds on the palate) with lots of spice
This is a wonderful, economical wine that went well with the pizza we had for dinner. Pair it
with spaghetti, pizza, or any red meat dish.
Tags: Food & Drink, food pairing with wines, lcbo, nancyswinetime
