Food and Wine Pairing

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Food and Wine Pairing

• FOOD AND WINE PAIRING IS SUBJECTIVE Everyone has
  a different palate
• Germans say something is dry, we say its sweet.
• People who eat spicy food experience wine
  differently from someone who eats pasta and
  potatoes
• The TONGUE
• The tip senses sweetness fruit, alcohol, sugar
• The front sides salt
• The back sides acid
• And very back bitter
• each section has buds of different intensities
• The NOSE
• Very sensitive in picking out minute differences
  in aroma
• Aromas are triggered by nose and brain connecting
  to memory
• The more senses you sense in a day the more you
  build up in memory bank
• The palate is located at top of mouth close to
  throat, this area is sensitive and connects to
  the nasal cavity
• AROMA is very important
• What we perceive as tastes are really aromas
  floral, fruits, nuts, vegetables, spice, herbs,
  roasted flavors, animal and alcohol are all
  aromas.

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Food and Wine Pairing

• COMPARE
• Find a balance use the dominant flavors of a
  dish to match the wine
• Weight of a wine should match the weight of a
  dish
• If a dish uses a specific wine in the sauce use
  the same wine in the pairing
• Foods with sweetness or acidity is paired w/ a
  wine of equal or higher sweetness or acidity
• E.G. spaghetti Barbera Chicken in cream sauce
  Chardonnay Dulce de Leche Sauternes
• Focus on bridging ingredients of a dish such as
  berries, mushrooms, citrus etc and use a wine
  that pairs with those same ingredients

• History
• Food and wine goes back centuries, in modern
  times it has become more trendy
• In 1928 Escoffer wrote that red meat and burgundy
  should be paired, as Champagne with entremets
• In 1931 Micheline Guide recommended wines with
  dishes
• 1939 a systematic approach by Pierre Andrieu
  paired wine with the evolution of the meal
• Old Systematic Approach Red Wine with red Meat.
  White Wine with Fish.
• Systematic Method (Course wine)
• Dry before Sweet
• White before Red
• Young before Old
• Simple before complex
• Light before Heavy
• Exceptions Foie gras with Sauternes

• CONTRAST
• Salmon with butter sauce with higher acidic Pinot
  Noir
• Sour or acidic dishes are paired with a sweeter
  wine
• Foods with richness are paired w/ acidic wines to
  cut through.
• Intensity in flavors can provide a good contrast.
  E.g. An intense Alsace Riesling contrasted with a
  rich fatty roasted goose work very well

• COMPLETE
• Food and wine enhance each other. Such as salty
  prosciutto with melon
• Use wine as a condiment for the dish being eaten.
• Fish or seafood with acidic wine if you like
  lemon and butter sauce
• Lobster with a buttery chardonnay if you like
  your lobster with butter
• Salty food with sweet wine
• Salty food with Acidic wine
• Spicy food with sweet wine

3
Important Wine Components

• Acidity
• Where does it come from?
• Grapes Tartaric, Malic and Citric Acids
• Fermentation Succinic, Lactic and Acetic Acids
• Acidity comes from under ripeness as sugars
  increase acidity decreases. The key is to get to
  a point where acidity and sugars are in balance
• Acidity gives wine its shine or brilliance
• Influences aromas
• Good acidity makes a wine food friendly
• Affects of Acidity
• Has the opposite affect of sweetness (milk is a
  warm sweet feel tea w/ lemon is fresh clean
  feel)
• Penetrates richness of ingredients sauce
  (butter/Cream) to refresh palate
• Mirrors tart items (Vinegar, lemon, tomato
  chutney)
• Mitigates oiliness, pizza, sautéed, deep fried
• Brings out flavor in food
• Changes in Acidity Levels raises concerns
• Modern winemaking and commercialism of wine has
  started to produce wines of lower acidity big
  fruit. Wines are not food friendly are more
  suitable to being drunk on their own.
• The healthy culture of wine being a normal
  mealtime component is more more eroded
• Leading to more consumption of wine on own. Can
  be said that it is more suitable to a culture
  concerned with alcohol consumption than with the
  dining experience.

• Sweetness
• Wines are classified into different categories of
  sweetness
• DRY no detectable sweetness
• OFF DRY White Zinfandel
• MEDIUM DRY German Kabinett
• MEDIUM SWEET Vouvray
• SWEET Trockenbeerenauslese Sauternes
• Sweetness comes from residual sugar, left after
  fermentation has been stopped and from acidity
  levels
• Low acid wines can seem sweeter than they really
  are
• High acid wines mask the sugar levels
• Fruity Character gives impression of sweetness,
  but it is fruit sweetness not sugar sweetness as
  a result of ripe grapes giving illusion of
  sweetness
• Affects of Sweetness
• Takes the edge off hot foods
• Matches well with slightly sweet condiments such
  as chutneys
• Good contrast to salty flavors such as Asian
  foods
• Very sweet wines work well with salty cheeses,
  Roquefort

• Bitterness
• Bitterness adds balance, character and appealing
  flavors to wine
• Not Present in White Wines
• Is a result of high tannin levels especially
  green tannins associated with under-ripe grapes
• Can come from aggressive pressing of grapes,
  fermentation choices, types of oak aging
• Affects of Bitterness
• Bitterness can make sweet foods bitter
• Pair with like flavored foods grilled, charred,
  blackened
• Pair with bitter foods broccoli, arugula,
  eggplant bell peppers

• Oak and Alcohol
• High alcoholic wines can give off tastes to food
• Alcohol is a sweet liquid wines w/ high alcohol
  have a hint of sweetness
• Alcohol can also influence weight and body, the
  higher the alcohol the more body
• Oak and Alcohol creates richness intensity due
  to oak treatment, fermentation and aging
• Affects of Alcohol and Oak
• Alcohol accentuates heat and salt
• Oak wines match well with similar flavors (nuts,
  toast, smoke Caramel)
• Roundness and Richness should match with similar
  textured foods
• Rich meats, fish Chicken w/ cream full bodied
  chardonnays, light foods will be overpowered by
  wines of weight and richness

• Saltiness
• Saltiness is a craving component of taste
• We salt our savory foods, foods w/ Unamiwork
  with wines w/ Unami
• Saltiness cuts and accentuates sweetness
• Wine doesnt have salt but has affects on Salty
  foods
• Affect of Salty Foods
• Acidity in wine cuts saltiness in food. Champagne
  whites work with salty dishes, seafood better
  than less tart reds
• Salt will accentuate the tannins in a wine
• Salt accentuates the alcohol in wine
• Moderately sweet wines pair well with salty foods

4
Tips In Pairing

• WHAT IF THE FOOD IS
• Acidic A dish with citrus or vinegar should be
  paired with a acidic wine.
• Duck with oranges needs a more acidic red wine
  than Duck with olives
• Salty dishes with saltiness, such as soy sauce
  or seaweed will make wines with tannins more
  tannic and bitter.
• Sweet If the food is sweeter than wine then the
  wine will taste thin and tart.
• Ice cream is almost impossible to pair.
• Highly Seasoned or Spicy These foods can fatigue
  and numb the palate and the wine can get lost.
• Wines with low tannins and low alcohol levels are
  best
• Sweet wines contrast well
• Rich and Fatty Foods Foods with cream sauces,
  fatty steaks or rich fowl
• full bodied wines such as Chardonnay, Cabernet,
  Zinfandel, Merlot or Syrah are recommended

• SYNERGY neither a wine nor food should overpower
  the other
• Base Ingredients are the main portion of the dish
  (the Protein)
• Bridge Ingredients are those extras on a dish
  that add to the flavor such as mushrooms,
  berries, beans and herbs such as ginger,
  tarragon, cinnamon, cloves
• Cooking Method
• Grilling, Roasting, Sautéing and braising are
  preferred methods to pair with wine
• poaching, Steaming or smoking limit the wine
  choices
• Easy Matches Risotto and Chicken
• Difficult Matches Asparagus, Artichokes, Strong
  Cheeses
• Chiles numb palate
• Eggs Mask wine flavors too much Unami
• Vinegar and Pickled foods can rob tastes and make
  wines more astringent
• However balsamic and pickled ginger work well
• MARRIAGES MADE IN HEAVEN
• the marriages between two exceptional beings are
  as

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Cooking Methods Wine Choices Notes
Poaching or Steaming Light white wine Chenin Blanc or Pinot Grigio. Light fruity red Beaujolaise or Grenache rose Use lighter weight wine, with non tannin, non acidic and less intense flavors
Frying Chardonnay, Riesling or Pinot Noir Best is a wine with some acidity to contrast with the oils
Grilling Whites Chardonnay, Full bodied White Rhone. Reds Pinot, Zin, Merlot, Cab. W/ Beef Barolo or Syrah from Rhone Adds flavor works well with fruity oaky reds Grilled beef needs tannic wines
BBQ Roses Zinfandel, Merlots or New world Tempranillos BBQ Sauce adds sweetness less tannic reds
Marinades New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis or Fruity Grenaches or Tempranillos Marinades usually have strong flavors and require wines with bold flavors
Roasting Oaky Chardonnays, Rhone blends or Gerwurtztraminers. Mourvedre, Syrah, Grenache, Nebbiolos Roasting can be complex. Herbs and spices will determine white or red. Rosemary and Thyme reds
Reduction Sauces Chardonnays and Rieslings Cabernets and Syrahs If has powerful flavor need intense wine Drink w/ wine sauce is made with
Braising and Stews Pinot Noir, Cabernets, Merlots Use the wine used in the stock
Red Wine Sauce Sangiovese, Cabernets, Pinot Noir Use the wine sauce is made of
Stews w/ beer or stout Merlot, Beaujolaise, Red Burgundies Use low tannin reds so not to overpower the beer flavor
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FOOD TYPES Sparkling Wine Sweet Wine Dry White Light Fruity Red Full Bodied Tannic Wine
Sweet Food (Desserts, Chocolate Sweet Sauces) No Effect, with chocolate can make wine taste bitter The wine will taste dry if food is sweeter than wine Makes wine drier and more acetic Increases Acidity Wine becomes more bitter and tannic
Sour Foods (Citrus, Vinegar, Pickles Worchester) Increases Sweetness Makes wine bitter If has more acid than wine then wine will taste sweeter No effect Reduces tannins
Salty Foods (Feta, Soy Sauce Seaweed) Wine becomes sweeter Wine will taste sour Makes wine sweeter No effect Reduces Tannins
Umami Foods (Beef, MSG Shitake Mushrooms) Can become metallic Wine gets lost Can make wine taste metallic Can make wines more tannic and bitter A wine with equal to more unami is good if it has less could taste tannic
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ACIDIC WHITE
SWEET WHITE
FRUITY RED
ACIDIC RED
SALT
SPICE
APPLE/SUGAR
LEMON
CHOCOLATE
PROTEIN