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January 2008 - Posts
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 Dinner with wine used to be simple. The rule was white wine with white meat and red wine with red meat. But most of us don’t just eat meat and potatoes or drink claret and chablis these days.
With modern fusion cuisine and wines from new regions around the world, the choices – and confusion – are great. One new school of thought is that any wine goes with any dish. However, most of us don’t put ketchup on our ice cream for the same reason as we don’t drink a delicate white wine with a hearty meat dish or a powerful red wine with sole – they are mismatched flavors and textures.
When the marriage of food and wine works well, each enhances the other, making the meal greater than if you had consumed them separately. That’s why the following classic matches have survived the changes in food fashion: stilton with port, foie gras with sauternes, boeuf bourguignon with Burgundian pinot noir and goat cheese with sauvignon blanc.
It helps to start with the basic principles of food and wine pairing as they still provide a basis for experimenting with new world cuisine. One of the most important elements to harmonize between wine and food is flavor. For example, a tangy tomato-based pasta sauce requires a wine with comparable acidity. Without this balance between the acidity of the dish and the wine, the partner with lower acidity tastes flabby and dull, while the other, too tart.
To find an acidic wine, you can chose one that is made in the same area as the food. Years of matching the regional cuisine and wine as well as similar soil and climatic conditions make this a safe bet. For example, you could pair a tomato sauce fettuccine with a Tuscan chianti. Or you can select a wine from a cool climate where the grapes don’t ripen to great sweetness, and maintain their tart, tangy edge. Crisp New Zealand sauvignon blancs and French chablis serve these dishes well.
Acidic wines also work well with salty dishes. For example, oysters are both salty and briny with an oily mouth-coating texture that can smoother most wines. However, a sparkling wine from California, a Spanish cava or French champagne can both refresh and cleanse your palate when eating fish. Bubblies also work well with spicy foods. Hot spice in Asian, Thai, curry and chili pepper dishes can numb the palate. Many of these foods also have high acidity from citrus ingredients such as lime juice as well as sweetness. Therefore, you need a wine with an acidic backbone as well as a touch of sweetness such as an off-dry California sparkling wine with lots of fruit.
While off-dry, acidic wines go well with many dishes, the two most difficult wines to pair with food are also the two most popular: chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. New World chardonnays can be oaky, buttery, flavorful wines that overwhelm many dishes. But you can still enjoy chardonnay with your meal. Pair it with butter and cream sauces to marry similar textures and flavors.
Conversely, cabernet sauvignons can have bitter dark fruit flavours with mouth drying tannins (the same sensation you get from drinking well-brewed tea). Therefore, they find their happiest match in foods with juicy proteins such as a rare steak. The protein softens the tannin making the wine taste smooth and fruity. Steaks done with crushed black peppercorns sensitize your taste-buds, making the wine taste even more fruity and robust. However, the way in which the dish is prepared also has an impact. A well-done steak, for example, may taste too dry with a tannic cabernet.
Proteins are also at work with the marriage of wine and cheese, the cocktail classic. Red wines tend to go better with hard cheeses such as blue cheese as they can accommodate more tannins. However, whites suit soft cheeses such as brie and camembert as the creamier textures require more acidity for balance.
Game birds such quail, pheasant, turkey, duck, squab and guinea hen have earthy flavors that are more robust than chicken. Wild game often goes better with racy red wines that have a gamy quality to them, the classic being Burgundian pinot noir. The flavors of pinot noir -- plum, cherry, mushrooms, earth and even barnyard (that’s a positive adjective) – accentuate the same gamy flavors in the food. Other wine options for game birds include Spanish rioja, Oregon pinot noir and lighter-style Rhône Valley wines such as Côte-Rôtie.
One of the most challenging flavors to balance is sweetness. Dishes with a touch of sweetness such as glazed pork do well with off-dry wines such as riesling and chenin blanc. However, rich desserts such as chocolate and crème brulée demand a wine that is sweeter than the dessert, or the wine will taste thin, even bitter. Sweet wines such as sauternes, Canadian icewine, late harvest wines and port will work not only for their sweetness but also for their unctuous texture.
Your best source of food and wine matching is your own palate. Experiment with different combinations to discover not only what makes a perfect pairing for you, but also to broaden your range of possibilities. As the author Alexis Lichine observed, “There is no substitute for pulling corks.”
Natalie Maclean for www.indiawine.com
About Natalie MacLean
About Natalie MacLean is the author of Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass. She was named the World’s Best Drink Writer for the articles and wine picks in her free wine newsletter available at www.nataliemaclean.com
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 When on a date, you’d think nerves would begin to cool once the wine selection had been made, but for many, the real stress kicks in as the waiter approaches your table with your wine in hand. But there’s absolutely no reason to sweat the tasting. Just remember these three easy steps and you’ll look like a pro:
LOOK AT THE LABEL – When your server first brings the wine to your table, he or she will show you the bottle’s label. Double check that the bottle about to be opened is indeed the bottle you ordered. Sometimes the restaurant will be out of the wine you ordered and bring you a substitution. Usually, the waiter will alert you if this happens, but it’s always a good idea to speak up if you’re not sure you’re getting the wine you ordered. We all know mistakes happen, but once you approve and begin enjoying the wine your waiter opens, you are obligated to pay for it.
LEAVE THE CORK –, After your server opens the bottle, you will be presented with the cork. There’s nothing you need to do with it, simply leave it on the table where the waiter places it. In case you’re wondering, servers present the cork for inspection because by squeezing the bottom end of the cork, a little of the wine can be sniffed to be sure it smells like wine and does not have the moldy odor of tainted cork. Also, the pros can look to see if there is any indication that any wine has seeped out of the bottle. The real proof, though, is in the aroma and flavor of the wine itself – so just let your personal taste be your guide.
TASTE IT TOGETHER – Tasting the wine with your date is a great way to use wine to your dating advantage. Ask the waiter to also pour a taste for your companion after he or she pours yours. This way you both have a chance to try the wine and can give your approval together. If you like, swirl the glass and give it a whiff – research indicates that 70 to 75 percent of what we taste is actually due to our sense of smell. Now take a sip. As long as the wine doesn’t smell or taste like vinegar, rotten eggs or wet cardboard, indicate to your waiter that the wine is acceptable with a small nod or a simple, “thank you.” However, if you notice a foul flavor or aroma in the wine, alert your waiter and ask for another bottle.
The more types of wine you sample, the more developed your tasting skills will become. Luckily, restaurants are responding to wines growing popularity by offering a greater selection and unusual wines by the glass and tasting “flights”. A flight is typically three to four smaller pours of wine selected because of a unifying quality, such as type of wine or country of origin. Enjoying a variety of wine in smaller portions allows you to discover more quickly which wines you like best than if you order by the bottle. It also gives you and your date more fodder for conversation.
No matter which wines you try, remember to have fun broadening your wine horizons and picking new favorites. Wine tasting isn’t about being professional and poised, but rather about experimenting with new things and savoring the experience with the people around you. So whether you are buying by the bottle or sampling a few glasses, just remember to relax. Wine is meant to be enjoyed.
Courtesy of Wine Market Council. For more information, visit www.wineanswers.com
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No matter what you decide about wine themes, menu planning and other party specifics, just follow our simple "Wine Tasting Party Primer" for stress-free tips guaranteed to help you orchestrate a seamless get-together that is as much fun for you as it is for your guests.
PRE-PARTY CHECKLIST
Glassware. Five or six glasses per guest can add up fast – especially when it comes time to do the dishes! So relax and stock up on clear plastic cups instead. That way you'll still be able to appreciate the wines' colors, but cleanup will be a cinch.
Bottled water. Guests will need to quench their thirsts and clear their palates with something other than wine. It's best to serve the water at room temperature, as drinking something very cold can slightly numb the tongue and affect wine tasting.
Crackers. Another must-have for palate cleansing between pairings, make sure to set out plenty of unsalted crackers or plain bread.
A "pour bucket." In case guests prefer not to swallow every sample of wine they taste, keep some receptacles handy. Don't worry; polite spitting is perfectly acceptable wine tasting etiquette. Use whatever you have on hand – simple bowls, metal Champagne buckets or wide-mouth pitchers will all do the trick.
Wine openers. It may seem obvious, but this is an easy item to overlook. To keep things moving smoothly, you may want to have several openers on hand. While there are endless varieties available, some of the simplest and least expensive models work the best, so just choose whichever type you're most comfortable using.
Tasting temperatures. You don't need to be concerned with precise temperatures; just know that for tasting purposes, it's preferable to serve white wines slightly chilled, but not ice cold. Red wines are best sampled at room temperature.
WINE TASTING 1-2-3
Don’t get caught up in worrying about rigid procedures and fancy wine lingo. Just concentrate on your own reactions and tasting is as easy as 1, 2, 3.
Look. Hold the wine up against a white background (a napkin or piece of paper works fine) and notice its color characteristics. The more wines you sample, the more similarities and differences you'll begin to notice.
Smell. Research indicates that 70 to 75 percent of what we taste is actually due to our sense of smell. Briefly swirl the wine in the glass to release its aromas and then take a whiff. Don't worry about "tasting" the wine yet; just concentrate on what you are smelling and try to describe it
Taste. Now take a sip. Pay special attention to your initial reaction, as well as the subsequent reactions you have as the wine moves around your mouth. We each have about 5,000 tastebuds in our mouth, so try to engage as many of them as possible. And make sure to note any lingering flavors in your mouth after you have swallowed the wine, too.
WRAPPING IT UP
The party isn’t necessarily over when the last wine pairing has been sampled. Now that everyone has (hopefully) discovered wine and food pairings that they love, encourage guests to go back try their favorites again. And what about leftover wine? Just recork and refrigerate – as with food leftovers, it's best to enjoy them within the next three to five days.
BEWARE OF PARTY CRASHERS
The party isn’t necessarily over when the last wine pairing has been sampled. Now that everyone has (hopefully) discovered wine and food pairings that they love, encourage guests to go back try their favorites again. And what about leftover wine? Just recork and refrigerate – as with food leftovers, it's best to enjoy them within the next three to five days.
Perfume. Since smelling each wine's bouquet is an essential part of the tasting process, it's best to avoid wearing cologne or perfume to tastings. Watch out for strongly scented hair products, too.
Smoking. Lighting up just before or during a wine tasting will affect your sensitivity to the nuances of the wines. Plus, the lingering odor of tobacco can interfere in other guests' smell and taste sensations.
Toothpaste. Brushing your teeth right before a tasting is sure to alter the taste of wine. The same goes for gum or mints. Be sure to rinse your mouth well with water before beginning a tasting.
Salt. It may be used to enhance the flavor of food, but salt has the opposite effect on most wines. Steer clear of highly salted foods during wine tasting.
Extreme Temperatures. Food or drinks that are very hot or very cold both have a temporarily deadening effect on your tastebuds, diminishing your ability to accurately taste the wines.
Courtesy of Wine Market Council. For more information, visit www.wineanswers.com
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