Pairing Food & Wine
Food and wine are meant to go together. But where do you start when you’re not sure how to choose the right wine with the food you are preparing?
While pairing these two may seem intimidating, you really don't need any fancy degrees to make a wine selection. There are plenty of places to go for suggestions.
When I first started working in hotel catering many years ago, our Food and Beverage Director suggested a book from Kevin Zraly, wine director of the famous Windows on the World restaurant in New York. It was enormously helpful in explaining wine varietals, different wine regions of the world, and how to match wine with food. I highly recommend it, even today, although there are many, many other such books on the market to choose from. Get one that looks interesting to you and start reading.
There are also a couple of websites that I have found educational.
While books and websites are a great place to start your education, the ideas they have for pairing wine with food are, after all, just their opinions. This is where I think doing field work will take you farther. Successfully deciding what to serve with which foods comes only from experience. One day when you hear yourself utter these words, you will know you have arrived: "We should open that bottle of ____ to go with this ____ I just made." (You fill in the blanks). When that day comes, you will have a good understanding of the marriage between food and wine.
Though I'm certainly no wine expert, I can tell you what I like and what I’ve found works (IMHO). Ultimately it really does just come down to this: no matter what anyone tells you, either you're going to like it, or you won't.
Often, I hear people say they only like Cabs or Chardonnay or whatever. While it's great that they know what they like, I think they are limiting themselves. There are so many wines out there from so many different parts of the world, and each offers a unique taste experience. Be open to the differences in, say, a wine from South America or Africa. Consider different grape varietals from what you are used to. Have you ever heard of Gewurtztraminer or Nero d’Avola? You may find one downright fabulous. Consider trying varietals that have been rescued from near extinction and are making a comeback, such as Viognier, or the Carmenere grape once grown in France but now thriving in Chile. Be inquisitive and get out of your comfort zone.
Over time, too, our tastes may change. I once drank Chardonnay. Now, I can't stand it. I had to give it up because no matter how many I tasted, I found that only the really expensive ones, aged for a good long while in oak barrels, had the butteriness I was longing for.
For many years now I've enjoyed Viognier and Pinot Noir the most. Interestingly enough, though one is white and the other red, they have similar characteristics. Both grapes are finicky and require a great deal of care in their handling. Both do best with climates that offer warm days and cool nights. Both are difficult to grow. I think that's one reason I appreciate them so much. They are also quite versatile with a broad range of foods and can even be enjoyed alone.
Friends and family that have “field experience” can also be a resource. My sister introduced me to a couple of Italian grapes I had never heard of: Nero d’Avola (from Sicily) and Nebbiolo (from the Piedmont region). Every so often, when I’m making some Italian food, I’ll grab a bottle of either to enjoy with it.
Take advantage of the wine tastings at your local wine shop, or head to a big retailer like BevMo or Total Wine for a huge range of wines at every conceivable price point. I found a French wine for under $4 once, which I really liked for an everyday wine. Don't let the price tag of some of these wines discourage you. Price does not necessarily always mean what you think. You may not like the expensive stuff and you may really like a cheaper bottle.
And why are some of them so dang expensive? A lot of factors can affect the price of wine. Limited grape production, for example, or the amount of special handling required. Ice wine, for instance, is usually pricey because the grapes stay on the vine several months longer than usual (most grapes are harvested in September/October). These hang on until the frost comes, intensifying their sugar content, and then the shriveled things have to be hand-picked in the dead of winter. Naturally the more care that goes into production, including the blending that the winemaker oversees, can drive up price, but more isn't always better. What if a $50 bottle doesn't taste good to you?
Read up, buy some that sound good to you, and start tasting. Think about what the Wine Spectator says about matching the wine with the most prominent element in the dish, which is “critical to fine-tuning wine pairings. Identify the dominant character in the dish; often it's the sauce, seasonings or cooking method, rather than the main ingredient. Consider two different chicken dishes: Chicken Marsala, with its browned surface and a sauce of dark wine and mushrooms, versus a chicken breast poached in a creamy lemon sauce. The caramelized, earthy flavors of the former tilt it toward a soft, supple red, while the simplicity and citrus flavors of the latter call for a fresh white.” See how the stereotypical notion of white wines with white meat and red wines with red meat are really untrue.
My advice is simply this: do not be intimidated by wine or the snobs who tell you what to drink. After all, it's just glorified grape juice! Read a little to inform yourself of the basics and then start drinking.
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