Pairing Wines & Food Like a Master Sommelier

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Scottsdale, Arizona, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) February 23, 2012 -- By Eddie Osterland
It's Simpler Than it Seems

It's a question that has been discussed by so many wine and food writers in so many fashions that it makes the reader wonder, "am I doing it right?" Why does this have to be so complicated? First of all, pairing wines and foods is an entirely personal treatment expressed by you and your creative taste experiences. You must remember that your palate is as unique as your fingerprints, and what you like may not be what everyone else likes, depending upon their experience and palate preferences. There are a few general rules of thumb that you can use, so with that in mind, here is my take on how I look at pairing food and wine.

Properly chosen, wine acts like a condiment rather than a beverage. Like salt and pepper or a squeeze of lemon on fish, wine enhances and amplifies food flavors. When combining foods and wines, the goal is to create some kind of synergy. In order to properly experience this synergy you must taste the food and wine simultaneously, by combining the food and wine in your mouth at the same time. This way, you taste a much more complex experience, which can be expressed by the business formula for synergy: 1 + 1= 3

Think of it this way: you wouldn't eat your fish and then, because you forgot to squeeze some lemon juice on it, pick up that slice of lemon and squeeze it in your mouth, that would be silly. What's interesting to me is to watch people dining in restaurants. Most eat their steak and then reach for that Cabernet to wash it down, treating wine like a beverage. In order to see the magic created by "food wines" you need to take a tiny sip of wine while the food is in your mouth to get the full effect. Do you put steak and mashed potatoes on the same fork sometimes? It's the same thing.

What are food wines? I feel that the best wines for food compatibility possess lively acidity, little — if any, oak, ripe fruit and soft, if any, tannin. Sauvignon Blancs from Sancerre, New Zealand, South Africa and some Californians are a good start. Dry German Riesling is perhaps the most food friendly white in the world. With the reds I like Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Barbera, and of course, Cabernet Sauvignons (if properly aged). There are many others and books have been written that thoroughly explore this, and some of the best are written by my Master Sommelier colleagues. Evan Goldstein with Daring Pairings and Andrea Robinson with Great Tastes Made Simple are suggested reading.

Food Pairing Suggestions

Pair fruity dishes with wines from New World regions (warmer climates/big fruit) such as California or Australia, or pair earthy dishes (ex: mushrooms, leeks, shallots) with restrained wines from Old World regions such as France, Spain or Italy. When foods and wines are paired well, essentially the food makes the wine taste better and the wine makes the food taste better.

An Example of a Perfect Meal

I enjoy a warm plate of spaghetti (cooked al dente (4-5] minutes) served with a great Bolognese sauce. To me, a great Bolognese sauce is complex containing pancetta, onions, garlic, celery, thyme, oregano, nutmeg, ground veal or beef, sausage, acidic tomatoes, fresh flat leaf parsley and topped with freshly grated 2- to 3-year old Parmesan cheese. With this, I serve a great Chianti Classico (Fontodi, Monsanto etc.) at 62 degrees in a delicate crystal glass. Then I have a simple salad of chopped Romaine lettuce (chilled in an ice bath for 5 minutes and spun in a salad spinner to dry). This salad I dress with a light shallot vinaigrette (no balsamic) and nothing else. I have them served simultaneously so that I can take a bite of the spaghetti and just as I swallow it I follow that immediately with some crisp cold salad. I then sip that acidic Chianti Classico, again with some spaghetti and I am in heaven. I go back and forth combining these ingredients until I feel their explosive contrasting flavors are beginning to wane, then on to dessert before my appetite fades.

Other Classic Pairings to Remember

Champagne & Caviar

The rich mousse in Champagne balances off the brininess of the caviar quite nicely. The bubbles also will echo the shape and mouth feel of caviar on the palate. A classic caviar accompaniment is crème fraiche, and blinis. The acidity in Champagne will cut through the creaminess like a warm knife through butter, and the toasty note of Champagne will mimic the blini. Not to mention it's pairing a luxury item with a luxury item.

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