Wine pairing
There is no doubt a successful match between food and wine makes a meal even more special. As in a matrimony, in the combination of food and drink there are compatibilities, disagreements and situations that may turn this relationship into a success or a failure.
When we think about wine pairing, we need to take into account our experience and the consumer habits of each person involved in the process. In the case of a sommelier – the professional responsible for recommending drinks to customers in a restaurant -, it is compulsory to have a vast knowledge of wine and drinks in general – alcoholic and non-alcoholic – and also gastronomy, since it is pratically impossible to recommend a successful matching if you don´t know about the flavors involved in a certain dish.
We can say there are three basic wine pairing levels, as follows:
The first one is the one that results from the combination of the characteristics of both the wine and the dish, developing a unique and strong component, enriching the meal. This is what we can call the perfect match.
The second level is when the matching which occurs is good, there is no loss nor negative alterations on the flavors, although the enrichment which happens in the first case does not happen here.
The third one is the one in which losses or alterations are suffered. For example, a strong wine may cover up more delicate flavors from a dish and vice-versa. It is pretty common for us to feel a bitter or acid taste, a fact which can become aggressive to our palate. When this occurs, we run the risk of evaluating either the dish or the wine wrongly.
Personal taste, though, should always be taken into account – even though we can technically explain why some types of food are not the best ones to combine with wine. In order for a good combination to happen, it is compulsory to comprehend the wine pairing concepts, the balance of aromas and tastes. The thing here is: it is not only the quality of the wine that matters. We also need to have a harmonic dish, with flavors and ingredients successfully balanced. That should be the main idea of a good cook while preparing the food.
Besides the dish, we also need to be able to get a nice wine, with all its components and aroma combining among each other – a quality factor for every bottle. And last but not least, matching both food and drink with the goal of reaching a meal´s peak.
Can all foods sucessfully match with wine?
This is a common question and one which may offer different answers. Let´s analyse it quickly. First, talking about ´all foods´ seem to be a bit over-the-top. There are several items we do not know, condiments and spices foreign to our palate. Then, ´successfully match with wine´ refers – obviously – to a successful pairing. Remember the three classifications I talked about previously. Some matches might be part of the third option and carry losses and negative alterations along.
All wines can and deserve to be served with good dishes, but not all dishes should or can be combined with wine. Some might find a better partnership in other drinks, although the vast majority could be matched with wines fairly well.
If we pay attention it is possible to see that, in the case of typical dishes from a reagion where there is no wine cultivation, it is probable that this pairing does not exist. What happens is what we call regional matching, which combines the typical dish with the region´s typical drink – which is not necessarily wine.
Changes and/or tendencies
Each day people are looking more and more into a healthy eating habit, which include light dishes, thin meat, a less caloric meal. All this is reflected in restaurant menus and makes full-bodied red wines, very intense and marked with notes from aging in oak barrels, remain sidelined for good matching. Thus white wines and rosés are gaining ground, as are most appropriate to follow that kind of food. It is worth mentioning sparkling wines, which have undergone significant growth not only as a festive drink, but as an option to accompany any meal.
My recommendation, in any way, is that we should indeed pay attention to wine pairing, once it can turn our mealtimes into much more pleasurable moments.
When we think about wine pairing, we need to take into account our experience and the consumer habits of each person involved in the process. In the case of a sommelier – the professional responsible for recommending drinks to customers in a restaurant -, it is compulsory to have a vast knowledge of wine and drinks in general – alcoholic and non-alcoholic – and also gastronomy, since it is pratically impossible to recommend a successful matching if you don´t know about the flavors involved in a certain dish.
We can say there are three basic wine pairing levels, as follows:
The first one is the one that results from the combination of the characteristics of both the wine and the dish, developing a unique and strong component, enriching the meal. This is what we can call the perfect match.
The second level is when the matching which occurs is good, there is no loss nor negative alterations on the flavors, although the enrichment which happens in the first case does not happen here.
The third one is the one in which losses or alterations are suffered. For example, a strong wine may cover up more delicate flavors from a dish and vice-versa. It is pretty common for us to feel a bitter or acid taste, a fact which can become aggressive to our palate. When this occurs, we run the risk of evaluating either the dish or the wine wrongly.
Personal taste, though, should always be taken into account – even though we can technically explain why some types of food are not the best ones to combine with wine. In order for a good combination to happen, it is compulsory to comprehend the wine pairing concepts, the balance of aromas and tastes. The thing here is: it is not only the quality of the wine that matters. We also need to have a harmonic dish, with flavors and ingredients successfully balanced. That should be the main idea of a good cook while preparing the food.
Besides the dish, we also need to be able to get a nice wine, with all its components and aroma combining among each other – a quality factor for every bottle. And last but not least, matching both food and drink with the goal of reaching a meal´s peak.
Can all foods sucessfully match with wine?
This is a common question and one which may offer different answers. Let´s analyse it quickly. First, talking about ´all foods´ seem to be a bit over-the-top. There are several items we do not know, condiments and spices foreign to our palate. Then, ´successfully match with wine´ refers – obviously – to a successful pairing. Remember the three classifications I talked about previously. Some matches might be part of the third option and carry losses and negative alterations along.
All wines can and deserve to be served with good dishes, but not all dishes should or can be combined with wine. Some might find a better partnership in other drinks, although the vast majority could be matched with wines fairly well.
If we pay attention it is possible to see that, in the case of typical dishes from a reagion where there is no wine cultivation, it is probable that this pairing does not exist. What happens is what we call regional matching, which combines the typical dish with the region´s typical drink – which is not necessarily wine.
Changes and/or tendencies
Each day people are looking more and more into a healthy eating habit, which include light dishes, thin meat, a less caloric meal. All this is reflected in restaurant menus and makes full-bodied red wines, very intense and marked with notes from aging in oak barrels, remain sidelined for good matching. Thus white wines and rosés are gaining ground, as are most appropriate to follow that kind of food. It is worth mentioning sparkling wines, which have undergone significant growth not only as a festive drink, but as an option to accompany any meal.
My recommendation, in any way, is that we should indeed pay attention to wine pairing, once it can turn our mealtimes into much more pleasurable moments.
Author : Mario R. Leonardi
Posted in: 10/16/2017
Last modified: 11/27/2017
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