Vines & Vittles

with John Brown

Matching Wine and Food: From Aardvark To Zinfandel

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Try blue cheese with Port and Zinfandel.

You may have noticed that I rarely write about wine without mentioning what I consider a complementing dish. In my humble estimation, drinking a glass of wine without food is like listening to a concert while wearing ear muffs. This is particularly true for red wine where the not-so-subtle flavors and harsh tannins can assault the palate and literally leave a bad taste in your mouth. But add a matching dish and the wine, like the music, reaches its full sensory potential.

This is usually a good thing — however, it can just as easily be a disaster if you pick a clashing food-and-wine combination. Today, I’m going to suggest some favorite wine and food pairings and, conversely, a few to avoid. Like all subjective endeavors, these recommendations are tainted by my own quirky tastes for which I make no apologies. How’s that for a disclaimer? While I have on occasion experimented with some rather exotic pairings (i.e., Gruner Veltliner with curried aardvark, Brunello Di Montalcino with deviled wolf pancreas, etc. ), I will confine my suggestions to more conventional, if prosaic, food and wine matches.

And while there is some legitimacy to the old adage of ‘red wine with red meat’ and ‘white wine with fish and white meat,’ pairing food and wine in this manner is kind of boring. It ignores some exciting possibilities. So how do you make good judgments on pairing food and wine when the answers are not obvious? Well, you can rely on “experts” to provide advice and/or you can use common sense and be adventurous. Here are some tips that may help you out if you choose to go it alone.

PERFECT MATCH: Are there any nearly perfect food and wine matches? How about a full-bodied, rich red wine such as Cabenet Sauvignon, with grilled or roasted beef steak? One of my all-time favorite meals is marinated and grilled rib-eye steak smothered in sautéed onions and mushrooms, washed down with a Napa Cabernet such as Groth, Louis Martini or Silver Oak. Another almost perfect combo is to pair a Chardonnay or White Burgundy with lobster and drawn butter. The richness of the lobster along with the oiliness of the butter is married spectacularly well to the ripe, tropical and butterscotch flavors of a full-bodied chardonnay.

NOT SO PERFECT: While there would be virtually no disagreement on the above two food and wine pairings, more generalized statements can be dead wrong. For example, if you assume chardonnay is always the best choice with lobster and drawn butter, or that all cabernet is perfect with steak you’d be making a big mistake. Here’s why: a Chardonnay from Chablis in France is usually austere with crisp acidity and mineral qualities. It is best paired with oysters and plainly cooked seafood. It would be overwhelmed if matched with lobster and drawn butter. The same goes for pairing an older Cabernet or Bordeaux with a grilled steak. The Cabernet or Bordeaux develop layers of delicate flavors and aromas over the years that would be destroyed by, say, a grilled strip steak.

BALANCING ACT: Think of the flavor, texture and weight of the food and wine pairing. You wouldn’t logically pair a full-flavored red wine with a delicate broiled seafood such as Dover Sole. Think about it. The flavors, textures and weight are all out of balance. Try a delicate White Bordeaux, an Italian Pinot Grigo or Soave or a Washington State Semillon.

ACID TEST: Here’s the closest to an absolute wine and food no-no: vinaigrette salad with any wine. Why? The vinegar based dressing clashes with the acid in wine and destroys the flavors of both the salad and wine. Creamy or cheese dressings work fine with Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling or Viognier, but nothing works with vinaigrette. Well, maybe an inexpensive sparkler with lots of fizz.

TIME FOR A CHANGE: Here’s one to break the rules. Try a Pinot Noir, Chianti, or even Beaujolais with grilled salmon, tuna or chicken. Pinot Noir also pairs greatly with spicy foods, particularly Southwestern fare. Ditto, Gewurztraminer. It goes especially nice with Asian dishes, especially Thai food.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER: Roasted turkey can handle just about any white or red, but I particularly like Rhone wines, Alsatian Pinot Gris and Merlot-based Bordeaux with the “national bird.”

SWEET, CHEESY IDEAS: Chocolate desserts just love – are you ready for this – Cabernet Sauvignon. Ices and sorbets are great with Muscat and sweet sparkling wines. Try blue cheese with Port and Zinfandel. Sweet late harvest Riesling and Sauterne with, believe it or not, liver pates are also odd couple pairings.

So now that you have a few suggestions, go out, be adventuresome and try some of these tasteful experiments. Report back. And with regard to the aforementioned aardvark and wolf dishes- Forgetaboutit!


Comments

5 responses to “Matching Wine and Food: From Aardvark To Zinfandel”

  1. cflaherty Avatar
    cflaherty

    John, I couldn’t agree more that pinot noir goes great with grilled tuna. In Feb. of 2006 we were in Durango, CO for a ski vacation. We went out to dinner at a great little place and my wife ordered seared tuna which was served on a bed of smashed sweet potatoes. I cannot recall what I had, but we decided that a bottle of pinot noir would bridge the gap between the two dishes. The pinot went very well with both, however as strange as it may sound I have never (to this day) tasted a better pairing than the pinot with the sweet potatoes! They complimented each other so well, we were in awe! Do you have any reasoning for this?

  2. Colin: Pinot Noir is a wonderful accompaniment to spicy and sweet foods so it’s not surprising that it complemented the smashed sweet potatoes so well. I can’t help but wondering, though, if the sweet potatoes were the only items smashed at that dinner!Just kidding. Anyway, that’s the fun of food and wine pairing – if you’re willing to be adventuresome, you sometimes discover some really great combos.

  3. Grant Crandall Avatar
    Grant Crandall

    Like Gewurtz, we really love an off-dry (typically German) rieslings with Asian or other spicey (even Indian) food. Roses and rose sparklers such as rose cava are excellent with a wide range of foods in much the same manner as the pinot noirs. Anyway, we appreciate your blog from over here in Fairfax, Va.;keep up the fine work.

  4. Hi Grant: As far as Rieslings, you need to try the Alsatian versions if you haven’t yet sampled them. Delicious! Look for Schlumberger, Hugel, Trimbach or Sparr wines.
    As you no doubt know,your stomping grounds (N. Va. & DC Metro) is a virtual mecca of food and wine. I was just there and plan a blog/column on eating and sipping in DC. If you haven’t been there, go up Wisconsin Ave. to Pearson’s Liquor – its a great place to find a your favorite wine. The staff, though, is what makes the place and they will let you taste just about any wine you want. Cheers

  5. Grant Crandall Avatar
    Grant Crandall

    We have tried quite a few Alstian rieslings as well as plenty of other dry whites from the area. We agree that they are typically excellent.

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