Wine and food pairings

[Binky Profile]

Do you do this? I must confess that we don't bother too much and just pick a wine vaguely suited. For instance, we are having a St Emilion tonight with a mild veggie Quorn chilli.

I would like to know more because I am sure there is a whole world of pleasure to be had with the right wines, but we never seem to get round to evening classes or youtubes that may educate us.

[Pampy Profile]

I rarely drink white wine (apart from Champagne) only red, I think because I started my wine drinking life in Italy and at the time, the whites were usually of rather dubious quality!
I haven't eaten red meat for over 50 years so it's not really possible, in the accepted sense, to pair a wine with what I'm eating but I still enjoy a good red with poultry or fish. I'm not very adventurous in the countries that produce the wine that I buy - it's usually always French or Italian. Having said that, I bought a red from Chile a while ago and thoroughly enjoyed it so in future, I might branch out a bit in my choices.

[WhitefieldFoodie Profile]

Very rarely do I do it for me and Tiff. If we are having a dinner party I tend to try and match drinks in general, not just wine.

Spicy food gets a oaky white, light/peppery red or beer.

Red meat gets red.

White meat and fish gets white or dry cider.

Basically I am easy

[Binky Profile]

that's what I'm trying to get at - it used to the 'received wisdom' that you had white wine with fish or poultry.

We've had red on many occasions with a fish dinner and haven't noticed a flavour problem (supposed to be metallic). Maybe it's the way you cook the fish? Our favourite is Mediterranean Fish Stew (like a bouillabaisse) with lots of tomatoes and garlic, so a red copes well with that.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I think the metallic thing comes when you pair a slightly tannic red with an oily fish certainly smoked salmon and fairly heavy duty red wines can be a bit “off” - I’ve done that accidentally when offered a canapé having started on red . But I notice that experts often recommend a relatively light red with salmon and tuna

I’d go a bit further than red or white, and would try to match on style and/or grape variety.

But it’s down to personal taste - for example I know many people who’d go for a Syrah / Shiraz with very spicy food on the grounds that it “stands up” to the strong flavours of Thai and Indian food, but I prefer a reasonably robust white such as South African Chenin Blanc, or dry Australian Riesling.

If in doubt with oriental food Alsace wine or Grüner Veltliner

I’ve mentioned Fiona Beckett’s Matching Food and Wine site before, it’s good and now has a Facebook page too
You can search by wine or by food, which is fun
https://www.matchingfoodandwine.com/

[Binky Profile]

That is an excellent website. I've bookmarked it.

[Joanbunting Profile]

The year M and I finished our post-grad studies we decided to take a course in something completely none accademic - or so we thought. We started on a wine appreciation course at Newcastle University. We got to be very good friends with the tutor, another Francophile who was in the process of completeing a Master of Wine qualification.

We continued with the intermediate course and then the advanced and, in the end were asked to take over some of the more basic courses ourselves. We were also founder members of the wonderfully named North East England Wine Tasting Society - or NEWTS.

Since coming to live here though we have lost touch with much of the rest of the wines of the world although we do love to do a bit of catching up in UK and Italy.

To cut a long story we do care about matching food and wine enjoyable . To do so , just as in cooking you need a good taste memory. So you need to remember what various wines taste and feel like and try to find which matches best with the food you are about to eat.

These days I have a problem. I adore red wine but certain grape varies do not like me one bit and red wine in hot weather is a big mistake. I save it for one glass of really good red in the autumn and winter with deeply flavoured game. I have had certain red wines with some fish dishes in the past but I would not drink it with Mediterranean fish dishes.

Some good retaurants here serve red wine slightly chilled in the summer so every scrap of tastes and aroma doesn't vansh into the ether.
There are some good sites on line to point you in the right direction and there always used to be lots of courses on offer.

Most important, if you like a combination then drink it. No crime will be committed but you could be missing out on something even better.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

We went to a lovely restaurant in Chinon on the Loire about 15 years ago

They had 2 wine fridges - one for white wines, at 7-8 C and one for reds at 11-12 C

That’s something to look out for, most whites are best drunk at 8C not the usual fridge temperature of 4C. But restaurants now nearly all serve at 4C as know-it-all’s kept demanding their wine “properly cold” as they had it at home. It warms up fast enough in your hand

We had a glass of Loire white with the starter and a bottle of chilled Bourgeuil with the rest of the meal

Wonderful, the restaurant seems to have closed not long after

[Alexandria Profile]

In my opinión, especially here in the Mediterranean countries, where we have a strong wine and food culture,
we are quite well versed in wines and food pairing. It is like cooking. Essentials if you want to eat and drink intelligently.

My suggestion is to take a wine course. It is extremely fascinating and shall provide you with the
essentials not only in wine and food pairing, however, the grapes, the aromas, the world´s
desginations of wines, and the processes involved in making wine.

[Pampy Profile]

I fully understand and appreciate the concept of pairing wine with food and agree that it can pay to learn and try something new but in the end, surely it comes down to personal preference? No two palates are the same. I find it most distasteful (pun intended!), arrogant and highly unnecessary when people look down their nose at someone who prefers to drink wine that may not be considered to be a natural pairing for the food they are eating.

[karadekoolaid Profile]

When I´m cooking for others ( or cooking for an event), I always suggest a wine which would enhance, or complement, the food I´m cooking. That doesn´t necessarily mean that my clients take my advice, but well...
Wines over this side of the pond are very different from over there. Carmenère, Malbec, Merlot, Torrontés are the norm, rather than Burgundy, Beaujolais, Chianti and Tempranillo, because many of the ancient French grapes were shipped to Chile and Argentina in the 19th Century but did not survive the terrible blight in France, and therefore disappeared from Europe.
When I´m cooking spicy food, I always recommend South American Syrah (or shiraz). I´ve tried Australian and Californian versions and find them far too sweet and overpowering. That´s what my sommelier buddies told me. However, I find a Merlot goes equally well, as does a young Sauvignon Blanc AND a Portuguese Vinho Verde.
Given the current situation here, though, I´m happy if there´s any wine at all.

[Joanbunting Profile]

Of course you can drink what you like but sometimes you don't have enough knowledge to know if that really is the best wine to match the food you are boing served. There is absolutely no harm in asking advice and, if it is a good restaurant and sommelier you will often be given a taste of the suggested wine before deciding.

This was brought home on our 25th wedding meal which was in a 3 star resaurant near here. Te food was fabulous and very local and we talked to the sommelier about the wines to choose he was lovely but not at all impressed by a large table of Japanese guests at the next table who looked at the wine list first and chose the most expensive bottles - several thousand frances worth which were completely inappropriate with the delicious food. I seem to remeber a Chateau d'Yquem with lamb, sweet white wine - lovely but in those circumstances and severla bottles of a top top Burgundy with the river fish. He just kept raising his eyebrows though, in fairness, he did try to disuade them. At the end he brought us two lovely cognacs and said they had made a great deal of money for the restaurant so we deserved some of the profit because we knew what we were doing. Very pleasing!

[Lusciouslush Profile]

There is nothing worse or more boring than a wine snob - it is not painting-by-numbers, but most definitely personal preference & experience.

The Lushly knows his wines thank gawd & can't be 'palmed off' as can so happen in high end resto's with a sommelier who is up himself ...….. so to speak!!!


Some of the new wines from unexpected suprising areas are extraordinary.

[Pampy Profile]

Of course you can drink what you like but sometimes you don't have enough knowledge to know if that really is the best wine to match the food you are boing served. There is absolutely no harm in asking advice and, if it is a good restaurant and sommelier you will often be given a taste of the suggested wine before deciding.

Yes, that's what I said (...agree that it can pay to learn and try something new ...).

[karadekoolaid Profile]

Totally agree, Joan.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Sommeliers are trained to match food with wine, and if there´s a Sommelier available, I would always consult.
I`m not an expert by any means; but I do have a lot of Sommelier friends. Their advice is always sound.