Become a Wine Matchmaker
By Susan L Richards, CSW
I love working at a small boutique wine shop in downtown Boston and the best part of my day is when a customer asks for help pairing a wine to a dish they are planning to make and sometimes for an entire meal, from appetizer to dessert.
The conversation usually starts with “I’m making a roast lamb and would like help picking out a wine that will complement the dish” and I always reply with “how do you plan to cook it? What kind of seasoning are you using? Is there a sauce on it? “ Because how a food is being prepared is what informs me as to what wine will be best to drink with the meal. Usually, after a few more questions, we find the perfect match and I send another happy customer out the door.
But you may ask yourself does wine really enhance or diminish the flavor of a food? The simple answer is yes. To start, keep in mind that in general the flavors of food have a greater impact on how a wine will taste than the other way around and frequently it is a negative effect. In general foods that are high in acidity (tomatoes), or salt (cured meat) enhances the flavors in wine, whereas sweet or umami flavors (mushrooms, asparagus) can spoil it.
But do not stress about if you are serving the right wine with your meal. Just follow a few basic guidelines and you can become a food and wine matchmaker too. Here they are.
Balance the Acid:
Acidity in food brings out the fruitiness and body of a high acid wine, like a Pinot Grigio or Pinot Noir. A good example is tomato sauce balances the acid in a Chianti Classico and is why Italian food pairs so well with Italian wine.
Cut the Fat with Acid:
Fatty foods make high acid wines taste less acidic, softer, and more fruit forward. Wine with good acidity also provides an appealing mouth feel of cutting through the richness of a high fat dish, cleansing the palate, and leaving the eater wanting another bite. Think of something like a juicy steak with Bearnaise sauce and a Cabernet Sauvignon.
Salt Loves Wine:
Salt is very wine friendly and, like acid in food, enhances the wine’s body while decreasing the perception of bitterness, astringency, and acidity. Try potato chips with a bottle of sparkling wine and you will get the idea.
Sweet Food with Sweeter Wine:
Sweetness in food can make a dry wine bitter and astringent and decrease the perception of body and fruitiness resulting in an unpleasant after taste. Champagne and cake may sound good together but unless it is a demi sec Champagne or sweeter version it will fall flat. A good rule of thumb is when a dish contains sugar to select a wine with a higher level of sweetness to serve with it.
Food with Heat:
Hot and spicy dishes can increase the feeling of alcohol burn and heighten the perception of bitterness and acidity of a wine while also decreasing the body, richness, and fruit flavors. This effect is greater when the food is consumed with high alcohol wines versus those lower in alcohol. For spicy cuisine like Thai or Indian choose a mineral driven Alberino or an off dry Chenin Blanc.
Congruent and Contrasting Food and Wine Pairings:
A congruent pairing creates an amplification of the shared flavor compounds in a food and wine, for example buttered popcorn with an oaky buttery chardonnay. A contrasting pairing brings together foods that complement each other, like the salty and sweet combination of blue cheese and Ruby Port.
Lastly also match the intensity of the flavors of a dish and how heavy it is with that of the wine to be served. For example, a Sauvignon Balance with sautéed flounder and a Cote du Rhone with a hearty stew.