Friday, July 8, 2011

Five “Go To” Methods of Food & Wine Pairing that just DON’T MISS!


When I talk with an event planner, chef, or even my family about pairing up food and wines for whatever the special occasion, I first start by asking good questions…
  • Is it a daytime event or an evening event?
  • Are you going to have a cocktail hour or might there be a silent auction that you want people to look at?
  • What is your theme for the night, casino; masquerade ball, Italian castle, a night in Paris?
  • Will you be inside or outside (and accordingly what is the temperature / season of year)?
  • How many courses are you serving and what type of staff and what do you want to be the focal point of the dinner, the food, the wine, both?
  • What is the main course?
Answers to questions like these will help you move forward and narrow down your overall search. Simple knowledge of having a Saturday afternoon grilling party (something similar to a 4th of July event) will sway you towards serving more light alcohol, less tannic wines at the event. At this point, I tend to rule out things more than make choices, for example – I would pass on the Cabernet Sauvignon for my grilling party, most are heavy, higher in alcohol, with oak and tannin and look towards lighter reds like a Pinot Noir, Rioja, Grenache, Barbera or Red Blend.

Back to the Meat & Potatoes – FIVE “Go To” Food & Wine Pairing Tips

  • ONE - MATCH THE WEIGHT – One of the best tactics and the central approach I take to pairing wine with food is to pair and serve lighter wines with more delicate foods and heavier wines with richer, more robust items. This simple approach ensures that neither the food, nor the wine overtakes the other and allows the diner to appreciate the nuances and flavors in everything. A big fan of examples, think about Sea Scallops and Beef Brisket; one is light, one is heavy. I would pair a simple grilled Sea Scallop with a lighter wine such as the Blue Fin Vinho Verde from Northern Portugal. The lime and stone fruit flavors, high acidity & 11% alcohol pair well with a delicate dish. For the Beef Brisket, I would first hope that the grill master used my favorite KC BBQ Sauce in cooking it, Gates Original in slow cooking the beef, and then move to a robust red wine to pair with it, the Caligiore Organic Reserve Syrah would be a nice choice, the spicy notes in the BBQ would bring out more of the white pepper, clove notes in the wine.
Takeaway – Delicate Food = Light Wine; Hearty/Rich Food = Big Robust Wine

  • TWO - LET THE SAUCE SPEAK LOUDLY – The accoutrement sauce to your dish can significantly change the food’s compatibility with wine. A lighter fish like poached sole loves a delicate white wine like a Pinot Grigio but this same fish swimming in a rich, creamy butter sauce or pan fried with a thick batter would become a great candidate for a heavier white wine as in a rich Chardonnay. In many cases I look first at what the sauce is and then find a nice wine to match up to it. One example of this I find is very effective, think Chicken Breast and plan your wine pairing by the sauce. If done in a light lemon sauce with capers this to me screams for medium bodied wines with citrus fruit but a bit of depth, the Castello Di Gabiano Quattro Leoni Monferrato Bianco would be a great choice (Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Coretes Blend). The 2nd chicken breast has been used with a rich cream alfredo sauce to transform a plate of pasta into a hearty meal. I would stick with Californian or New World Chardonnay for this wine pairing, the Marquee Classic Chardonnay a great choice. If you are at home, try using just a bit of your wine in the sauce, most of the alcohol will burn off in the pan and it is another trick to tying your dinner together with flavor!

Takeaway – The Sauce is king, match the flavor and wine to the sauce 1st, the protein – main portion second!
  • THREE - LET OPPOSITES ATTRACT – Think nuts in chocolate or peanut butter and jelly, a great way to find a lovely wine and food pairing is for a flavor or textural contrast to transport a meal to new heights! Contrasts in acidity of a crisp white wine with the grease of fried foods or with the smooth creaminess of soft cheeses are interesting direct pairing. One chef I know makes a delicious pan Fried Chicken that the restaurant has been known to pair up with different types of Sparkling Wine! The acid and fizz in the bubbles help to cut through the grease and cleanse the palate. Likewise, I have had other success with the Grazioso Organic Torrontes from Mendoza Argentina with Tempura fried vegetables; the contrast makes the pairing work. The time honored food and wine pairing of this type I must mention is a late harvest honeyed “dessert wine” such as Sauternes with a salty richness of foie gras or Roquefort cheese!
Takeaway - There are reasons why different sides of a color wheel look good together, this same principal applies with food and wine, just think what you want to Contrast against!
  • FOUR - SPICY FOOD CAN BE TAMED – The key to taming the heat in some spicy foods is to balance that heat with the sweetness found in “Off Dry Wines”. In particular I have found that there is nothing better than a slightly sweet Riesling or Gewurztraminer to tackle mildly hot Asian food. One fondness I have in particular is for Kung Pao Chicken, and the Marquee Classic Riesling from Victoria, Australia is the perfect wine to quench the heat. With a touch of sugar, it pairs well and the acidity allows you to taste more exciting flavors in the Asian fare. If you want to see something that doesn’t work, next time you see somebody with Cajun shrimp, hand them a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, the hot spices make the dry wine seem harsh and metallic and unfortunately the food spicy factor also goes up in the food!
Takeaway – An off dry, low alcohol, white wine like Riesling is the choice for Spicy Ethnic food.

  • FIVE - PEPPER & SEA SALT PACK A GREAT PUNCH – Despite it being a very pungent spice, pepper is far more wine friendly than people give it credit for. A small sprinkling of freshly ground pepper on food will sensitize your taste buds and make many wines taste more vivid and flavorful. As restaurants and home kitchens have access to greater varieties of course salts, such as traditional sea salt, these can also assist in bringing the natural flavor out of your dishes and enhancing the notes you find when pairing with wines.
Takeaway - One or two cracks of the Pepper Shaker or Ground Salts will enhance your meal!

Have a great day!

Christopher J. Cribb, CSW
Managing Director & GM
Marquee Selections - Green, Global, Grapes
1.888.MARQUEE (627.7833)
www.marquee.com