Over the course of my career, I have developed a love for the challenge associated with pairing wine with food. Multi-course dinners at a restaurant can involve a myriad of exotic ingredients being used, various cooking methods to consider, people to impress and a budget to work with. It sounds like a daunting task, but if you can remember a few key guidelines you’ll at least know what to avoid. Combine that with an understanding of a handful of red and white wines, and you’re on your way to matching like a pro.
Does every wine have a soul mate in the form of scrumptious calories? Maybe. But just like with people, there’s usually more than one prospective partner with the potential to create a harmonious marriage. Effectively matching food with wine can be a challenge, but even the most lavish or trendy of meals will have a few great options for creating an awesome flavor experience. This is because both food and wine are made up of a combination of structure and flavor elements, and this game is all about how you put these elements together. Let’s first go over what some of the main structure and flavor elements are and then move on to how they may interact with one another (for better or worse).
Tannin: this is a structure element that you’ll find more so in wine than in food, and almost exclusively in red wines. Tannin is what gives your mouth that “shrink-wrap” feeling on the inside. It is a tactile sensation that simply leaves your palate, cheeks and gums feeling dry. Tannins may also leave a bitter aftertaste. Tannins are present in the skins and seeds of grapes and also in the stems of grape clusters. The tannins leach out into the wine during the fermentation process. Tannins may also come from oak barrels during the aging process. Some foods do contain tannin. Examples include unripe fruit, nuts, chocolate and legumes.
Sugar/Sweetness: this is a little more straightforward, and could be considered both a component of structure and flavor. In the context of wine, sweetness represents the amount (or lack thereof) of residual sugar in the wine. Sweetness may make a wine seem more fruity in flavor (although a fruity wine can still be dry). Grapes contain sugar in them at harvest time. During the fermentation process, yeast eats up that sugar and converts it into alcohol. In the case of most table wines, all of that sugar gets fermented out leaving the wine dry. Some wines (like an off-dry Riesling) may be made to intentionally leave some residual sugar in the finished product; a dessert wine (like Port) will have considerable residual sugar. In the case of food, sugar may be added intentionally (like in desserts) or may be present naturally (like in fruit). In wine, the presence of sugar may affect not only the flavor, but also the body (adding richness and weight).
Acidity: this is a major structure element in wine. Acid is what makes something seem tangy. Grapes naturally contain tartaric, malic and citric acid. In wine, acidity adds a refreshing balance to the experience. Think of how a wedge of lemon makes that bitter, tannic iced tea taste better. There is acid present in most foods as well. Fruit (especially tomatoes) and vinegar are common high-acid ingredients in meals.
Alcohol: this is a structure element specific to (you guessed it!) wine. Wines have varying levels of alcohol; the final level of alcohol in a wine can be affected by a number of things. In general, the higher the level of sugar in grapes at harvest time, the higher the final alcohol level will be. Some winemakers choose to leave residual sugar in their wines, which generally means the alcohol level will be slightly lower. Some wines (like Port) are fortified with a neutral grape spirit during the fermentation process, which results in high alcohol and high sugar levels. In wine, alcohol may lend either a sweet or bitter note. There is also a direct correlation between the body of a wine and the alcohol level. Lower alcohol wines will feel light and delicate on the palate. High alcohol wines will feel rich and heavy.
Saltiness: this is a flavor element present in food. Saltiness is not present in wines. In the case of food, salt will coax out more flavor and prevent a dish from seeming bland. Some foods (like olives or shellfish) may naturally have a salty, briny character to them.
Spice: this is another flavor element present mostly in food, but some wines may have characteristics of spice as well. Spice may relate to something with heat (like chili peppers) or it may relate to seasonings like pepper, cinnamon, clove, et cetera. Either way, it’s an important element to consider when pairing wine with food.
Fat: this is sort of a flavor and structure element specific to food. Fat makes food taste better, while also adding weight, richness and sometimes oiliness to a dish. Think of a marbleized steak, a fatty oily fish; or think of how ingredients like butter, avocado and olive oil change a dish.
Oak: this is a flavor element present in wine, predominantly in reds. Oak may literally lend a woody taste to wine, but may also impart vanilla, coconut, dill or sweet spices to the finished product.
Leather, kumquat, rosewater: these are examples of a great number of flavor and aroma elements in wine that may be perceived or interpreted by the taster. Think of things like this as expressions of the wine. Each taster will pick up on something different. While these expressions are worth considering, I personally would argue to consider them second after considering structure.
Now that we’ve broken down some of the most important things to consider when matching vino with cibo, let’s talk about how these elements tend to interact with each other.
Acid is arguably the most important thing to evaluate when creating food and wine pairings. Wines with notable acidity will be more food friendly. In general, most of the wines out there famous for their acidity are white. High acid wines work particularly well with dishes that also have pronounced acidity, or pronounced fat/richness or saltiness. Let’s look at some examples.
A fish is high in those fatty Omega-3s, making it a great partner for a high acid wine like Sauvignon Blanc (especially with a squeeze of lemon over the fish). The reason this works is that the acid in the wine cuts through the oily richness of the fish, creating balance. It’s a contrast. Throw in that squeeze of lemon I mentioned for extra acidity and now you also have flavors that complement one another. This same concept applies when looking at a garden salad with an olive oil vinaigrette dressing (olive oil=fat, vinaigrette=acid). A high acid wine (Muscadet for example) is the ticket. When looking at dishes with an element of acidity however, it is important that the wine be greater in acid content. If the food’s acidity outweighs the wine, then the wine will end up tasting thin and bland.
What about saltiness? When salt is a prominent character in a dish there are a couple of things to avoid. The flavor of salt is exaggerated by a wine with high tannin, so beware the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon when this is the case. Also, salt will exacerbate the perception of alcohol in a wine. This intensifies the burning sensation you feel in your mouth and throat with a higher alcohol wine. It should be noted that spicy food intensifies the perception of alcohol as well; in fact, a high alcohol wine will make spicy food even hotter creating a less than pleasant experience; so avoid pairing those Mendoza Malbecs with salty, spicy Asian cuisine.
With dishes that are very salty, a high acid wine (acidity to the rescue again) tones down the salty flavor and creates a more harmonious dining experience. A classic example would be sparkling wine and potato chips (or popcorn). Ok, so caviar works very well also. There’s a pairing for every budget. Salty also does well with a wine possessing some sweetness. The pleasures of salty and sweet together are no secret. It’s a beautiful counterbalance. A good example is a pungent, salty bleu cheese paired with Sauternes (a sweet and tart dessert wine from Bordeaux, France). The inherent sweet and tangy attributes of the Sauternes wine are a nice flavor combination in and of itself. Sweetness and acidity together are what makes lemonade so successful.
Moving on to sweetness, I’ve already mentioned that sweetness in wine combined with tangy and/or salty foods is a winner. It also tends to work really well with spicy food (like, chili pepper spicy). Just remember that heat needs sweet. A classic pairing is Thai food with an off-dry Riesling or Gewurztraminer. The residual sugar in these wines, combined with lower alcohol levels, helps to tame the heat. So the next time you find yourself stoking the flames at Buffalo Wild Wings, perhaps consider reaching for a glass of Moscato instead of beer to relieve your pain.
Sweetness in wine combined with sweetness in food can be a bit more challenging. The thing to remember with dessert pairings is that the wine must be sweeter than the dessert, lest the wine end up tasting acrid. This means that wine and chocolate is actually not all the rage. In most cases this pairing ends up being unpleasant, especially since dark chocolate in particular contains tannin. When pairing wine with chocolate, lean towards very rich sweet wines like Port.
A pairing to avoid is a high tannin wine and fish. The oil in fish clashes with the tannin in red wine to create a metallic taste. This doesn’t mean that you can’t pair red wine with fish however. A Pinot Noir is a red wine that naturally has lower levels of tannin, making it a suitable option for fish entrees. In fact, Pinot Noir with salmon is another classic win.
Tannic red wines perform at their best when paired with dishes containing higher fat and protein content (like prime rib) and an element of bitterness to them. Bitterness in food could be anything from grilled/charred meats to arugula. In the case of bitter flavors in food, it complements the bitterness that comes from the tannin in the wine. In the case of fatty red meats, the tannin cuts right through the fat for that counterbalancing effect. This helps explain why big, bold Cabernet Sauvignons are nearly always paired with steak.
Many California wines tend to have elevated levels of alcohol; since alcohol adds weight to a wine you want to make sure you match those high octane wines with heavy dishes. It’s about matching the weight of the food with the weight of the wine (another important consideration). Try pairing a rich and heavy short-rib ragout with a California Zinfandel.
Oaky wines (white or red) also do well with charred/grilled/smoked meats. Again, the flavors are complementary. Nearly all red wines see some oak during the maturation process. In general though, a very oaky wine is not particularly food friendly. Oak flavors in wine can be strong and bitter, easily overwhelming most entrees. Unless carefully matched, I generally prefer to enjoy an oaky wine all by itself.
While this may not serve as a comprehensive guide on perfectly pairing wine with food, I hope to have displayed the fundamental building blocks for creating amazing dining experiences (whether you are at home or fine dining downtown). The things I’ve listed here are some of the most important things to consider. First, assess the structure of the food and wine, then move on from there. There are a lot of different approaches. You can contrast flavors/structure or complement them. In most cases, I prefer to contrast structure elements but complement flavor elements. Just remember to always look out for the attributes that stick out the most in both the food and the wine. The point is, learn what works and then play from there. Possibilities are endless.
The Wayward Winerd 