Wine, as a topic, is vast and varied.
From grape varieties and oak barrels to winemaking techniques with names that sound as if they’ve been ripped straight from an A-Level chemistry textbook, there’s a lot to process. Despite this, for most, the task of finding wines appealing for casual drinking is one accomplished without too much difficulty. If all that’s required is appealing flavour and satisfaction, then I wouldn’t recommend losing any sleep over choosing between the Malbec and Merlot. However, it is when another variable, namely food, is introduced that the decision of what to drink can become far more difficult. Selecting a wine for drinking is easy, enjoyable even, but what on earth would work well with the menu I have planned?
Whether the dish being served is a hearty piece of grilled meat or a fresh and zingy medley of fish and vegetables, there is no denying that it can be difficult to know what would best complement what you’ve put so much effort into cooking. Perhaps somewhat intuitively, many people would avoid pairing fish and red wine, and would steer clear of anything white if serving up a steak. That being said, the ability to understand how the flavour of food interacts with the flavours of wine is a skill useful for both hosting and dining out, and a surefire way to impress while elevating the experience as a whole. As indicated by the title of this piece, there is no exact science to pairing food and wine; it is very much an art with myriad peculiar edge cases that work in mysterious ways. There are, however, some basic rules that you can follow to guide you along the right lines when it comes to selecting a bottle that will suit whatever food takes your fancy.
Sweet Dishes
To start, a rather logical proposition: sweet dishes pair well with sweet wines. While this may seem facile, there is good reasoning behind this in that pairing a sweet dish with a dry wine will often make the wine seem far more acidic and far less fruity. Instead, the obvious pairing is the correct one.A dessert wine, port a or even an off-dry white wine is the right call here. However, this still leaves a world of possibilities! For dishes rich in chocolate a deep tawny port or a Pedro Ximénez sherry can be a dream pairing, whereas for desserts with more of a fruity sweetness a classic dessert wine along the lines of Sauternes or Tokaji would be more appropriate.
Salty Foods
The classic pairing of wine with cured meats, cheeses and olives doesn’t exist simply to push the lush image of Mediterranean life. Admittedly, saying that a good portion of my charcuterie experience doesn’t consist of dreaming about being somewhere other than England would be an outrageous lie, but there is also a good reason why charcuterie and wine work so well together: salt. Salt works to soften the body of a wine, also making the tannins in many red wines more palatable and less overwhelming, allowing the flavours of the wine to sing. Wine and salty foods are a near-perfect combination, so the possibilities are vast, but large, full-bodied reds can really shine here if the strength of the dish can take it – think Aussie Shiraz or Barolo. If the flavours are more delicate, then consider a lighter red such as a Pinot Noir or Beaujolais.
Fat-heavy Foods
If the topic of discussion is cheese and charcuterie, it would be remiss to not use the opportunity to explore how wine can affect our perception of food. While it is tempting to think solely of how the wine will be enjoyed when deciding on a potential pairing, it is important to remember that both wine and meal are intended to be enjoyed in tandem, and thus should elevate one another. Fattiness in food can be decadent, deeply enjoyable and is a real hallmark of classical French cuisine especially. Even so, a large amount of fat in a dish can be overwhelming, and a wine pairing can be an effective tool to prevent this. Taking a crisp, acidic Sauvignon Blanc is a reliable and satisfying way to cut through a rich, fatty dish, adding balance to the final combination. Additionally, when working with fatty foods, heavy-hitting tannic red wines can be perfect – especially when paired with cheese. The fat in the cheese works with the tannins in the wine to balance out bitterness and give a fuller, less astringent taste to the wine.
Spicy Dishes
There have probably been no great surprises or dilemmas with what we’ve encountered thus far in the world of pairing food and wine: most people are aware of the delicious combination of red wine and mountains of prosciutto. However, in a world where access to so many cuisines is at our fingertips, it is inevitable that at some point you’ll have to reach beyond this and think hard about what to pair with a dish that has a bit of kick. This question in particular brings to mind a particular moment in our wine classes at culinary school, where one of my classmates asked our wine teacher, a lovely (if unconscionably French) lady from Bordeaux, what he should pair with his Saturday night Jalfrezi. Her reply was swift and decisive: Heineken. The problem with chilli heat and wine is that spiciness enhances how we perceive the burning effect of alcohol on the palate, while at the same time reducing a wine’s sweetness and fruity characteristics. Yet, all hope is not lost. Wines that are naturally lower in alcohol, with some residual sweetness and that are best enjoyed cold can be a wonderful pairing for an Asian, Mexican, or Indian dish. Look out for the word “Spätlese” on bottles of German Riesling, indicating a slightly sweet character to the wine. Other off-dry (or demi-sec) wines such as Vouvray can be appealing pairings also.
“Red with meat, white with fish”
This adage has stood the test of time as a reliable approach to pairings, and for the most part it works very well. Regardless, there is always room for experimentation, and there are some note-worthy pairings that break this rule-of-thumb that could bring new perspectives to how we perceive meat and fish. The first point to establish is that there is much internal diversity within the categories of “meat” and “fish”: it would be ridiculous to approach a delicate piece of hake in the same manner as a piece of salmon, just as it would be to treat beef and pork as identical. Just as a pork chop may go exceptionally well with a full-bodied white, such as a Chardonnay, there are certain fish that can stand up to lighter red wines. Meaty white fish, such as monkfish or haddock, can go very well with a light Pinot Noir or Chianti Classico, as they are substantial enough to not be overpowered by the tannins and flavour of the wine. As a rule, I would avoid pairing even the lightest of red wines with oily fish, such as trout or salmon, but with their white counterparts it can be an exciting way to bring a new perspective to fish by thinking about it more like meat.
Pairing food and wine can be a daunting task, made no easier by the large array of choices presented to us in supermarkets and wine retailers alike. As alluded to in the title of this piece, it is very much an art, not an exact science; use the basic principles given here, but experiment! Trial and error is the best way to approach a topic such as this, especially when taste and what constitutes a good pairing can be so subjective. Whether planning a dinner party, a pot-luck dinner with friends or simply wanting to impress when dining out, having the basics of wine pairing under your belt affords a degree of confidence when picking wine, and a deeper appreciation of two of life’s simple pleasures.