Basic Knowledge for Wine and Food Pairings

Gleaned from Wine Secrets by Marnie Old

      With any other beverage the answer would be to drink what you like.  And, to a large degree, the same holds true with wine.  But there's a catch.  Wine has an unusually mercurial nature when it comes to pairing: It changes personality in the presence of food.  Every bite of food we put in our mouths alters how we perceive the next taste, and this phenomenon occurs more dramatically with wine than with other beverages.  It may seem strange, but wines you love to drink alone may fall flat when served with certain dishes.  The reverse is also true:  Wines you dislike on the first sip may become gastronomic delights in the right food context.  No wonder we all want pairing advice from those in the know.
    
      Sommeliers and wine professionals know a thing or two about wine and food chemistry that can help unlock a world of new pairing possibilities.  When the right wine meets the right dish, time can slow and even stop for a moment.  Yet, everyone's tastes in food and wine are different.  Classic combinations: such as Champagne and caviar may be largely valid.  But, creativity in pairing food and wine can be pure epicurean fun.  For example, think about wine in terms of its basic characteristics - such as acidity, oak, tannin, sugar, and alcohol - rather than worrying about specific aromatics, like citrus, green herbs, raspberries, or mushrooms.  Orient to the food in the same way, considering the impact of preparation and seasoning on overall flavor, not just whether the central protein is fish or fowl, meat or vegetable.  Sommeliers tend to work from a checklist of priorities rather than a database of platonic pairing ideals. 
    
     The more varied the food, the less "specific" the wine needs to be.  If only one wine must cover everything from salad to steak, a lighter red will work better than a heavy one and a richer white will be more versatile than a delicate one.  If the wine choice will be driven by a single dish consider all the ingredients. Then, evaluate the method of preparation, such as, grilled, smoked, better wine choices for charcoal and flavorful woods would be bold and intense. Serving items raw, steamed, poached, or boiled; would balance with lighter wines.  And, sautéing, deep frying, baking, and stir frying are medium preparations that can alter flavor but not excessively and can handle more flavor intensity and complexity in a wine partner.
    
     Wine isn't rocket science, and our familiarity with food can help us grasp complex wine concepts.  People instinctively think of salads as being lighter than soups and seafood as lighter than red meat.  This is driven by fat content and flavor impact (aka - weight and intensity).  Therefore, oily avocado feels heavier than asparagus, and flavor-dense venison seems stronger than veal. Richness also boosts perceived intensity, so the fattiest foods will seem bolder in flavor than blue cheese.  Where fats feel rich and boost flavor in food, alcohol plays a similar role in wine.  The wines with the highest alcohol are richest in texture and will often be the most concentrated in flavor.