Food & Wine

Harmony
Introduction
Food & Wine Harmony is an art of matching food dishes with proper wines
to enhance the dining experience. This is one of the most difficult jobs for
sommeliers to match perfect wine with a particular food. Most of the wine
critics believe that the most basic characteristic of pairing food and wine
understands the balance between the weight, flavour, and texture of food
and wine, rather than following set rules.
The concept behind matching is that some elements of food and wine
reacts opposite to each other and by balancing the elements will make the
dining experience more enjoyable.
For example, specific wine goes with particular cuisine or food and
white wine with white meat and
red wine with red meat.
History
It is said that, the culture of drinking wine with food is first
found in Italy. They rarely dine without wine. Italians
used to drink local wines with their cuisine, but the
impact of this culture clearly seen on France. French
peoples very much influenced by food and wine pairing,
as France is been known for their best quality grapes
and wines production. They categorized the wine
according to their courses of French classical Menu,
for example, white wine from Alsace region match with
fish preparations and red wine from Bordeaux region pair
with red meat. There are few set rules like traditional rule,
scientific rule, and sensory experience, to pair wine with
food to enhance the dining experience andat the same
time to ease the complicacy of pairing food and wine.
Traditional rule of pairing food and wine is very simple
and had highly followed by most of the sommeliers in
past few years. As the name says traditional rule, it is
simple and old. For example, white wine served chilled
Food and Wine pairing Guidelines
Match a simple wine with a simple dish and complex wines with
more complex foods.
Make sure that you start with lightest wine, and always serve a white
before red, a dry wine before a sweet one, and a young wine before
and old one.
Consider the texture of both the wine and the dish and make sure
that the wine matches the way the dish has been cooked as well as
any sauce that is served with it.
Pay careful consideration to the aromas and tastes of both the wine
and the dish.
A perfect harmony is not always found in good products.
The most important thing is to be innovative and to try, test,
experiment and discuss.

Keep flavors in balance.

Match mild foods with mild wines. Match big, flavorful foods with big, flavorful wines.
(For example, pair a bold-flavored Pepper Steak with a spicy, bold red Zinfandel.)
Similarly you generally want to match the richness of the food and the richness of the
wine.
(For example, pair a rich Chicken in Cream Sauce with a rich Chardonnay.)
.Match Acids with Acids
If you're eating a dish with a strong acidic content
(such as Shrimp with Lemon or Pasta with Tomato Sauce)
pair it with an acidic wine that can keep up with the acids in the food.
Wine and Strong Spices
Strong spices, such as hot chili peppers in some Chinese or Indian food,
can clash and destroy the flavors in a wine. In most cases, wine is not the ideal thing
to drink.
However, if wine is what you must have, consider something spicy and sweet itself
such as an off-dry Gewurtztraminer or Riesling.
When In Doubt...
Remember that foods generally go best with the wines they grew up with.
So if you're eating Italian food, think about having an Italian wine.
This isn't a requirement, but often helps simplify the decision.
Pairing Wine with Indian Food
Gewurztraminer: It literally means spicy grapes in German, is a preferred wine
served with Indian cuisine, especially food rich in herbs, masalas or seasonings,
ginger and cardamom. As noted above, the mildly sweet note in this German wine
helps compliment the spicy food.
Riesling: These are often fruity wines, flavored with apples, plums, peaches that
have high acidic content, and are mildly sweet along with being tart.
Hence, Riesling is the perfect pairing to heavy and rich Indian cuisine.
Rose: These wines are pretty dry, compared to the ones described above, and has
the complexity and weight of a red wine as well as the acidity of a lighter white wine.
Hence it goes great with heavy meat dishes, like lamb or beef.
Champagne: Sparkling wines, like Champagne can be paired with several types
of Indian dishes, including vegetarian. If you have a rich & creamy curry, or
something heavy like paneer and potatoes, Champagne goes well with it, as it offers
a nice change-of-taste due to its bubbly acidic texture.
Pinot Noir: One of the favorites among Red Wines, Pinot Noir is a safe and
appealing choice of wine with Indian food. Mainly available in fruity flavors, this red
wine is smoother and silkier in texture compared to other high-tannin wines. It is also
a wine that goes well with all types of dishes, whether spicy or tangy, chicken,
seafood or veggies or cheese, and is also a great wine to serve to someone whos
new to the world of wines.
Cooking Methods Wine Choices Notes
Poaching or Steaming
Light white wine: Chenin Blanc or
Pinot Grigio. Light fruity red:
Beaujolaise or Grenache rose
Use lighter weight wine, with non
tannin, non acidic and less intense
flavors
Frying
Chardonnay, Riesling or Pinot Noir Best is a wine with some acidity to
contrast with the oils
Grilling
Whites Chardonnay, Full bodied
White Rhone. Reds Pinot, Zin, Merlot,
Cab. W/ Beef Barolo or Syrah from
Rhone
Adds flavor; works well with fruity
oaky reds; Grilled beef needs tannic
wines
BBQ
Roses; Zinfandel, Merlots or New
world Tempranillos
BBQ Sauce adds sweetness; less
tannic reds
Marinades
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc,
Chablis or Fruity Grenaches or
Tempranillos
Marinades usually have strong flavors
and require wines with bold flavors
Roasting
Oaky Chardonnays, Rhone blends or
Gerwurtztraminers. Mourvedre, Syrah,
Grenache, Nebbiolos
Roasting can be complex. Herbs and
spices will determine white or red.
Rosemary and Thyme =reds
Reduction Sauces
Chardonnays and Rieslings
Cabernets and Syrahs
If has powerful flavor need intense
wine; Drink w/ wine sauce is made
with
Braising and Stews
Pinot Noir, Cabernets, Merlots Use the wine used in the stock
Red Wine Sauce
Sangiovese, Cabernets, Pinot Noir Use the wine sauce is made of
Stews w/ beer or stout
Merlot, Beaujolaise, Red Burgundies Use low tannin reds so not to
overpower the beer flavor
Classic Regional wine and food matches
France-Bordeaux
1. Red bordeaux and lamb
2. Sauternes and foie Gras
France-Burgundy
1. Coq au vin and red Burgundy
France-beaujolais
1. Poached pork sausages with warm potatoes bathed in olive oil and shallots and
beaujolais wine
Southern france
Lamb and the rhone wines made from syrah, grenache and Mouvedre
France-loire
Sancerre or pouilly-fume and crottin de Chavignol
Tarte tartin and quarts de chaume
France-Alsace
Pork and game with hearty vegetables, potatoes, cabbages, and onion served with
alsace riesling
Italy-piedmont
White truffle dishes with barbaresco and barolo
Italy-tuscany
Bistecca alla fiorentina and chianti
Spain-Rioja
Wild mushrooms in garlicky olive oil served with red Rioja
Spain-jerez
Garlic shrimp with manzanilla
Spain-Penedes
pan con tomate served with cava
Classic Regional wine and food matches
Portugal
Pot and roasted nuts or cheese
Germany
High-acid riesling and every meat dish imaginable
US-california
Dungeness crab dipped in butter with chardonnay
Zinfandel with grilled anything; Petite Sirah with grilled steak
US-newyork
Hudson valley foie gras and newyork ice wine
Washington
Pacafic Northwest oysters with riesling, semillon or sauvignon Blanc
Classic Regional wine and food matches
Oregon
Pinot noir and wild Pacafic salmon
Canada
Ice wines and desserts
Australia
Grilled pepper steak and Shiraz
New Zealand
New Zealand fusion cuisine with sauvignon Blanc
South africa
Barbecued meat with pinotage and Shiraz
Argentina
Malbec and beef
Classic Regional wine and food matches