Wine and food pairing
Wine and food pairing is the process of pairing food dishes with wine to enhance the dining experience. In many cultures, wine has had a long history of being a staple at the dinner table and in some ways both the winemaking and culinary traditions of a region have evolved together over the years. Rather than following a set of rules, local cuisines were paired simply with local wines. The modern "art" of food pairings is a relatively recent phenomenon, fostering an industry of books and media with guidelines for pairings of particular foods and wine. In the restaurant industry, sommeliers are often present to make food pairing recommendations for the guest. The main concept behind pairings is that certain elements in both food and wine interact with each other, and thus finding the right combination of these elements can make the entire dining experience more enjoyable. However, taste and enjoyment are subjective and what may be a "textbook perfect" pairing for one taster could be less enjoyable to another.
While there are many books, magazines and websites with detailed guidelines on how to pair food and wine, most food and wine experts believe that the most basic element of food and wine pairing is understanding the balance between the "weight" of the food and the weight of the wine. Heavy, robust wines like Cabernet Sauvignon can overwhelm a light, delicate dish like a quiche, while light-bodied wines like Pinot Grigio would be similarly overwhelmed by a hearty stew. Beyond weight, flavors and textures can either be contrasted or complemented. From there a food and wine pairing can also take into consideration the sugar, acid, alcohol and tannins of the wine and how they can be accentuated or minimized when paired with certain types of food.
History
Wine has had a long history of being served as an accompaniment to food. The early history of wine has its origins as another dietary staple and a beverage that was often more sanitary than the local drinking water supply. There is little evidence that much serious thought was given to pairing particular dishes to particular wines with most likely whatever wine was available being used. However, as culinary traditions in a region developed, so too did local winemaking tradition.Many pairings that are considered "classics" today emerged from the centuries-old relationship between a region's cuisine and their wines. In Europe, lamb was a staple meat of the diet for many areas that today are leading wine regions. The red wines of regions such as Bordeaux, Greece, Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Rhone and Provence are considered classic pairings with the lamb dishes found in the local cuisines of those regions. In Italy, the intimate connection between food and wine is deeply embedded in the culture and is exemplified by the country's wine. Historically, Italians rarely dined without wine and a region's wine was crafted to be "food friendly", often with bright acidity. While some Italian wines may seem tannic, lean or tart by themselves they often exhibit a different profile when paired with boldly flavored Italian foods.
There have been some historical anecdotes that have related to food and wine pairing before modern times. One anecdote often attributed to British wine merchants is "Buy on an apple and sell on cheese" meaning that if a wine tastes good when paired with a raw, uncooked apple it must be truly good and pairing any wine with cheese would make it more palatable to the average consumer and easier to sell. The principles behind this anecdote lies in the food pairing properties of both fruit and cheeses. Fruits that are high in sugar and acidity can make wines taste metallic and thin bodied. In contrast, hard cheeses such as cheddar can soften the tannins in wines and make them taste fuller and fruitier.
Another historical anecdote, still repeated today, is "White wine with fish; Red wine with meat". The root of this adage rests on the principle of matching the body of the wine with the weight of the food. Meat was generally heavier and "red" in color so it was assumed that a red wine paired better. Similarly fish was generally light and "white" in color so it was often paired with white wine. This adage has become outdated somewhat due to the variety of wine styles prevalent in modern winemaking where there are now many "heavy" white wines such as "New World" oaky Chardonnay that can have more body than lighter reds such as Pinot noir or Italian Merlots.
Another older idea was "to pair strong cheeses with strong wines," for example, asiago, a sharply flavored cheese, with Zinfandel, a dark red wine with fruit tones.
Modern history
In recent years, the popularity and interest in food and wine pairings have increased and taken on new connotations. Industries have sprung up with print publications and media dedicated to expounding on the principles and ideals of pairing the perfect wine with the perfect dish. In the restaurant industry, there is often a dedicated individual or staff of sommeliers who are trained to recommend wine pairings with the restaurant's fare. The origins of this recent phenomenon can be traced to the United States in the 1980s when the wine industry began to advertise wine-drinking as a component of dining rather than as just an alcoholic beverage meant for consumption and intoxication. Winemakers started to emphasize the kind of food dishes that their wines would go well with, some even printing pairing suggestions on back wine labels. Food magazines began to suggest particular wines with recipes and restaurants would offer multi-course dinners matched with a specific wine for each course.Today there are multiple sources for detailed guidelines and tips on food and wine pairing. But many wine drinkers select wine pairings based on instinct, the mood of the meal or simply a desire to drink a particular wine at the moment they desire to eat a particular meal. The subjective nature of taste makes it possible to drink any kind of wine with any kind of food and have an enjoyable experience. Wine expert Mark Oldman has noted "Food and wine pairing can be like sex and pizza: even when it's bad, it can still be pretty good" and gives the example of wedding cake with a dry sparkling wine. A dry wine with a sweet food is, according to Oldman, "the equivalent of nails on a chalkboard" and is not a "good pairing" according to most guidelines but the atmosphere of the occasion and the subjective nature of taste can trump any rule or guideline. Today, many wine experts and advocates in the realm of food and wine pairing try to focus on the more objective physical aspects of food that have an effect on the palate, altering the perception of various aspects of the wine.
Matching weight
In food and wine pairings, the most basic element considered is "weight"-the balance between the weight of the food and the weight or "body" of the wine. In wine tasting, body is determined primarily by the alcohol level of the wine and can be influenced by the perceptions of tannins and extract. An oaked Chardonnay from a warm wine region, such as Australia is typically "heavier" in body than a stainless steel fermented Chardonnay from a cooler wine region such as Chablis. Pairing heavy wines with light dishes or vice versa, can result in one partner overwhelming the other. The "weight" of a food can also be described in terms of the intensity of its flavors – such as delicate and more subtle flavors versus dishes that have more robust and hearty flavors. A key to pairing upon this principle is to identify the dominant flavor of the dish. Sauces can be the dominant flavor instead of the meat or main component. While poached fish is usually light bodied and better served with a light white, if the fish is served with a heavy cream sauce it could be better balanced with a fuller bodied white wine or light red.Weight is also especially important when considering the wine style to pair with one of the most classic wine pairing dishes: cheese. Cheeses come in a wide range of flavors and textures, and it is important to consider the qualities of each in order to choose the right wine to pair. Soft, rindless cheeses that have not been aged usually sport a delicate texture and mild, tangy flavor, which go best with dry or even off-dry white wines, along with light-bodied red wines and rosés. For example, fresh mozzarella or burrata can pair well with Italian Pinot Grigio, while a fresh goat cheese pair nicely with Riesling from the Finger Lakes or Germany. Creamy cheeses with a bloomy rind, like Camembert or Brie, are compatible with a traditional method sparkling wine, like Champagne or Cava. The acidity of these wines cuts the richness of the cheese, while the yeasty autolytic aromas and medium body complement the creaminess of the latter. Semi-soft cheeses like Gruyere are best with full-bodied white wines with some oak age, like a Meursault or Viognier. And finally, hard cheeses with some age on them, like a nutty Parmesan or Cheddar tend to go with equally nuanced and nutty Sherry or a full-bodied and complex red wine, like a Bordeaux or Barolo.
Weights of wine
Below is a rough guideline of the various weights of wines. Winemaker and regional style as well as oak treatment can cause a wine to be lighter or heavier in body. For example, Pinot noir can vary from being light to more medium bodied. Another example is the influence of regional climates. Warmer climate wine regions tend to produce wines with higher alcohol levels and thus more fuller bodied wines so that a Sauvignon blanc from California may have a heavier weight than a Sauvignon blanc from the Loire.;Lighter whites: Pinot gris, Pinot blanc, Riesling, Sauvignon blanc, Chablis, Champagne and sparkling wines, Gruner Veltliner, Vinho Verde
;Medium to heavy whites: Oaked Sauvignon blanc, Alsatian wines, Albarino, White Bordeaux, White Burgundy, Rhone whites, Tămâioasă Românească and New World Chardonnay
;Lighter reds: Beaujolais, Dolcetto, some Pinot noir
;Medium reds: Chianti, Barbera, Burgundy, Chinon, Rioja, Cabernet franc, Merlot, Malbec, Zinfandel, some Pinot noir
;Heavier reds: Syrah, Brunello di Montalcino, Cabernet Sauvignon, Port, Barbaresco and Barolo