- By Henry Stark
- Around Town
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I can’t begin to tell you how many times people ask me about pairing food and wine. They want some easy-to-follow rules. I basically tell them, “Some so-called experts have rules but for me, there are no rules. I use general guidelines but on balance, I try to be flexible.”Speaking of balance, let’s start out with my first guideline: balance. Robust wines with a high alcoholic content can overwhelm light entrées. The reverse side of this coin is that a heavy entrée with a spicy sauce can overpower a lighter wine. Therein lies the idea of achieving a balance. Try to pair light entrees with light wines. Match an entrée that is on the heavy side with a wine that is full bodied.
One of the “rules” I’ve often heard is that white wine should be served with chicken. However, continuing with the concept of balance, I suggest that you consider the sauce that accompanies the entrée. You might prefer a white wine to accompany a roast chicken seasoned only with salt and pepper. On the other hand, if you select Chicken Cacciatora, (Chicken Hunter Style) which is cooked in a red wine base with tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, and various herbs, you probably would prefer a red wine.
The same formula applies to fish. I often hear people smugly pronounce that white wine goes with fish. My response: slow down and don’t follow slogans blindly. A filet of sole with lemon and butter may, indeed, marry well with a white wine. However, cioppino and bouillabaisse, stews made with fish and shellfish, are usually prepared in a heavy sauce, often tomato based. Tomato sauces with spices tend to overwhelm white wines. Judge your wine selection accordingly.
If you maintain an open and flexible attitude when you pair wine with food, you’ll realize that sweet wines sometimes offset spicy food. For example, a semi-dry Riesling might balance spicy Asian dishes and curries. Ready for another guideline? The spicier the food, the sweeter the wine you might want to match it with.
Here’s another thought: you might have fun pairing the ethnicity of the food you’re ordering with the ethnicity of the wine you select. If you’re ordering Italian food, you might enjoy Italian wine – perhaps Chianti. Choosing Spanish food? You may enjoy a hearty Rioja from Spain. Selecting a French country stew? Maybe a robust Cabernet Sauvignon from France would make an ideal accompaniment. To refine it just a bit further, maybe match a Boeuf à la Bourguignonne (boeuf bourguignon) with a French wine from Burgundy. (In case you hadn’t heard of this entrée before, it’s beef braised in a red wine sauce often with bits of bacon, small onions, and mushrooms and is prepared in the style of cuisine from Burgundy.)
French wines deserve a whole discussion by themselves – stay tuned for a future column. In the meantime, Burgundies, or wines that are made in Burgundy, are usually lighter and less robust, than Bordeaux wines which, as you know, come from the Bordeaux region of France. Pinot Noir, which comes from Burgundy, is usually lighter than Cabernet Sauvignon, which comes from Bordeaux.
But, I can hear you thinking, he digresses. And you’re right. So, back to pairing. There are certain foods and wines which seem to cry out to be served together. Whenever I eat raw oysters, I order a dry Chablis or Sauvignon Blanc. I love Medocs from Argentina with a hearty steak. You might discover pairings that you prefer as well. There are some problems, however. I’m not wild about drinking any wine with a salad with a vinegar based dressing, and I never drink wine when I eat ice cream. That’s not to say I’d say no to an offer of a splash of blueberry brandy on my vanilla ice cream! And for some, probably irrational reason, I prefer beer with Mexican food.
Champagne and other bubbly wines seem to go with anything. And rosés match up well with lots of foods. Don’t get locked into the idea that these wines have to be served at special occasions or summer picnics.
The bottom line is that you should select a wine you like and match it with the food you’re serving so the wine enhances the food and the food enhances the wine. And when you find a pairing you like, don’t let those so-called experts talk you out of it!
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