Un Petit Tour d’Horizon or, An Attempt at Beginning to Demystify the Secrets of Wine Pairing
Wine paring for a lot of people I know personally is about as much fun as having to solve a quadratic equation. For many of them, this task conjures up images of secret rituals held behind closed doors by men wearing robes and looking very much as if they were on their way to the second crusade or perhaps on their way to a theme party. In other words, paring wine with a dish? Non merci! Why I would sooner march myself to the gallows than embarrassingly struggle through the process, perhaps behind closed doors and under the sheets (that can be a viable option.) But, it doesn’t necessarily have to be that kind of traumatic experience unless you enjoy it. Now back to my ragout of chicken, onions and red wine.
Let me state, at the onset that I am not an expert in pairing a wine with a dish but I do have some experience where it counts. I drink wine that’s good and love food that’s even better, preferably French. I’m just that way.
Let’s discuss the fundamental basics -building blocks you might say. We know that wine and food matching is more commonly understood to mean the process of pairing food dishes with wine to enhance the dinning experience rather than enhancing your misery by squeezing your credit card until it cries “uncle” or your bank texts you in horror. That’s pretty straightforward stuff, il me semble, it seems to me. Another fundamental building block is the premise that red wine complements most meat dishes while white wines pair well with most seafood dishes as well as some poultry and pork dishes. Now adding to the mix you have those independent-minded grapes who got together and formed a union and decided to call themselves Rose wines; to add insult to injury, so say, they were known to be quite comfortable fraternizing both sides of the aisle, red and white. Go figure.
Food and wine pairing experts recognize that certain elements (such as texture and flavor) in both food and wine react differently to each other and finding the right combination of these elements can make the entire dining experience all the more enjoyable. They believe that the most basic element of food and wine pairing really boils down to understanding the balance between the “weight” of the food and the weight (or body) of the wine. Heavy, robust wines such as a Cabernet Sauvignon can overwhelm a light delicate dish, for example a quiche, while light bodied wines like a Pinot Grigio would be similarly overwhelmed by a hearty stew. Therefore flavors and textures can either be contrasted or complemented. Hopefully, this two minute guide will begin to demystify for you the quadratic equation of paring food and wine.
Embrace it, learn from it but don’t run from it.
There is are volumes of materials on wines and unless that is all you have in your life, it can be great fun to learn about French wines and some of different regional varieties and how it can complement your own cuisine. Understand what some of the great varietals coming out of Spain or Argentina, or the bold and complex wines from Australia, or the delicate whites from New Zealand. Lastly, California, Washington State and Oregon have a rich selection to choose from and soon you too will appreciate wines and means of enhancing your own cuisine.
There are a couple of solid red wines that I am going to suggest – not all French and that way you can decide what you feel your most comfortable with. Now the dish already has wine in it so you have the option of cooking with the same wine as you plan on serving with your dinner. It’s simple, doable and understantable. But frankly, the world will not come to an end if you veer the other way. I’m pretty sure because I’ve done so on several occasions and there was no riot at my table.
Les Vins de Sélection
From France, I can very easily recommend a Châteauneuf du Pape 2005; a Beaujolais, Louis Jadot 2005 “Château des Lumières Cote du Py Morgon”; If your a value seeker, a Gigondas from the Vallée du Rhône or an Alsace Pinot “Jubilee” Pinot Noir 2001 Hugel.
From South Africa or Australia I would suggest a Syrah; a Merlot Cabernet from South Eastern Australia
From the great state of California, I don’t think you can go wrong with any of these.
Syrah:
Fess Parker 2002 Rodney’s Vineyard Syrah
Château Souverain 2001 Alexander Valley Syrah
Merlot:
Ferrari Carano Merlot Sonoma 2005
Wildhurst Vineyards Reserve Merlot 2003
Note: Julia suggests a Zinfandel, Macon or Chianti to use in preparing the ragout.