FOOD and WINE Pairing
The pairing of food and wine is one of the most important aspectsof a good meal. Many would argue that the one complements the other and that the only rule with food and wine pairing is that there are no rules! ! !
As with live, food and wine are all about balance. Even though at the end of the day it all boils down to personal taste, it is possible to break food and wine components into basic categories – structure, flavour and texture, when contrasted between wine and food these components can be present in one or the other, lacking, similar or in contrast to each other.
The human palate (tongue to be exact) has the ability to differentiate four basic tastes: bitter, sweet, salty and sour / acid. These tastes are present in wine, except for salty as well as a tactile response to (grape and wood) tannins known as astringency. Astringency and bitterness result from phenolic compounds derived from grape, oak or both. The sweet components of wine flavour are derived from residual sugars, alcohol or polysaccharides in dry wines. The two dominant grape acids tartaric and malic are responsible for the perception of acidity in wine.
These components combined in a fixed relationship (in which is) true for all wines which states that the perception of sweetness must be in relative balance with the sum of the perceptions of acidity plus astringency and bitterness. Meaning a reduction of the perception of sweetness and visa versa. When pairing food and wine, one must bear in mind that the sweetness, acidity, bitterness and astringency of the food influence the same features in wine.
When matching food and wine the most important structured components are sweetness and sourness (acidity) if the sugar or acid content of a food is increased, the perception of the sugar or acid of the wine is decreased. The intensity of this inverse relationship develop on the intensity of the difference between the sugar and acid in the food and wine bearing in mind that changes in sugar are more noticeable than structural changes in astringency and bitterness.
FOODS
SALT can also influence the perception of acidity and astringency by magnifying the influence of tannins in red wines and acidity in high acid white wines when at fairly high levels.
SWEET FOODS Very sweet foods often make wine taste thin, acidic or sour. Sweet foods and sweet wines can go well together if not excessively sweet and if the wine is slightly sweeter than the food. So using fruits with fair to high natural acidity can work well.
ACIDIC FOODS Wines are acidic and so difficult to successfully combine with acidic foods, however acidity can be modified by adding a source of sweetness or fat to help mute the acidity.
SPICY FOODS Alcohol is perceived as warm or as a hot tactile response, which can amplify the hotness of a spicy dish. It is very hard to successfully match wine to very spicy dishes but with a more moderate spice ones, a simple wine with low alcohol and a crisp refreshing acidity can go well.
WINES
CRISP ACIDITY Foods high in protein and / or fat match better with wine with high acidity as such foods require more acid in the wine to refresh the palate.
DRY – WINES dry wine are usually the best matches for foods but are usually better with foods which are not sweet which can make the wine taste thin, sour, more astringent and oaky. The colder the wine the lower the perception of sweetness and the greater the perception of acidity.
OFF DRY WINES as sweetness increases apparent acidity decreases so off- dry wines are usually better suited to food low in fat, which is also a source of sweetness.
MODERATE ALCOHOL moderate alcohol levels help cleanse the palate, as do tannins and acids. High alcohol wines import a hot tactile response making food pairing difficult, but can be improved by lowering the serving temperature of the wine.
SUPPLE TANNINS Tannins responsible for astringency and bitterness are derived from grape and oak contact. Tannins are vital to the complexity and longevity of red wines. A common problem is that tannins tend to be too astringent in young red wines. Residual sugar makes tannins, while acidity increases bitterness and astringency. Sweetness, fats and proteins in food can reduce the perception of tannin. A wine with relatively smooth tannins can be of help when matching foods with acidity, salt and tannins. Remember tannin decreases over time so older wines tend to be smoother.
WINE TEXTURE
Apart from the structural components we have already examined it is possible to look at food and wine in terms of its textural components. Texture is the quality in wine and food that we feel in the mouth as softness, richness, creaminess, oiliness, harshness etc. We generally speak of structure as being lightweight, medium or heavy in wine, this is called body and refers to how heavy a wine feels on the palate and the length of flavour. Body increases with the concentration of tannin and alcohol. Light bodied wines should be paired with foods of delicate texture and heavy wines go well with richer chewier foods, which have a more weight texture and / or higher fat or oil content. Rich foods include, Game, Lamb, Duck, Salmon, Cheeses and foods made with butter or creams. The majority of foods are best matched with wines of a lighter or medium body. Also light wines go well with light foods. Heavy wines can go well with rich foods, but avoid excessive richness when constructing a rich food with a light wine also avoid excessive extremeness. Temperature can be a textural factor as with contrasting a warm food with a cold wine. The colder the wine the lower the body. Cold temperatures can mask sweetness (and so intensify acidity) and magnify the effect of tannin in reds. In red wines alcohol and tannins have the biggest influence on food pairing.
ALCOHOL can give the impression of sweetness, which can match nicely with slightly sweet foods. Tannin may provide an astringent or dry mouth sensation. Fats and oils in food can neutralize this astringency and harshness. Tannic reds are best matched with creamy rich foods.
FLAVOUR Flavour is another major component of food and wine pairing. One can either contrast or match flavours. It is important to avoid excessively strong flavours when trying to make a successful match. The intensity of a wine flavour depends upon the grape used, the region and the age of the wine. Younger wines are usually coarser in structure and stronger in flavour and combine well with more strongly flavoured foods. Older wines are more delicate in structure and flavour and are best served with milder flavoured foods.
Always drink wines you enjoy! ! !
