A Pairing Lesson

One of my favorite wine classes to teach is Wine & Food Pairing 101. I try to demystify wine and food relationships one ingredient at a time and provide some pairing strategies. The simple formula – white wine with fish, red wine with meat – once dictated all wine and food pairings, but times have changed. Rules like this just don’t fit the way we eat today. Well matched, even the simplest food and the humblest wine can create instant magic. If a wine and food pairing work well together, it’s usually due to one or sometimes both of the following principles:

• The wine and food are in some way similar - which usually diminishes the taste impression of that similar component.

• The wine and food contrast in someway - which usually leaves either the wine or the food as the dominant partner.

When pairing wine and food, several things can happen:

• Sweetness in food can increase the perception of bitterness and astringency in wine

• Foods with high amounts of acidity can erase the perception of acidity and make the wine taste richer and mellower

• Saltiness in the food can suppress bitter taste in some wines

• Finally the Golden Rule; You can't beat bubbles. When in doubt drink sparkling wine. The tingling acidity makes most sparklers a perfect match for a wide variety of food.

Taking a class is a great way to explore new wine and food pairing combinations, or picking up a wine and food pairing book for summer reading can be fun too. Some of my favorites include:
• Perfect Pairings by Evan Goldstein
• Great Tastes Made Simple by Andrea Immer Robinson
• Williams-Sonoma Wine & Food - A New Look at Flavor by Joshua Wesson
• The Wine Lover's Cookbook by Sid Goldstein

Create instant magic this summer with these pairing tips and have fun researching the perfect match.