Wine and food pairing

[Steve Kroll]

Our last pairing was a white Bordeaux (Chardonnay) with chicken, spring veg and creamy sauces

One point to mention. If it's Chardonnay, it's Burgundy. White Bordeaux would likely be Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, or a combination of the two.

 

[Julian31]

Hi there,

I always do during a family dinner with in-laws or an usual meal with my husband and son. The fact that we all enjoy wine passed on from generation to generation.

We've been living in Glasgow for many years and my grandfather hold a small vineyard in Bothwell during his life time, he died at 61 and the property is now for sale...we still have a tiny cellar but most of the bottles are no longer drinkable so I often went to Mitchell Street wine store to buy any bottles wich best matched with the menu. Our last pairing was a white Bordeaux (Chardonnay) with chicken, spring veg and creamy sauces; it was excellent. For easter, we had roast turkey with Belgian blonde ale, some people said that this beer is the equivalent of chardonnay, it has the same fruit flavors I admit

Hi Linda,

Great pairing you should also try the blonde ale with roast turkey, turkey is known as a beer-friendly dish, the taste is gorgeous and you won't be deceived Anyway, Steve made a good point, Chardonnay calls for Burgundy whereas most of white Bordeaux are made of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon...maybe its taste was close to sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris that you've mixed both of them up, haven't you?

 

[LindaMend61]

Ya, there's a lot to do with the taste but I was also thinking about the grape variety origin; both of them can be found in France.

 

[Julian31]

Well, both chardonnay and sauvignon blanc has creamy and buttery character added with oak aging but chardonnay is more fruitier. What type of wines do you have in your cellar? For vintage wines, I have got a Harvest Port 1966 and a salon 2004, this later is hard to find though lots of people look for it. I'll keep mine for great celebration

 

[LindaMend61]

You're quite lucky then. We've got a Château Gruaud Larose Faurre 1920, Ch. Pape Clement 1923,Ch. Smith Haut Lafitte 1924, and a 70-year-old bottle Chateau Mouton Rothschild...

 

[di reston]

Those are very prestigious wines, although I reckon they may be worth more at auction than on the dinner table! Wines of that repute and age can fetch very high prices, but I wouldn't like to drink one - depending, of course, on how they've been cellared over the decades!

di reston

 

[kandjy]

Do you usually pair wine and food ? what is your favourite menu?

Yes, I do agree with di reston. Most of the time, me and my husband bought 1 or 2 bottles at high prices but never drink them for dinner, we keep them for celebrations instead. I just want to know your preferences, are you white or red wine lover?
I rarely bought white wine since I prefer the red ones, they are more flavorful. My favourite pairing remains a good merlot or a pinot noir with pork, the taste is heavenly amazing.

 

[kandjy]

Yes, I do agree with di reston. Most of the time, me and my husband bought 1 or 2 bottles at high prices but never drink them for dinner, we keep them for celebrations instead though I am always a bit frustrated when we came to open the bottle...
As far as preferences are concerned, I rarely bought white wine since I prefer the red ones, they are more flavorful. My favourite pairing remains a good merlot or a pinot noir with pork, the taste is heavenly amazing.

 

[Mad Cook]

To a certain extent that is true, but the "rules" have been undergoing significant revision in the last couple of decades. Many wines which were once considered improper with certain foods are now quite acceptable. Granted that there are some pairings which really do make a very significant difference. I'm not a wine connoisseur, but I did a tasting in Italy that dramatically demonstrated one aspect - a top of the line, but somewhat acidic Chianti tasted by itself, then tasted after eating a small piece of aged Parmesan Reggiano was like I was sipping a completely different drink.

However, most of the time I don't see such a noticeable difference. A balanced red table wine will go well with most foods. Rosé or a white zinfandel pairs well with a variety of hors d'oeuvres. A drier white with chicken or fish, but with goose or duck you usually want a red.

After all of that, I still say that you can't go wrong simply serving what you like, regardless of the rules. If it tastes good, then the pairing can't be too far wrong. When serving guests whose preferences I don't know, like to offer a choice.

I once went to a talk given by a well-known professional wine buff who said that the word in the trade was to offer cheese when a customer is tasting to buy and to eat a piece of apple when tasting to buy for you own use or business.

How well this works I don't know as I have never been able to afford wines that I was given to taste before buying .

Apparently brussel sprouts are a no-no with red wine because they confuse the palate and make the wine taste off.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Yes, I do agree with di reston. Most of the time, me and my husband bought 1 or 2 bottles at high prices but never drink them for dinner, we keep them for celebrations instead though I am always a bit frustrated when we came to open the bottle...

I believe di reston's point has more to do with the age of the wine than the perceived value. Despite what many believe, wine doesn't improve forever. Even the best wines will reach a point where they begin to deteriorate. It's very rare to find a wine that will improve beyond 30 years, let alone 50. And anything close to 100 years of age probably began its decline long ago. Unless cellared in absolutely pristine conditions, a wine bottled in 1920 - unless it's something like sherry or port - is more likely to taste like oxidized salad dressing than something you'd want to sit down and drink.

Most of the people who collect old wines have no intention of drinking them (although they occasionally do). It has more to do with the prestige of owning a piece of history.

 

[Julian31]

Yes, I do agree with di reston. Most of the time, me and my husband bought 1 or 2 bottles at high prices but never drink them for dinner, we keep them for celebrations instead though I am always a bit frustrated when we came to open the bottle...
As far as preferences are concerned, I rarely bought white wine since I prefer the red ones, they are more flavorful. My favourite pairing remains a good merlot or a pinot noir with pork, the taste is heavenly amazing.

I understand what you mean Kandjy though no one forced you into buying the bottles. Instead of being frustrated, you should have been proud of yourself since there are people who can't afford such wines. Another tips, you can keep the bottle once empty, just to show you owned it. As steve said above, it is much a matter of prestige of "owning a piece of history" like a château haut brion wines I bought from Delices and Gourmandises and a cabernet sauvigon based wine Chateau Latour from Millesima few months ago. Though I wish had not open and drink the bottles, we emptied them 3 or 4 weeks after their delivery and up to now I keep the bottles on a big shelf in the lounge. I can see the eyes of some wine geek friends and wine lovers in my family shining when they come to look at them.

 

[wine_lover75]

Hi guys,

I think this statement from Dawglover sums it up quite easily. In general, the "rules" pair red wine with red meat and white wine with poultry or fish. That said, we serve both and drink whatever we please!

 

[Sue Lau]

I usually only pair a wine with food if tasked to do so by a client. For the most part I drink dry reds with everything.

 

[Granjie]

I read a nice article from Delices and Gourmandises website one day which talks about wine and food pairing. It was a nice read and I learned something. I can't find the article now but I will share some tips on here If I happen to find it again.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Rather than using color as a guide when pairing wine with food, a basic rule of thumb for me is to match the weight of the wine to the heaviness/lightness of the dish I'm serving. When I say "weight," I'm referring to body. And most of the time I stick with drier wines.

For instance, with beef or game, I'll typically serve a hearty, full-bodied red like Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah. Either of these wines will stand up to the strong flavors of the meat.

Just a step down on the heaviness scale, you have foods like barbecue ribs or sausages. Zinfandel (aka Primitivo), Tempranillo, and Cab Franc are great with these.

For somewhat lighter fare, such as chicken, pork, or duck I prefer lighter wines such as Pinot Noir, Barbera, Grenache, or Chardonnay (which is usually a heavier bodied white).

For delicately flavored food, including fish or cheese dishes, I usually try to stick to something on the lighter side, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris. Even sparking wine pairs well.

These rules work fairly well for about 75% of the foods I eat.

Some foods will throw these rules for a loop, though. For example, Asian foods have a tendency to be lighter, but often have strong flavors from the spices used. With these types of foods, I've found slightly sweeter wines have a tendency to pair better. Riesling or Moscato/Muscat with Asian foods is often a safe bet.

And with Indian food, I'll almost always reach for a beer over wine. It's a match made in Heaven.

 

[Carry]

What about the dessert? Do you use wine in dessert? My sister prepared a beautiful tartiflette recently and she added some white wine on top of it before she put the whole in the oven. I didn't expect the taste. It was excellent and yummy...