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Somm 1 > Food & Beverage Pairing > Flashcards

Food & Beverage Pairing Flashcards

1
Q

GP #1 - Evaluate the wine.

A

Acidity - higher is easier to pair
Body - match
Oak - avoid
Sugar - wine > food or will taste sour
Alcohol - exaggerated with salt & spice
Tannin

  1. Red wines have more bitterness, tannin, and alcohol.
  2. White, rose, and sparkling have more acidity.
  3. Sweet wines have more sweetness.

Food wines generally have higher acidity. They also tend to be less complex with a focus on a singular flavor that can be paired, similar to a seasoning in a dish.

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2
Q

GP #2 - Evaluate the dish.

A

Simplify a dish down to its basic 2 or 3 dominant tastes. Consider the main ingredient, cooking method, sauce, condiments, sides, and textures. It is better to match the wine with the sauce than with the meat.

Tastes - fat, sour/acid, salt, sweet, umami, bitter, spicy

Textures - fatty, oily, crispy, crunchy, creamy

  1. Acidity in wine pairs well with fatty and sweet foods.
  2. Fatty foods need either an acidic or high alcohol wine. Otherwise, the wine will taste flabby.
  3. Bitter (aka Tannic) wine can be balanced with sweet food.
  4. Salty shouldn’t compete with acidity in a wine. Use sparingly as necessary to keep sharpness in the meal.
  5. Sweet food/wine benefits from a little acidity.
  6. Alcohol can be used to cut through fatty foods or balance a sweet dish.
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3
Q

GP #3 - Match the intensity.

A

The wine should have the same flavor intensity as the food - body, sweetness, alcohol.

Red wines pair best with bold flavored meats. White wines pair best with light-intensity meats and fish.

Ex. Foie gras & Sauternes (rich).
Sardines & Manzanilla Sherry (strong flavors).
Roast chicken & Beaujolais (mild).

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4
Q

GP #4 - Understand important interactions.

A

FOOD - WINE
Salt - less acidity and more astringent, ex. Shellfish & Albarino

Animal fats - less tannin, ex Steak & Cab

Sugar - less sweet to sour, ex Pork & Vouvray

Spicy heat - more alcohol, ex. Curry & Riesling

  1. The wine should be more acidic than the food.
  2. The wine should be sweeter than the food.
  3. Bitter, red wines are best balanced with fat.
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5
Q

Regionalism - What grows together, goes together.

A

Foods & wines that both originate from a particular region often pair great together.

Ex. Fresh goat cheese & Sancerre (Loire)
White truffles & Barolo or Barbaresco (earthy, Piedmont).
Tomato sauce & Chianti (Tuscany).
Grilled salmon & Pinot Noir (Oregon).
Paella & Rioja (Spain).
Oysters & Muscadet (Loire).
Sushi & saki (Japan).

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6
Q

Contrasting.

A

Using opposing elements in structure, flavor, or texture in food and beverage to pair. Salty & sweet.

More often than not, white, sparkling, and rose wines create contrast pairings.

Ex. Fresh burrata cheese & hefeweizen beer (rich & tart).
Stilton cheese & Port (salt & sweet).
Fried chicken & champagne (fat & acid).
Curry & Riesling (spicy & sweet).

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7
Q

Complementing.

A

Few shared compounds. An element in the food and a similar element in the beverage create a synergistic pairing.

More often than not, red wines create complementary pairings.

Bridging elements - olives, mushrooms, pancetta

Ex. Herb-crusted beef tenderloin with Chianti Classico Riserva (herbal).
BBQ & Zinfandel (spice).

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8
Q

Congruent.

A

Many shared compounds. A congruent pairing creates balance by amplifying shared flavor compounds. Acid & acid or sweet & sweet.

Ex. Fresh goat cheese & Sauvignon Blanc (acid).
Mac & cheese and Chardonnay (creamy).

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9
Q

Role of the sommelier.

A
  1. Make the food taste better.
  2. Create a memorable experience.
  3. Drive revenue.
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10
Q

What are some common food and beverage pairings?

A

Acid + Acid
Sweet + Salty
Bitter + Fat
Acid + Fat
Alcohol + Fat

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11
Q

What would you pair with a fresh salad with vinaigrette?

A

High acid, compliment
Crisp Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Champagne brut, Rose

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12
Q

What would you pair with raw oysters, sushi?

A

High acid, cut salt
Crisp Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Champagne brut, Muscadet, Gruner Veltliner (esp. herbs)

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13
Q

What would you pair with fried chicken? Deep-fried calamari? Salt-crusted baked fish?

A

High acid, cut fat & salt
Crisp Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Champagne brut, Pinot Grigio

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14
Q

What is the “lemon wedge rule”?

A

Acidic wines can cut a dish that is rich, salty, oily, fatty, or mildly spice - like a squeeze of lemon.

Sauvignon Blanc

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15
Q

What would you pair with moderate levels of spicy heat? Korean BBQ, Curry, Sausages

A

Off-dry, cut spice
Riesling, Chenin Blancs, Gewürztraminer, lighter Muscats, Sparkling wine, Beer

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16
Q

What would you pair with high salt & spicy dishes? Texas chili?

A

Off-dry, cut spice
Riesling, Chenin Blancs, lighter Muscats, Sparkling wine, Beer

Avoid high tannin, avoid high alcohol

17
Q

What would you pair with chutney or sweet sauces?

A

Off-dry, compliment
Riesling, Chenin Blancs, lighter Muscats, Sparkling wine, Beer

18
Q

What would you pair with salty cheeses - Roquefort, blue cheese, English Stilton?

A

Sweet, cut salt
Sauternes, Port

Acid
Sauvignon Blanc

19
Q

What would you pair with sweet desserts?

A

Sweet, wine should be sweeter than food
Champagne (extra dry or demi-sec), Sauternes

20
Q

What would you pair with bitter foods?
Charcoal-grilled, charred, or blackened?
Bitter veg - arugula, endive, sauteed broccoli?

A

Tannin
Napa Cab

21
Q

What would you pair with fat & protein - red meat, steak, cheeseburger?

A

Tannin
Napa Cab, Barolo, Zinfandel, Shiraz, Beer

22
Q

What would you pair with hard, sharp, or pungent cheeses - aged Parm or Romano, French goat cheeses, Spanish Manchego, aged dry Cheddar or Gouda?

A

Stay regional
Chianti, Sancerre, Rioja, Sancerre

Avoid tannin

23
Q

What would you pair with wide ranging meals at the table, or complicated dishes with lots of disparate ingredients?

A

Lightly-oaked or unoaked wines
Chardonnay

24
Q

What would you pair with a big, heavy cream sauce, compound butter, slow cooked osso buco, or slow-braised meats?

A

Tannin, Alcohol, match weight
Oaked Chardonnay, Meursault (white Burgundy), Viognier, Merlot

25
Q

What would you pair with lighter meats - roast chicken, lamb?

A

Medium-weight red, match weight
Merlot, Chianti

26
Q

What would you pair with light fish - rock cod, halibut, sole, trout?

A

Low Tannin, match weight
Pinot Noir, Beaujolais

27
Q

What would you pair with green and black olives?

A

Green - Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, unoaked Chardonnay
Black - Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah

28
Q

What would you pair with Thai or Vietnamese?

A

Off-dry with spice, complementary
Gewürztraminer, Chenin Blanc

Herbal
Sauvignon Blanc

Somm 1 (34 decks)

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