Food Pairing

Question 1

6 characteristics of wine for food pairing

Answer 1

1. Acidity
2. Sweetness
3. Saltiness
4. Tannin
5. Oak
6. Alcohol

Question 2

3 characterisitcs of food for wine pairing

Answer 2

1. Ingredients
2. Cooking Methods
3. Sauces/Condiments

Question 3

When the wine is Tart

Answer 3

• Select dishes that are rich, creamy, high in fat or salty to counterbalance the wine
• Match the wine with a tart food
• Use wine to cut the heat in mildly spicy dishes
• Try skipping the lemon wedge you might otherwise serve with the dish

Question 4

When the wine is sweet

Answer 4

• Choose a less sweet dessert item
• If the wine is off dry, pair it with foods that are slightly sweet to compliment or slightly spicy as a foil
• Foods that are slightly salty (sweet + salty)

Question 5

When the wine is high in alcohol

Answer 5

• Make sure dish is ample in personality or weight
• Dont serve spicy food
• Avoid excess salt which will exaggerate heat

Question 6

When the wine is tannic

Answer 6

• Counterbalance the tannins with foods high in protein or fat
• Low protein/fat foods will make wine seem more tannic
• Tannins and Spicy dont mix
• Use pepper to counterbalance tannins
• serve foods that are bitter (chard, eggplant, zucchini) or made in a bitter way (grilling, woodfire, blackened)

Question 7

When the wine is oaky

Answer 7

• Oaky wines are bigger so serve bigger food
• Play up the oak with ingredients like nuts or sweet spices or cooking methods like grilling/smoking
• Oak adds rich texture that can be nice with rich and textured sauces or dishes

Question 8

When the wine is aged red

Answer 8

• Serve rare preparations of meat
• Wines can be more delicate so choose simpler preparations to show the wine off

Question 9

When the wine is aged and white

Answer 9

• Serve dishes with similar flavors (nuts, sherry, dried fruits)
• Compensate for lost acidity in the wine with acidity in the food

Question 10

When the food is Tart

Answer 10

• Serve wine equally sharp or even more so or else the wine will taste off
• Avoid red wines except those of sharper nature (sangiovese, Pinot noir, Gamay)
• Dry rose and sparkling wine too

Question 11

When the food is slightly sweet

Answer 11

• choose a slightly sweet wine like chenin, riesling
• Use a young and very ripe wine if dry
• Sometimes the “sweetness” of oak can pair but not always

Question 12

When the food is salty

Answer 12

• Pick wines with low to moderate alcohol as wines heat will be exaggerated by salt
• Play with wines that have some sweetness
• Avoid high levels of oak or tannin

Question 13

When the food is spicy or hot

Answer 13

• Young wines with low to moderate alcohol, no oak, and maybe some RS
• Off dry white and rose wines

Question 14

When the food is bitter

Answer 14

• Select wines with bitter components like oak aging and tannins
• Wines with high acidity but not always

Question 15

When a food is dominated by a strong sauce

Answer 15

• Forget the main dish and pair with sauce

Question 16

Garlic and Onions

Answer 16

• Adds creaminess and roundness
• Ripe red or white wines or slightly sweet wines
• Oak aged wines
• Can help form a bridge between foods and wines with more weight/texture

Question 17

Olives

Answer 17

• Green olives like white wine especially sauvignon blanc, pinot gris, un oaked chardonnay
• Black olives like merlot, cabernet, and syrah

Question 18

Cured meats

Answer 18

• Soft and bright reds and rose

Question 19

Herbs

Answer 19

• Fragrant herbs (Dill, Tarragon) pair best with riesling and chardonnay
• Pungent herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary) go well with sauvignon blanc and many reds like merlot and cabernet

Question 20

Beans and legumes

Answer 20

• White wines, if waxy beans than fuller wines

Question 21

Mushrooms

Answer 21

• Adds earthiness and pairs with earthier wines
• Darker mushrooms = Very red wine friendly
• Lighter mushrooms (shiitake, chanterelles) = textured white wines like chardonnay, oak aged sauvignon blanc, and pinot gris

Question 22

Nuts

Answer 22

• When toasted - oak aged wines
• when skin on (bitter) - use oak aged whites and bitter reds

Question 23

Chardonnay works well with

Answer 23

• dishes with rich textures
• Counterbalance rich dishes with high acid chardonnay
• With most mild shellfish (un-oaked for mussels and oysters)
• Butter, cream, melted cheese
• Foods with sweet spices (nutmeg, cinnamon,
• With nuts
• Milder white mushrooms
• Onions and garlic

Question 24

Chardonnay does not work well with

Answer 24

• Too oaky to match food
• Hot/Spicy dishes
• Sharp ingredients
• Sweet foods
• Many cheeses (stronger flavors are overppowering)