Food & Wine Pairing (R)

Question 1

What is umami?

Answer 1

Aka “savory taste”. One of the five basic tastes (together with sweet, sour, salt, and bitter), corresponding to the flavor of glutamates, especially monosodium glutamate.
(fish, shellfish, cured meats, mushrooms, vegetables)
(fermented and aged products involving bacterial or yeast cultures, such as cheeses, shrimp pastes, fish sauce, soy sauce, and nutritional yeast)

Question 2

What are the four basic principles of food and wine pairing?

Answer 2

1. Evaluate the wine
2. Evaluate the dish
3. Match the intensity
4. Understand important interactions

Question 3

When pairing food and wine, what structural elements should you evaluate in the wine?

Answer 3

• Sweetness
• Tannin
• Acidity
• Alcohol
• Texture

Question 4

When pairing food and wine, what flavor elements should you evaluate in the wine?

Answer 4

• Fruit and Fruit Condition
• Non-Fruit
• Earthiness
• Oak influence and flavors
• Service Temperature

Question 5

When pairing food and wine, what taste elements should you evaluate in the food?

Answer 5

• Sweet
• Sour
• Bitter
• Salt
• Umami

Question 6

What should you consider when evaluating a dish?

Answer 6

• Cooking Method (raw, poached, grilled, sauteed, braised, roasted/baked)
• Sauces (BBQ, curry, bearnaise, butter, pan gravy, tomato)
• Condiments (butter, ketchup, soy sauce, hot sauce, mayonnaise)
• Sides (tart and sweet cranberry sauce, earthy mushrooms, creamy mashed potatoes, french fries, vinegar-based salads or pickled vegetables)
• Textures (fat, oils, butter)

Question 7

Delicate foods pair well with _______ beverages. Rich, intense foods call for _______ beverages.

Answer 7

• Delicate

- Rich

Question 8

How does salt in food impact a wine?

Answer 8

• Reduces palate’s perception of acidity

- Make tannins feel more astringent

Question 9

How do animal fats impact a wine?

Answer 9

• Reduce palate’s perception of tannin

Question 10

______ loves tannin and ______ loves fat.

Answer 10

• Fat

- Tannin

Question 11

How does sugar in food impact a wine?

Answer 11

• Sugar in foods tend to work best with sweetness in beverage pairing
• Many dishes employ base sauces that contain sugar
• Does not have to be desserts or dessert wines
• Sugar can make a dry wine seem austere or even bone dry

Question 12

How do spicy foods impact a wine?

Answer 12

• Heightens perception of alcohol

- Should be paired with off-dry, slightly sweet or low alcohol beverages

Question 13

Define the idea that “what grows together goes together”.

Answer 13

• Foods and wines that both originate from a particular region often provide great pairings. (ie. Sancerre and goat cheese - both Loire in France)

Question 14

What is an example of a complementary pairing?

Answer 14

Herb-crusted beef tenderloin with the herbal character a Chianti.

Question 15

What is an example of pairing by contrast?

Answer 15

Tart beer like German hefeweizen with rich dish incorporating burrata cheese.

Question 16

List 7 classic food and wine pairings.

Answer 16

1. Foie Gras / Sauternes
2. Fresh Goat Cheese / Sauvignon Blanc
3. Steak / Cabernet Sauvignon
4. Sardines / Manzanilla Sherry
5. White Truffles / Barolo or Barbaresco
6. Roast Chicken / Beaujolais
7. Stilton / Port

Question 17

What types of wine go well with fish?

Answer 17

Less tannic wines such as:

• Pinot Noir
• Gamay
• Barbera

Question 18

What are two common platforms to work from when pairing food and wine?

Answer 18

1. Match the weight! Light food with crisp wine, charred foods with oaked wine, complex foods with round wine
2. Match flavor components, drawing from the colors in the dish. Green flavors in wine seek the same green tones in food.

Question 19

How do tannins in a wine impact a dish?

Answer 19

Make meats and cheeses feel less rich