Section 1 - Wine With Food

Question 1

What two components in food make wines taste harder?

Answer 1

Sweetness

Unami

Question 2

What does it mean for a wine to taste harder?

Answer 2

More astringent
More bitter
More acidic
Less sweet
Less fruity

Question 3

What two components in food make wines taste softer?

Answer 3

Salt

Acid

Question 4

What does it mean for a wine to taste softer?

Answer 4

Less astringent
Less bitter
Less acidic
Sweeter
More fruity

Question 5

Generally, does food or wine have more impact on the way the other tastes?

Answer 5

Generally, food has more impact on the way a wine will taste rather than the other way round.

Food is more likely to impact wine negatively

Question 6

What impact does sweetness in food have on wine?

Answer 6

Increases perception of bitterness, astringency, acidity and the warming effect of the alcohol in the wine

Decreases the perception of body, sweetness and fruitiness in the wine

Question 7

For dishes high in sugar, what wine should be paired?

Answer 7

A wine with a higher level of sweetness than the dish

Sweetness can make a dry wine seem less fruity and taste unpleasantly acidic

Question 8

What impact does unami in food have on wine?

Answer 8

Increases the perception of bitterness, astringency, acidity and the warming effect of the alcohol in the wine.

Decreases the perception of body, sweetness and fruitiness in the wine.

Question 9

Give some examples of foods high in unami and lack salt to counteract the hardening effect of wine?

Answer 9

Asparagus
Eggs
Mushrooms
Soft ripe cheese

Question 10

Give some examples of foods high in unami and also high in salt so the hardening effect of wine is not as bad?

Answer 10

Cured / smoked seafood
Meats
Hard Cheeses eg: Parmesan

Question 11

Where does bitterness in wine come from?

Answer 11

Tannins extracted from grapes or oak

Question 12

Which wines are worst affected by unami rich foods?

Answer 12

Low tannin red wines or white wines made with or skin contact - appear bitter and unbalanced

A balanced high tannin wine may not be as badly affected by the change in perceived bitterness

Question 13

What effect does acidity in food have on the perception of wine?

Answer 13

Increased the perception of body, sweetness and fruitiness in the wine

Decreases the perception of acidity in the wine

Question 14

Why is acidity in food generally a good thing for food and wine pairing?

Answer 14

Bring a wine with very high acidity levels into balance and enhance its fruitiness.

Question 15

What effect does acidity in food have on a low acidity wine?

Answer 15

Over powers the wine to make it seem flat, flabby and lacking in focus

Question 16

What does salt in food do to the perception of wine?

Answer 16

Increases the perception of body

Decreases the perception of astringency, bitterness and acidity in the wine

Wine friendly component of food that can enhance a wine’s fruit character and soften astringency

Question 17

What does bitterness in food do to the perception of wine?

Answer 17

Increases the perception of bitterness in the wine.

If there is a slight bitterness in the wine or the food, these effects combine to make it unpleasant levels in both.

Question 18

What effect does chilli in food have on the perception of taste in wine?

Answer 18

Increases the perception of bitterness, astringency, acidity and the burning effect of alcohol in the wine

Decreases the perception of body, richness, sweetness and fruitiness of the wine

Question 19

Which wines are more greatly effected by chilli in food?

Answer 19

Wine with high alcohol content

Question 20

What is the general desirability for flavour intensity in food and wine pairing?

Answer 20

To match the food and the wine equally so that one does not overpower the other

Can be desirable to pair intensely flavoured food (eg curry) with a simple, non-aromatic, unoaked white.

Question 21

What is the general desirability of acid and fat combinations in food and wine pairing?

Answer 21

Acidic wines with fatty or oily foods as desirable

Acidic wine cuts through the richness of the food which cleanses the palate

Question 22

What is the general desirability of sweet and salty flavour combinations in food and wine pairing?

Answer 22

Combining sweet and salt flavours can be subjective but pairings such as sweet wine and blue cheese is a classic pairing example.

Question 23

What are high risk foods?

Answer 23

Foods high in:

Sugar
Unami
Bitterness
Chilli

Question 24

What are low risk foods?

Answer 24

Salt

Acid

Question 25

What wine should be paired with foods high in sugar?

Answer 25

Wines with at least as much sugar in the dish

Question 26

What wine should be paired with foods high in unami?

Answer 26

Unami emphasises bitterness and astringency of tannins

Wine will need to have the necessary components eg: concentrated fruit flavours, to be able to cope with the change in the wine

Effect of unami can be balanced by addition of acid or salt providing this is in keeping with the basic character of the dish

Question 27

What wine should be paired with bitter foods?

Answer 27

White wines or low tannin reds to reduce bitter perception of tannins

Question 28

What wine should be paired with acidic foods?

Answer 28

Acidic wine

Question 29

What are high risk wines?

Answer 29

The more complex the wine and the food, the more challenging the pairing

Wines with high levels of bitterness and astringency from oak and grape tannins, combined with high levels of acidity and alcohol and complex flavours are most risky to pair

Question 30

What are low risk wines?

Answer 30

Simple unoaked wines with little residual sugar are unlikely to be unpleasant with any dish but can make less interesting pairings

Question 31

Name some other methods of food and wine pairing

Answer 31

Matching or contrasting flavours

Local wine with local food

“Red wine with meat, white wine with fish”

Question 32

Why do we generally pair a red wine with a red meat?

Answer 32

Tannins in red wines bind to the proteins in the meat which can make a successful pairing

However, it can be said it is the salt in the meat that softens the tannins making the pairing successful

As long as the structural elements of a dish match, there is no reason not to pair a white wine with the dish

Question 33

Why do we generally pair a white wine with fish?

Answer 33

Much fish high in unami which red wine would make taste more bitter. But if you have salt and acid in the fish, it can balance out

Harder to avoid oily taste of fish mixing with compounds in red wine which produce a metallic taste

Sauces can have an impact on the success of a pairing

Question 34

Why does the pairing of goats cheese and Sancerre work?

Answer 34

Acidity reduced in the wine, gives perception of more body

Question 35

Why does the pairing of oysters and champagne work?

Answer 35

No bitterness / astringency from tannins to meet the unami taste of the oyster

Question 36

Why does the pairing of stilton with port work?

Answer 36

Stilton (Salt) + Port (Sweet)

Question 37

Why does the pairing of Olives with Manzanilla work?

Answer 37

Sherry (Sweet) + Olives (Salty)