Wine with Food

Question 1

What should you take into account when making a pairing for an individual?

Answer 1

Different sensitivities and/or preferences

Question 2

Which two components make wine taste “harder” (more astringent, bitter and acidic, less sweet and fruity)?

Answer 2

Umami and Sweetness

Question 3

Which two components of food make wine taste “softer” (less astringent and bitter, less acidic, sweeter and fruitier)?

Answer 3

Salt and Acid

Question 4

Does food have more impact over the way a wine will taste or the other way round? What kind of impact does it generally have?

Answer 4

Food has more of an impact on wine than wine does on food. This impact is more likely to be negative.

Question 5

What flavour components does sweetness increase?

What does it decrease?

Answer 5

Increases perception of bitterness, astringency, acidity and warming effect of alcohol
decreases perception of body, sweetness and fruitiness

Question 6

As a general rule, what kind of wine should you pair with sweet food?

Answer 6

Wine with a higher level of sweetness than the food

Question 7

What does umami in food increase in wine?

What does it decrease?

Answer 7

Increases the perception of astringency, bitterness, acidity and the warming effect of alcohol
Decreases the perception of body, sweetness and fruitiness in the wine

Question 8

What kinds of wines will be thrown out of balance by umami foods?
What wines will not be thrown out of balance?

Answer 8

Red wines with low tannin, or whites made with oak or skin contact
In balance, high-tannin red wines (the increase in perceived bitterness may be unnoticeable) and un-oaked, skin-contact-free white wines

Question 9

What does acidity in food increase in wine?

What does it decrease?

Answer 9

Increases perception of body, sweetness and fruitiness

Decreases the perception of acidity in wine

Question 10

Is acidity in food generally a positive or negative thing for wine pairing?

Answer 10

Positive

Question 11

What kind of wines may seem flabby, flat and lacking in focus when paired with acidic foods?

Answer 11

Low-acid wines

Question 12

What does salt in food increase in wine?

What does it decrease?

Answer 12

Increases the perception of body in wine

decreases the perception of astringency, bitterness and acidity

Question 13

Is salt a wine-friendly component of food?

Answer 13

Yes

Question 14

What does bitterness increase in wine?

Answer 14

Increases the perception of bitterness

Question 15

What do bitter flavours bind to?

Answer 15

Other bitter flavours

Question 16

What does chilli heat in food increase in wine?

What does it decrease?

Answer 16

Increases the perception of bitterness, astringency, acidity and the burning effect of alcohol
decreases the perception of body, richness, sweetness and fruitiness in wine

Question 17

Flavour intensity should also be taken into account, why? What is one exception to this?

Answer 17

So that one does not overpower the other. In some circumstances, intensely flavoured food can be partnered with a lightly flavoured wine (curry and non-aromatic, un-oaked white)

Question 18

What is the subjective effect acidity has on fatty foods?

Answer 18

It “cuts through” the fat and/or cleanses the palate

Question 19

What component of food, other than sweet, is often successfully paired with sweet wines?

Answer 19

Salty

Question 20

What characteristic is most important in a wine when paired with food that is high in sugar?

Answer 20

At least as much sugar

Question 21

What characteristic is most important in a wine when paired with food that is high in umami?

Answer 21

Concentrated fruit flavours

Question 22

What can be added to an umami-rich dish to make it easier to pair with?

Answer 22

Salt and/or acid

Question 23

What wines are best paired with food that is high in bitterness?

Answer 23

White wines or low-tannin reds

Question 24

What characteristics are most important in a wine when paired with food that is spicy?
Examples?

Answer 24

Low alcohol, high levels of fruitiness and sweetness

White wines, low-tannin reds that are low in alcohol

Question 25

What are the two flavour components in food that help make a dish low-risk?

Answer 25

Salt and acid

Question 26

What kind of wine should high acid foods be paired with generally?

Answer 26

High acid

Question 27

What type of wines are high-risk, but potentially high-reward?

Answer 27

Complex wines with more structural components

Question 28

What sort of wines are safe but make for potentially unexciting pairing?

Answer 28

Simple, unoaked wines with a little residual sugar

Question 29

Do matching flavours in wine and food indicate a likely positive pairing? Why?

Answer 29

No, structural pairing must be successful first

Question 30

Why might a wine pair well with food from the same region?

Answer 30

Local food and wine pairings may have evolved locally over time

Question 31

Why is the idea of ‘local food, local wine’ flawed?

Answer 31

Localities often produce wines in a broad range of styles so it is not enough to go on alone

Question 32

What do tannins bind with in red meat? what is this thought to do? What plays a more important role in softening tannins in red meat dishes?

Answer 32

Proteins
This is thought to soften the impact of the wine
Salt

Question 33

What interaction in flavours between fish and red wine has led to the idea that fish should only be paired with white wines?
What can be increased in a fish dish to combat this?

Answer 33

Umami in the fish making tannins in red wine appear unbalanced, bitter and astringent
Salt and acid

Question 34

What type of fish should not be paired with tannic wine? why?

Answer 34

Oily fish as this pairing tends to result in metallic tastes

Question 35

Are perfect pairings for one person, perfect pairings for everyone?

Answer 35

No