Wine with Food Flashcards
What should you take into account when making a pairing for an individual?
Different sensitivities and/or preferences
Which two components make wine taste “harder” (more astringent, bitter and acidic, less sweet and fruity)?
Umami and Sweetness
Which two components of food make wine taste “softer” (less astringent and bitter, less acidic, sweeter and fruitier)?
Salt and Acid
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?
Food has more of an impact on wine than wine does on food. This impact is more likely to be negative.
What flavour components does sweetness increase?
What does it decrease?
Increases perception of bitterness, astringency, acidity and warming effect of alcohol
decreases perception of body, sweetness and fruitiness
As a general rule, what kind of wine should you pair with sweet food?
Wine with a higher level of sweetness than the food
What does umami in food increase in wine?
What does it decrease?
Increases the perception of astringency, bitterness, acidity and the warming effect of alcohol
Decreases the perception of body, sweetness and fruitiness in the wine
What kinds of wines will be thrown out of balance by umami foods?
What wines will not be thrown out of balance?
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
What does acidity in food increase in wine?
What does it decrease?
Increases perception of body, sweetness and fruitiness
Decreases the perception of acidity in wine
Is acidity in food generally a positive or negative thing for wine pairing?
Positive
What kind of wines may seem flabby, flat and lacking in focus when paired with acidic foods?
Low-acid wines
What does salt in food increase in wine?
What does it decrease?
Increases the perception of body in wine
decreases the perception of astringency, bitterness and acidity
Is salt a wine-friendly component of food?
Yes
What does bitterness increase in wine?
Increases the perception of bitterness
What do bitter flavours bind to?
Other bitter flavours
What does chilli heat in food increase in wine?
What does it decrease?
Increases the perception of bitterness, astringency, acidity and the burning effect of alcohol
decreases the perception of body, richness, sweetness and fruitiness in wine
Flavour intensity should also be taken into account, why? What is one exception to this?
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)
What is the subjective effect acidity has on fatty foods?
It “cuts through” the fat and/or cleanses the palate
What component of food, other than sweet, is often successfully paired with sweet wines?
Salty
What characteristic is most important in a wine when paired with food that is high in sugar?
At least as much sugar
What characteristic is most important in a wine when paired with food that is high in umami?
Concentrated fruit flavours
What can be added to an umami-rich dish to make it easier to pair with?
Salt and/or acid
What wines are best paired with food that is high in bitterness?
White wines or low-tannin reds
What characteristics are most important in a wine when paired with food that is spicy?
Examples?
Low alcohol, high levels of fruitiness and sweetness
White wines, low-tannin reds that are low in alcohol
What are the two flavour components in food that help make a dish low-risk?
Salt and acid
What kind of wine should high acid foods be paired with generally?
High acid
What type of wines are high-risk, but potentially high-reward?
Complex wines with more structural components
What sort of wines are safe but make for potentially unexciting pairing?
Simple, unoaked wines with a little residual sugar
Do matching flavours in wine and food indicate a likely positive pairing? Why?
No, structural pairing must be successful first
Why might a wine pair well with food from the same region?
Local food and wine pairings may have evolved locally over time
Why is the idea of ‘local food, local wine’ flawed?
Localities often produce wines in a broad range of styles so it is not enough to go on alone
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?
Proteins
This is thought to soften the impact of the wine
Salt
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?
Umami in the fish making tannins in red wine appear unbalanced, bitter and astringent
Salt and acid
What type of fish should not be paired with tannic wine? why?
Oily fish as this pairing tends to result in metallic tastes
Are perfect pairings for one person, perfect pairings for everyone?
No
