WSET I.5 food and wine pairing

Question 1

How do food and wine interact?

Answer 1

Food makes wine taste different.

Wine will not impact the flavors of food.

Question 2

What are the 5 main tastes?

Answer 2

1. Sweet
2. Salt
3. Acid
4. Bitter
5. Umami (savory)

Question 3

Which tastes are generally “wine friendly”?

and why

Answer 3

Salt and acid

Reduce the tastes of bitterness
Enhance fruit and sweetness

Question 4

Which tastes are generally “wine challenging”?

and why

Answer 4

sweetness and umami

Reduce tastes of fruit and sweetness
Enhance dryness, bitterness and acid

Question 5

Which wines can be paired with sweet foods?

Answer 5

sweet, dessert wines

Sweetness in food makes wine taste more bitter, acidic and drying.
Sweetness in food makes the sweetness and fruitiness of wine diminish.

Question 6

Which wines can be paired with “umami” foods?

Answer 6

Fruity whites and low tannin reds

Umami in food makes wine taste more bitter, acidic and drying.
Umami in food diminishes the perception of body, fruitiness and sweetness in wine.

Question 7

Which wines can be paired with salty foods?

Answer 7

Highly acidic whites
Oaked whites
High tannin reds

Some like the combination of sweet wines with blue cheese

Salty food will soften the acidity, bitterness and tannins in wine.
Salty food will enhance the sensation of body in a wine

Question 8

Which wines can be paired with acidic foods?

Answer 8

Highly acidic wines

Acidic foods will enhance the perception of body, sweetness and fruitiness in the wine while decreasing the perception of acidity

“Acid cancels acid”

Question 9

Which wines can be paired with bitter foods?

kale, artichokes, broccoli, etc

Answer 9

White wines
Low tannin, fruity reds

Bitterness in food enhances the perception of bitterness in wine

Question 10

Which wines can be paired with spicy foods?

Answer 10

Fruity white wines
Low tannin, fruity reds
Low alcohol, sweet wines

Spicy foods increase the perception of bitterness, acidity and alcohol in wine
Spicy foods decrease the perception of body, fruit and sweetness in wine

Question 11

Which wines can be paired with fatty / oily foods?

Answer 11

High acid white wines

Fatty foods can decrease the perception of acidity in wine

Question 12

Which wines can be paired with highly flavored foods?

Answer 12

Full bodied reds

Highly flavored foods can overwhelm the flavors in wine

Question 13

True or false:

Dishes high in umami should be paired with fruity, low tannin wines?

Answer 13

true

Question 14

True or false:

Acidic foods are best served with wines that have low acidity?

Answer 14

false

“acid cancels acid”

Question 15

Where does bitterness in wine come from?

Answer 15

tannins and oak

Question 16

Which of the following wines would pair best with Kung Pao chicken?

a) Rioja
b) Sancerre
c) Riesling

Answer 16

c) Riesling

The spicy and umami of the dish work best with medium sweet wines with lower alcohol

Question 17

Which of the following would pair well with Cabernet Sauvignon?

a) cheesecake
b) well-seasoned grilled steak
c) hot wings

Answer 17

b) steak

Cabernet is a dry red wine with high tannins and alcohol

Question 18

What are the 7 components in food that affect wine?

Answer 18

Sweetness
umami
salt
acidity
flavor intensity
fat
heat (chili)

Question 19

What are the 5 components of wine that are affected by food?

Answer 19

Sweetness
acidity
bitterness (tannins, oak)
fruitiness
alcohol

Question 20

If a food is sweet or umami, wine will be (pick all):

a) overwhelmed
b) more drying and bitter
c) more acidic
d) more fruity, more body
e) less sweet and fruity

Answer 20

b) more drying and bitter
c) more acidic
e) less sweet and fruity

Question 21

If a food is salty or acidic, wine will be (pick all):

a) less drying and bitter
b) more acidic
c) less acidic
d) overwhelmed
e) more drying and bitter
f) less sweet and fruity
g) more fruity, more body

Answer 21

a) less drying and bitter
c) less acidic
g) more fruity, more body

Question 22

Fatty / oily food makes wine taste (more / less) acidic.

Answer 22

less acidic

Question 23

Spicy/hot food intensifies the perception of which characteristics of wine?

a) fruitiness
b) bitterness
c) alcohol
d) acidity
e) body

Answer 23

b) bitterness
c) alcohol
d) acidity

Question 24

Which is better with fish and chips?

a) Sauvignon blanc
b) Oaky chardonnay
c) White Zinfandel

Answer 24

Sauvignon blank, has enough acid to be a refreshing palate cleanser

Question 25

Umami can be balanced by the addition of:

a) sugar
b) acid
c) chili
d) salt

Answer 25

b) acid

d) salt

Question 26

When pairing sweet foods with wines, in general the wines shoud be (more / less) sweet than the food?

Answer 26

more sweet

Question 27

When pairing acidic foods with wines, in general the wines shoud be (more / less) acidic than the food?

Answer 27

more acidic

Question 28

True or false: Generally, bitter flavors in food will decrease the bitter flavors in wine.

Answer 28

false, they accentuate the bitter flavors in wine

Question 29

Which of these foods will make wine taste less acidic?

a) umami
b) salty
c) sweet
d) acidic
e) fatty/oily
f) highly flavored

Answer 29

b) salty
d) acidic
e) fatty/oily

Question 30

Which of these foods is high in umami?

a) cooked mushrooms
b) cheesecake
c) tomatoes
d) aged cheese
e) artichokes
f) anchovies

Answer 30

a) cooked mushrooms
c) tomatoes
d) aged cheese
f) anchovies