Food and wine matching, or pairing, is something of an inexact science and there is plenty of scope for bending perceived ‘rules’ to suit personal tastes. However, whilst one person’s idea of a correct pairing might not match another’s, most wine experts agree that the most important element to consider in the pairing of wine and food is the weight of the wine. Very few people would suggest serving a full-bodied, heavy red such as borolo with a salad or light pasta dish, as the rich, bold nature of the wine would overwhelm the lighter flavours of the food. Similarly, serving a heavy meat or game dish with a delicate Pinot Noir would undermine the subtleties of the wine.
Wine and food matching is an ever-evolving process, however, and perceived wisdom changes all the time. For example, the once widely-held belief that white wine should be served with light dishes such as fish, and red wines served with hearty meat dishes, bears little weight today. This theory harks back to the days when virtually all whites were light and fruity, and red wines heavy and full of tannin (the substance produced by grape skins or oak aging). In today’s wine market, heavy full-bodied whites such as California Chardonnays, and light, easy-drinking reds like Pinot Noirs prove that the colour-coding rule does not always hold true.
The key difference between red and white wines is in tannin levels – red wines tend to be tannin-rich, leading to a heavier wine, whereas tannins are rarely present in white wines. There are differences in flavour too – the notes of apple, pear and citrus fruits that are often a feature of white wines almost never show up in reds, while the flavours of plum, currants, cherries and dark berries seldom appear in whites.
Weight, or body, is principally determined by the alcohol level of the wine, as well as by tannin levels and the aging process – for example an oak-aged wine from a warm wine growing region such as California will be heavier than a steel-aged wine from a cooler region such as Mendoza.
While weight is a key factor in determining which wines should be paired with which dishes, attention should also be paid to the flavours involved. As the idea of wine matching is to serve wines and foods that complement each other perfectly, it makes sense to firstly identify the dominant flavour of the dish. If serving a meat dish with a rich, herby sauce, it may well be that the sauce, rather than the meat, will dominate on the palate.
While taste is subjective to some degree, there are nevertheless measurable characteristics that come into play when pairing food and wine. With wines, the principle tastes are bitter, sweet, and sour. Bitterness in wine is largely a result of high tannin levels, while sweetness comes from residual sugars and the sour taste comes from acidity in the wine. Alcohol in wine is percieved as ‘heat’ in the mouth and is the driving factor in determining the body of a wine. As some food ingredients accentuate this heat, while others minimise it, this residual heat can be important in helping to decide which wines to pair with which dishes.
Though sensitivity to these tastes can vary between individuals, many wine experts recommend making wine pairings according to these tangible tastes as opposed to according to ‘flavour’ which is more subjective still. Judging flavour depends on sense of smell as well as taste, and whilst one drinker may detect notes of black cherry, tar and liqourice, another may fnd notes of plum smoke or charcoal in the same wine.
Acidity is an important factor in any food and wine pairing as it has the potential to heighten our perception of flavours. When tasting wines, acidity is perceived by a ‘mouth watering’ sensation, which can help increase the appetite. When served with dishes that are creamy, oily or salty, acidic wines can be very refreshing to the palate. A low-acidity wine served with a tart dish such as seafood with lemon may seem weak in comparison, while a wine that might seem overly tart in itself can appear to be ‘softened’ by a tart of acidic dish. In such cases, the complimening acidity helps to cancel out perceived tartness and allow other flavour components to come into their own.
Sweetness in wine depends on the levels of residual sugar left after fermentation. It is a misconception that sweet wines should only ever be served with sweet foods – sweeter wines can help alleviate the heat of fiery Asian dishes for example, while the salty-sweet contrast of serving a salty cheese with a sweet port wine is common practice in Europe. Real gourmands, meanwhile, swear by teaming a good dessert wine as a chilled aperetif with foie gras. In short, there are no hard and fast rules to wine and food pairing – apply common sense, consider body and taste, and let your own personal judgement do the rest.
