Pairing with ease. Food and wine
This not a story about just another wine and food pairing, this is a story about new experiences, about new discoveries, about something that you actually can do, too (with friends who like to talk about wine and food). Most of us have heard the same old story – what goes where and with what: Sauvignon blanc with goat cheese, white with fish, steak with Malbec, duck with Pinot and champagne with whatever you like. Although I like to follow the rules, especially when driving and standing in line – I hate those who butt in front of me (be aware of that), I like to break them, especially when I think about the wine.
I have been involved in the wine world for a long time. I have been in contact with wine people for a long time, and all of my books are written together with sommeliers such as Andreas Larson, Raimonds Tomsons, Eliza Pinta Kauce and Jānis Gailis, each of them sticking to the classics but never forgetting about something new, funky and different. And yes – they all like to say that you have to drink what you want at that time and on that day, and then the wine will taste the best.
So, when I saw the “Food and wine pairing” class in my Chateau Magnol schedule, there was no smile on my face. More like: “Not again”. How wrong I was to think like that, because this was just a great experience.
It was an adventure divided in two parts – cheese and wine followed by food and wine. But before we start, let me remind you of 5 pairing guidelines that you should always keep in mind.
The most important is personal taste. It is you who will drink, not your friend, lover, sister or anyone else.
Color of the sauce. If you have chicken with white sauce then you should have white wine – the creamier Meursault, Chardonnay, or Pouilly-Fuissé.
Texture of the food. If it’s a chewy meat, then choose a wine with tannins and structure. If it is Bœuf Bourguignon, then it should be a Bordeaux style or Burgundy.
When you don't know what to select, you should pay attention to the region where the dish comes from.
Balance or contrast. You can go for balance or contrast. It is up to you: chocolate cake with red wine or something sweet and fatty with champagne that will wash away the fattiness.
Which way to go. Serving
There are times when we serve just one wine – then there is just the matter of choosing the right one. But, if you have something else planned, then keep in mind some safe facts about the way you should serve the wine.
Go from white to red
Go with structure - light to full-bodied
If you have old and young vintage, it's better to have the old before the young (old means from the 50s, 60s or 70s). In case of a 5-10 year difference, start with the youngest.
Let’s get to the point
Sometimes you just taste and they tell you what’s the best. Sometimes they can be mean (such as in B & G) and let you pick out the combinations yourself. As a result, you can turn out being a fool or a smartass. I turned out to be the latter (I just had to tell you that).
1st task/combo
Food = foie gras
Wine to serve:
B&G Sauternes (everything is in this wine - fog in the morning, sunshine in the evening, Botrytis attacks sweetness and acidity) Just what foie gras loves - a classic combo.
M de Magnol. The tannins in this light-bodied wine make a contrast with foie gras. They complement each other.
2nd task/combo.
4 beautiful cheeses: Roquefort, Comté, Tomme de Brebis, Brillat-savarin.
6 beautiful wines
B&G Sauternes. Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc
B&G Médoc rouge. From the northern part of Medoc, made from 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, 6 months in oak makes the wine with spicy black pepper and cinnamon notes in which you can also feel black fruits, berries. Palate – mild tannins, body structure.
B&G Vouvray. Loire valley. Tours. 100% Chenin blanc and medium sweet.
Thomas Barton Grave blanc. South of Bordeaux. Wine with beautiful minerality and nice acidity. 60% Sauvignon Blanc and Semillion 40%, plus 3 months in oak. SB brings freshness and acidity, making the wine lively and fresh. Semillion brings sweetnes, roundess. Good aging potential.
B&G Rosé-d'anjou. Le Val de Loire. Made from Gamay and Grillon and, again, medium sweet.
B&G Pouilly-fuissé. Burgundy. 100% Chardonnay. Schist and limestone earthiness that gives minerality and fruit notes. The appellation gives a lot of creaminess to wine with butter, vanilla and nuts in taste.
And now lets play the game. Which two wines go with each cheese?
Roquefort – Sauternes (contrast) and Médoc. Normally for this cheese – sweet and medium sweet Comté – Pouilly-fuissé and Médoc
Tomme de brebis – Rosé-d'anjou, Graves blanc (Médoc)
Brillat-savarin – Pouilly-fuissé and Graves blanc (fruitiness and floras notes pop up at the first sip and nice acidity continues). Kind of great with Pouilly-fuissé and Vouvray.
3rd task/combo
Wines
Thomas Barton Saint-Emilion. 80% Merlot un 20% Cabernet Franc. One year in oak.
B&G Côtes-de-provence. Eastern part of Provence, made from Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, resulting in dry wine. With a pale salmon-pink colour, it is fruity, spicy, crisp and lively.
B&G Vouvray. Loire valley. Tours. 100% Chenin blanc and medium sweet.
B&G Beaujolais. Part of Bourgogne where the wine is made from the Gamay grape. Easy, fruity, light in color. Beautiful Beaujolais that has good acidity.
B&G Mâcon-Villages. Chardonnay from Burgundy with no ageing in the oak, resulting in lighter chardonnay wine, still fruity and easy. Not too rich, but elegant.
FOOD and its friends
Asparagus with hollandaise. Vouvray and Mâcon-Villages. Asparagus is a hard food to pair, and usually, if it served with vinaigrette, you should have a fresh wine but if served with a creamy sauce, then all you need is something creamy.
Zucchini filled with meat. Côtes-de-provence and Beaujolais. The choice will depend on the spiciness of the meat. Beaujolais is good because there are not too many tannins. Keep in mind that Mâcon-Villages is a good choice, too.
Chantarelles with garlic. Côtes-de-provence. St. Emilion. Mushrooms are usually quite earthy, so it definitely should be red wine and St.Emilion. I loved it with Provence wine, too.
Gratin savoyard. Mâcon-Villages. 100%. This is the best combo for this food, and I don't need anything else. They say it is good with Vouvray, too (it combines with the sweetness of the potatoes), but that is not my choice.
So, although I had my “not again” tasting face, I ended up loving everything we did there. It is not easy since we are all afraid to be wrong, say something wrong, and show that we are not as smart as we thought, nothing makes our brains work better that practice. And there is no need to tell me twice, if good cheese, food and wine is involved.
