Edwin's Cellar: The Art & Craft of Matching Fine Wines with Food

Title:

The Art & Craft of Matching Fine Wines with Food

by Edwin Guilliot

Copyright:

Copyright © 2011 by Edwin Guilliot

Registration Number:  TXu 1-743-008

All rights reserved.

Published by Guilliot Publishing

Honolulu, Hawaii 

www.EdwinsCellar.com

ISBN-13:  9781483526249

Printed in U.S.A.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded, or otherwise, without prior written consent from the publisher.

Notice of Disclaimer:  The information contained in this book is based on the author’s experience and opinions.  The author and publisher will not be held liable for the use or misuse of the information in this book.

Prologue:

I got into wines in my twenties and I cut my teeth on old world wines, especially the Premier Cru and Grand Cru wines of France.  I could afford these wines at the time, and I developed my wine-food matching prowess this way.  In my thirties I got away from wine collecting (kids, post-graduate degrees, change of lifestyle, etc)  and didn't get back into the wine game until my forties, by which time the wine market had changed dramatically.  Because I could no longer afford a lot of the fine wines, I started experimenting with many of the lesser known, but interesting, wines of France, Italy, and Spain.  I began dabbling in some of the more affordable New World wines as well.  I discovered many absolutely delicious wines that I would have never have known about had I been privileged with the income to only buy and stock the finest wines, as I had done previously.  Some of these, too, are included in this book.

When I started this book, I first intended to write a book devoted exclusively to the finest, most elite wines in the world and the foods that matched up best with them.  As the book developed, I realized that there were wines that I could not bring myself to omit from any book I wrote about wines, simply because they are just too delicious, even though they could not be classified as fine wines.  So, I began a re-write of the book to include some of these wines.  Further along, I realized that there were recipes that were some of my favorites, that called for other wines, not necessarily fine or even close to that lofty classification by any stretch of the imagination, that I would feel remiss not to include in any book about wine and food matches.  So I decided to include a few of these wines, as well.  This posed an organizational dilemma for me: how to list all of these different types of wines in one all-inclusive book.  At first, I thought I would divide the book up into three sections, each roughly corresponding to the three groupings of wine: Village wines; Premier Cru wines; and Grand Cru wines.  I also toyed with the idea of compiling the information in three separate books, that would be bound in the same sleeve and sold as one book package: Village Wines; (Everyday Wines); Restaurant Wines (Premier Cru); and Fine Wines (Grand Cru).  As I began to write, and re-write these chapters, I had to decide if I was writing a book for general interest or was I writing a book just for me.  I became aware of the fact that many wine aficionados drink and appreciate wines by region, rather than by famous vineyards, and I thought that a regionally appropriate classification might be helpful to these wine lovers, as well.  I also became aware that many of the newer generation of wine lovers have learned about wines through organized wine tastings and that many of these oenophiles have had their palates educated by regional and local wines, rather than by imported wines, as mine had, and I thought that I should include more domestic wine knowledge, knowledge that I needed to bone up on.  This took time, but it was well worth it.  I discovered that many domestic New World wines are vinified to be drunk with pleasure at a much younger age than many of their Old World counterparts and this altered my wine-food matching proposals because, after some experimentation, I realized that the same grape varietals vinified in an old world style needed to be matched with differently prepared foods than those same grape varietals vinified in a new world style.  To compound matters even more, I discovered that there were some new world wines that are vinified in an old world style, meant to be aged quite longer, and requiring different food matches than their younger counterparts.  Back to the drawing board I went.

I finally settled upon a more all-inclusive arrangement that organized these wines by region or varietal type and that included all three types of wine rankings, and their food matches, based upon each wine's ideal drinking age.  I think this works best.  Because this book is devoted to wine lovers, rather than food lovers, one can first decide which type of wine one is having and go from there, matching foods to each wine according to the ideal aging of each wine within its particular rank.  I hope the readers find this book useful; it contains some killer food matches for each wine discussed.

In this book, I have discussed the food matches for each wine rank/age, paying particular attention to the way in which wine-food matches change according to the age and style of the wine.  I have given explanations for these appropriate food choices, based upon taste bud anatomy and physiology, particularly whether a given wine needs to be matched with acidic foods or with sweeter more alkaline foods.  Using a similar approach, I have also listed the sauces I feel go most appropriately with each wine-food combo.  Vegetable garnishes can make or break an otherwise acceptable wine-food matchup; not enough emphasit is placed on this very important aspect of wine-food pairing and  I have attempted to address this. 

Introduction:

Mission Statement of this Book:

The purpose of this book is to familiarize you with the different types of wines and the methodology used to match each of these wines with compatible foods.  Each wine is explained, categorized, and dissected and tried and true compatible dishes are proposed for each wine, and each type of wine.  Do you want to match Lafite-Rothschild or Corton-Charlemagne with a can't miss food dish?    Do you enjoy cooking elaborate gourmet 3-star Michelin meals and have, or plan to stock your cellar, with, the wines to properly accompany them?  Or maybe you just enjoy having an everyday supermarket wine and want to serve it with the most compatible dishes for maximum enjoyment of these wines. For some of you, you've spent your money to buy that $$$$ bottle of Chateau-Magnificent and now you want to serve it to your friends, business associates, or to your mate on your commemorative wedding anniversary.  In other words, This is a wine for a very special occasion and that is why you have taken the time and effort to acquire it in the first place.  And, of course, you don't want to serve this wine with anything that is going to possibly detract from the pleasure that such a special wine can potentially bring.  But, the evening approaches, bringing with it a daunting problem . . . . What do you serve?

Wine & Food as Chemistry:

When you think about it, cooking is nothing more than chemistry applied to the stovetop.  And wine is no more than a collection of complex chemicals.  As a scientist, I have tried to apply chemistry to the problem of wine and food pairings.  I am also a connoisseur and a gourmet, and my stomach agrees with the scientist in me that the wine and food pairings in this book are a hit!  Over the years, I have tried many, many less than thrilling wine and food combinations, and each time I have asked myself the question, why?  Why, after I spent all that money on this wine, did it fall short of its heralded anticipations?  Why, after I did all of that extensive reading and research about the wine's qualities, did this wine fail to thrill?  Why, after eating at Michelin 3-star restaurants and learning all that I could about food preparation, did this-or-that meal-wine combo fail to impress?  Why, after buying cookbooks by famous chefs, and preparing elaborate meals to match my wines, did the dinner-wine combo fail to live up to its expected glories?  I started by noting the successes I had had and tried to analyze what made these particular wine-food combos so successful.  I established a few concepts which, after more experimentation, evolved into hypotheses, and eventually, with more time, into theories.  And these theories eventually evolved into the principles which I am delighted to share with you.

I Love Fine Wine:

  I love fine wine.  I don't just merely like it, I love it.  It thrills me like no other visceral experience I have ever had and touches me in places that nothing else can.  Or, I should say, when the wine is right, and the food is right, all of This is true.  And I will spare no expense, endure all manner of inconvenience (such as lugging a wine cellar around with me, no matter where I move), apply restraint beyond all human reasonableness (as in waiting painfully, beyond human tolerance, for each bottle to slowly, slowly mature before opening them).  On my journey through the life of a wine lover, I have learned patience beyond that which a human is capable.  And I do this for one reason.  When I was still a young man, I had an epiphany.  I had a bottle of wine once that singed my brain and stunned my senses.  Actually, in the same sitting, I had two such wines.  And I was never the same again.  When I was a young adult, on a trip home to visit my parents, my father served me a 23 year-old bottle of Vosne-Romanée Les Beaumonts with roast pheasant.  This was preceded by a young bottle of Bâtard-Montrachet, served with the fish course.  The Bâtard-Montrachet was like a laser shot through my senses.  The smooth Vosne-Romanée went perfectly with the pheasant, each making the other taste better in the mouth. . . And better with the next mouthful. . . And better. . .    After that, I  started my own wine collection, and shortly thereafter I had what was the most incredible wine experience of my life: a 12 year-old Le Musigny (again, with pheasant), that smelled of, among other things, roses and lilacs on a dewy early-morning.  This wine was lo-o-o-ong and very, very complex.  Words do not do this wine justice.  This many years later, I can close my eyes, tilt my head back, and I can still remember the exact smell & taste of this incredible wine.  Some years later, I was able to introduce my wife to a 17 year-old half-bottle of Chateau d'Yquem, that had her fashioning impromptu poetry in an attempt to describe this wine's impact on the taste buds.  We had this wine with slightly salty langues-du-chat, which was a perfect match because we made them with a fraction of the sugar called for in the recipe, and added extra lemon flavoring.  A year before that, I had introduced my brother-in-law and his wife to a half-bottle of Trockenberenauslese that had them licking their glasses (actually, they were unabashedly deep French-kissing their glasses) in an attempt to suck out the very last drop of this liquid gold.  This wine went perfectly with blue cheese, after dinner.

Using the principles in this book, I hope to help you avoid feeling nervous about opening and serving that special bottle.

First, a little background material, a short introduction to food and wine pairings: . . . . keep reading.

Sweet & Sour:

  Many of the foods we enjoy, we like because of their sweet & sour components.  We like the interesting contrast that these two flavors create in the mouth.  Think about it: oil & vinegar salad dressing; Chinese sweet & sour pork; barbecue; baked potato with sour cream & chives; steak sauce; dishes prepared with salt & pepper; hot dog with mustard and relish; hamburger with tomatoes and pickles; watermelon with salt; and many, many more.  You may not have ever consciously thought about it before, but if you analyze the above dishes you can immediately see that each starts with a sweet & sour basis: In oil & vinegar dressing the oil is sweet and vinegar is sour.  Barbecue sauce is based on ketchup and sugar (both sweet) played off against cider vinegar (sour).  Steak sauce has sweet components (ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, onions) and sour components (mustard, vinegar, lemon juice).  Salt is sour-like and, underneath the zestiness, pepper is actually slightly sweet.  On a hot dog, mustard is sour and relish is sweet.  On a hamburger, tomatoes are sweet and pickles are sour.  Watermelon is sweet and salt is sour-like.  And, on and on.  When pairing foods with dry wines, intensely flavored 'sweet & sour' combinations are to be avoided.  Dry wines do not taste good with intensely sweet dishes.  In fact, intensely sweet dishes are to be steered clear of if one is to enjoy a dry wine and food pairing to the utmost.  Enjoying fine dry wines takes a different palate.

Rules About Sweetness in Foods Served with Dry Wines:

Matching dry wines is all about avoiding conspicuous sweetness in the dish.  To understand how this works, it is imperative to make a few observations.

1. Many meats have a range of 'meat sweetness' that is subtle.  With some meats, this sweetness is not detectable, or barely detectable, and is not of concern when matching with dry wines.  On the other hand, some meats, particularly red meats, are 'sweeter' and care must be taken to ensure a perfect match with dry wine.  Grilling red meats caramelizes the fats and makes the meat taste even sweeter.

2. Vegetables have a range of sweetness, a 'vegetable sweetness,' that can be subtle, or, at the other end of the spectrum, can be as sweet as some desserts.  Care must be taken when matching dry wines to vegetables.

3. Desserts are intensely sweet, and they should be avoided when serving dry wines, especially fine, expensive dry wines.

4. Most cheeses have a flavor that is perceived as sweet by the taste buds, especially the chèvre cheeses. 

Matching Wines with Cheeses

Whereas an agreement between wine and cheese is one of most beautiful things to be tasted, it is also one of most elusive.  To find a perfect accord between wine and cheese is even more difficult than for the other types of foods, so much so because the variables are many and fluctuating.  Avoid dry red wines with cheeses.  Dry white wines pair much better with cheeses.  Alongside cheese the tannins of a red wine almost always become noticeable and the cheese literally breaks the structure of the wines; the wines appear emaciated and dry, with a bad metal taste.  In the majority of cases the silkiest red wines seem to bristle with pointy pricks when matched with cheeses . . .

Matching Wines with Sauces

In wine-food matches, This is one way to go.  The sauce can serve as a liaison between the wine's flavors and the flavors of the dish.  The key is to first match the backbone of the sauce with the backbone of the wine.  After the backbone has been considered, then concentrate on matching other flavors and textures for an ideal marriage.  If you are having a medium-age acidic wine, red or white, make sure the backbone of the sauce is also acidic (i.e wine reduction, lemon juice, verjus, etc).  A tannic red wine craves a rich buttery sauce because as the wine ages, the tannins soften and become sweeter, providing a perfect match to the degree of the sweetness of the butter in these sauces.  If you are having a mature robust white wine, match it with a relatively robust white sauce.  A robust red wine needs a robust brown sauce, such as a peppery sauce poivrade, or a sauce made with flamed brandy, a Sirah sauce, or zinfandel-plum sauce, for example.  See more about sauces in the section on sauces.

'Dry' and 'Wet': Matching the Textures of Red Wines and Foods

The ‘dry’ texture of aged wines needs the juiciness of meats cooked medium rare or meats that are prepared in a wet fashion, such as poached or steamed.  The more subtle, well-aged wines go satisfactorily with the more delicate, understated flavors of meats cooked à point (medium rare) or meats that are poached or steamed or prepared in braises.  The ‘wet’ juicier texture of slightly rare meats also needs a ‘dry’ wine to act as a counterpoint to provide interest in the mouth. 

The more time meats spend in an oven, the more they will dry out, thus requiring a ‘wet’ accompaniment to counteract this dryness, so that the dish will be succulent in the mouth.  A 'dry' meat served with a 'dry' wine would taste moisture-less and unpleasant in the mouth.  A 'dry' well-done meat can be made juicier by serving it with a rich 'wet' sauce; conversely, the sauce needs to be counter-pointed with a 'dry' wine, to avoid flabbiness in the mouth.

'Dry' and 'Wet': Matching the Textures of White Wines and Foods

The statements below are an oversimplification, but they serve as a a simple, direct way to remember how to match white wines. There are, of course, many exceptions to these simple rules.

Younger, more vigorous white wines have a ‘wet’ juicy taste and texture and can be served with white-fleshed meats made with a wine broths or served with stews or braises. Medium aged white wines can stand up to the richness of a sauce, served with white-fleshed meats that are cooked bien cuit (medium well). Mature acidic white wines are drier tasting and subtle and they go with the ‘wet’ texture of white-fleshed meats prepared by poaching or steaming, and served plainly.

About Fine Wines:

My Grading System for Wines:

3★ These wines are well made, without noticeable flaws, and they are archetypical of their terroir or varietal.  These are typical well-made Village wines or Supermarket wines.

4★ In addition to being well made and typical of their terroir, these wines are also delicious and  exciting.  These are Premier Cru wines or Gourmet Restaurant wines.

5★ In addition to being delicious and exciting, these wines are also complex and long.  These are your Grand Cru wines.  These are the fine wines.

What Makes Fine Wine - The Four V’s:

  The four factors that, when all is said and done, determine whether or not a wine can develop into fine wine are: 

Vineyard -The site where the wine’s grapes are grown vary, and as the soils and microclimates vary, so do the grapes produced there.  Some sites have soil that, when combined with the right grape, can produce wines that are able to age long enough for the complexities of the wine to be developed.  The factors that produce complexity in wine involve a series of chemical reactions that need many years to take place.  Only a few sites on this planet have the right stuff to give grapes this quality.

Vintage - The different climate changes from year to year determine the chemical proportions within the grapes produced from any given site.

Vintner - The producer of the wine has many options and it is up to him to determine the eventual style of the wine that will be produced.  He decides if there will be more tannins, or less. . . more alcohol, or less. . . more acidity, or less. . . etc., etc.

Variables - The wine’s storage conditions and provenance determine ultimately how the final product will end up.  Was the wine stored at the right temperature and humidity?  Was the wine stored so the cork wouldn’t dry out?  Was the wine stored in a dark place, relatively free of vibrations?  Was the wine transported recently?  And, if so, was the wine transported in a refrigerated container?  For older red wines, after arriving at its destination, has the wine been allowed to lie down to settle for at least 6 months to a year?

These are the determining factors that shape a wine’s ultimate fineness.  All four must be superb in order for a wine to become fine.

Serve Finest Wines At Home:

  The Finest wines are those that fall into the Grand Cru class (although, occasionally a Premier Cru wine will be exceptional enough to fall into the category of fine wine).  These wines are long and complex and they generally are served with simply prepared foods so as not to interfere with the sometimes subtle, complex flavors of the wine.  These are usually very expensive wines because they are sought after by wine collectors, connoisseurs, and gourmets around the world and the demand for these wines far exceeds the supply.  In order to ensure that the foods served with these wines will match these wines appropriately, I recommend serving these kinds of wine at home.  There are several reasons for not having a bottle of wine of this stature at a restaurant, a situation which presents difficulties whether you plan to purchase that bottle of Chateau-Glorious at the restaurant or whether you plan to bring a bottle from your private cellar to the restaurant.  Either way is fraught with problems:

If you bring your own bottle of finest red wine to the restaurant:

1.First, these wines are usually aged for a very long time, in order for the wine's sediment to fall out of solution, and this sediment settles at the bottom of the bottle (the gravity-dependent side of the bottle) as the wine has been resting on its side for several years. This bottle must be stood on end (actually, at a 45° - 60° upright angle) a day ahead of time, to allow the sludge to slide to the bottom-rear corner of the bottle.

2.Next, the bottle would have to be transported to the restaurant. You can transport the wine before it has been decanted or after it has been decanted. If you transport the wine before it has been decanted, it will slosh around in your lap during the trip to the restaurant, causing the sediment to re-mix back with the rest of the wine, adding a harsh, astringent taste to your precious wine.

3.If you transport the wine after it has been decanted, most restaurants won't allow you to bring into their establishment a carafe of opened, unlabeled wine. They can't verify the source or integrity of the wine, and therefore would probably envision themselves to be open to the prospect of potential litigation or criticism (should the wine be tainted and make the drinkers sick, etc.; or should the wine make the food served with it taste bad, reflecting poorly on their chef and owner; etc, etc.).

4.There are a few well-aged red wines (e.g. Burgundies) that, after decanting, may have begun to fade by the time the wine arrived at the restaurant after a long drive. And you didn't spend $$$$ on that special bottle of wine for that to happen. Not to mention the time and expense of cellaring that bottle of wine for all the years that it took for it to age properly, only to have it fade before it was served. Other, more tannic, youngish, full-bodied wines would be OK in this scenario because many of them need time to breathe anyway.

If you order a bottle of finest red wine at the restaurant:

1.Since this bottle may have been aged for a very long time, you would have to make arrangements to pay ahead of time for this bottle and give instructions to the restaurant staff for someone at the restaurant to stand your particular bottle upright [actually, at a 60° angle] the day before you are to arrive for dinner. Later, you would have to call up the restaurant to check to make this had been done as promised, and done properly.

2.On the day of your meal, if you are drinking a medium-aged, full-bodied, tannic red wine, you would have to call the restaurant and have the sommelier decant the wine ahead of time, so it could breathe properly (anywhere from one to four hours) before you served it for dinner. [If you are having an aged medium-bodied acidic red wine, this won't be necessary, since these wines are best when they are decanted at the table and served right away].

3.Most restaurants usually do not have mature, aged red wines in their cellars. So, you would, instead, opt for a youngish bottle of wine, which will have very different flavor-matching characteristics than a more mature wine. And, if you do decide to buy this youngish bottle of wine, it may have to be opened several hours ahead of dinner, sometimes even the day before, in order for this wine to breathe for a long enough time for it to be palatable with your dinner. All of these arrangements will have to be made ahead of time with the sommelier. And you will have to trust that he (or she) will remember to follow all of your instructions, to the letter (remember, he has many other duties during the day that keep him, and his mind, occupied fully. It will be sheer luck if he remembers that your one, small bottle of wine, is tucked back in the corner of his immense cellar, and needs special attention the day before you arrive).

4.You would have to know in advance exactly what you were going to have for dinner, so you could select the wine to perfectly match the dinner. This can be accomplished by dropping by the restaurant the day before and having a look at the menu. Or, you could call up the restaurant and ask the Maitre D' to read you the menu selections over the phone. Or, you could go online and download the restaurant's menu (and wine menu), and make your selections.

5.And, lastly, fine restaurants aren't in the business of serving simple foods. Their patronage depends upon their reputation for serving complex, interesting dishes that have intense flavor, and a Wow factor. The chef prides himself on being able to fashion creations that stimulate the taste buds and visual senses. His culinary creations, not the wine, are the stars at this show. To ask this chef to deliberately tone down his cooking techniques enough to make a meal simple enough to go with your bottle of first growth wine would be apt be taken, possibly, as an insult. After all, he didn't study all those years to make a simple piece of meat to go with your fine bottle of Chateau-Magnifique! Problems, problems . . . . .

If you bring a bottle of finest white wine to the restaurant:

1.These wines are very sensitive to heat, and the long drive to the restaurant may be long enough for the wine to overheat. However, you can bring the bottle of wine in a temperature controlled transporter or, even, a bucket of ice. Problem solved.

2.You run into the same problem of asking the chef to serve a simple piece of fish with your finest aged wine, which may be taken as an insult, etc., etc. . . .

Tips for Matching Red Wines

Tips for Matching Foods and Wines:

The Anatomy of Red Wine:

  Much like a human body, every wine consists of a skeleton and flesh.  The skeleton of a human consists of bone, cartilage and connective tissue, and it is this skeleton that provides the backbone that supports the flesh (muscles and viscera) that are draped off of the skeleton.  Without the skeleton, the soft tissues wouldn't have any structure upon which to support itself.  It is this structure that makes the human body stand up, so to speak.  Likewise, wine has a similar structure.  The skeleton of the wine consists of the hard materials that provide the 'backbone,' and off of this 'backbone' is draped the soft 'flesh' or 'body' of the wine.  The hard 'backbone' consists mainly of Tannins, Acids, and Alcohol.  These are the ingredients that act as preservatives, allowing the wine to age, sometimes for many years, without spoiling.  On the other hand, the 'flesh' or 'body' of the wine consists of the fruit that gives each grape, and hence each wine, its distinctive flavor.  Added flavor ingredients are provided in the form of minerals from the ground that, along with water, are absorbed via the root system and travel up into the grapes as they grow on the vine.  Depending upon the grape used and the wine maker's choice of style, wines are made which emphasize one or the other of these four ingredients more than the rest, and, therefore, wines can be neatly divided into four categories based upon these characteristics. These four ingredients, Fruit, Acid, Alcohol, and Tannin, are expressed in different proportions in each and every wine, and, because of this, red wines can be divided up into four different categories, based upon the ingredient that is expressed more than the others:

There are Fruity wines. 

There are Acidic wines. 

There are Tannic wines. 

And there are Alcoholic wines.

Conveniently, these four types of wine also have matching weights.  By 'weight' I mean the feeling of wine in the mouth, how the wine weighs on the tongue, how chewy the 'body' of the wine is.  Fruity wines have the lightest weight and need to be matched with light foods.  Acidic wines have more weight and should be matched up with foods with a little more weight.  Tannic wines have a lot of weight and need to matched up with heavier foods.  Alcoholic wines have the heaviest weight of all and should be matched up only with the heaviest, gamiest foods.  The weights of the wines and foods should be matched as closely as possible to avoid one overpowering the other.  A heavy wine will overpower a light dish, preventing you from enjoying the meal.  And a light wine will be overpowered by a heavy dish, preventing you from enjoying the wine.  When I sit down to eat, I want to enjoy the wine AND the meal, not one at the expense of the other. 

The Four Main Red Wine Ingredients:

  There are four main ingredients in dry red wine that need to be in balance in order for the wine to be in harmony, to taste harmonious in the mouth.  They are:

  If, for any reason, any one of these ingredients is out of proportion with the others, the wine will taste unbalanced.  Too much acid, and the fruit will be masked, making the wine taste harsh and sour.  Too much alcohol, and the acids will be muted, rendering the wine flabby and, also, hot to the tongue.  Too much tannin, and the sweetness of the alcohol will be suppressed, making the wine taste bitter.  Too much ripe fruit, and the tannins will not be perceived on the tongue, and the wine will taste simple and uninteresting.

  As red wines age, the tannins and anthocyanins become much less pronounced (with extended time in bottle they clump together to form heavy solids and fall out of solution leaving a dark sediment in the bottom of the bottle) and the wine’s color lightens.  As the wine ages, some of the alcohols and acids may combine to form esters - - sweetish-smelling, viscous organic compounds that add to the weight and texture of the wine.

Fruity Wines:

  Fruity wines are all flesh and little backbone.  These are easy drinking wines that can be paired with light-bodied dishes.  They have the lightest weight and do not age well because they do not have a firm backbone to provide aging potential.  Although some examples of these wines are mentioned here, this book, for the most part, is not geared to these wines.

Acidic Wines:

  These wines, as stated, have more weight than fruity wines, but less weight than tannic wines.  Acidic wines have an intensely acidic backbone that provides these wines with the ability to age for a medium-long to long-term in bottle.  It is this acidic backbone that must be carefully matched in the food pairings in order for this wine to be appreciated at its best.

Tannic Wines:

  These wines have more weight, or body, than acidic wines and can be described as 'full-bodied'.  These wines have a great deal of tannin in their backbone, and it is this that allows these wines to age for a long time in bottle.  These tannins are extremely bitter to taste when they are young and, these wines must be aged some in order to give these tannins time to soften, so that the wine can be drunk with pleasure.  As I said, these tannic wines have weight enough to be called 'full-bodied' and, as such, need to be matched with foods of similar weight and body.

Alcoholic Wines:

  These wines have more weight than any other wine.  Because they are high in alcohol, they also must have a high degree of everything else, in order for the wine not to be unbalanced; so, they also have a great deal of fruit and tannin, and they have enough acids to remain balanced.  As a consequence, these are big, robust wines, with a great deal of chewy flesh, a mouthful of tannins, and a high enough alcohol content to add even more to the weightiness of these imposing wines.  Because they are so packed with backbone ingredients, these wines make ideal partners for the heaviest, gamiest meals.

Matching Foods and Wines by Color

Generally speaking, red wines do go with meats and white wines do go with fish.  A more complete way of stating This is: red wines go with dark-fleshed meat (red meats, game birds, and furred game) and white wines go with white-fleshed meats (fish, shellfish, sea creatures, white meats).  There are exceptions, of course, but these are just that, exceptions! 

Matching wines with vegetables is also done by color, which is discussed in another section of this book.

Food Matches for the Four Groups of Dry Red Wine

As mentioned earlier, red wines can be divided up into four groups, based upon their backbones (and weights), and wine and food matches are dependent upon their classification.  The heavier the wine, the heavier the foods with which they must be matched.  ➊Fruity red wines, such as Beaujolais and Chianti, are in the lightest category as to weight and color, and go with light foods.  ➋Acidic wines include such wines as Red Burgundy and Oregon Pinot Noir, and these medium-bodied, medium-red wines go with slightly heavier foods, such as the darker fleshed parts of birds.  ➌Tannic red wines include such wines as Red Bordeaux, California Cabernet, Merlot, Rioja, and Spanish Vega Sicilia and these full-bodied, dark-red wines match best with red meats.  ➍Robust (alcoholic) red wines include such wines as Red Rhones, Italian Piedmonts, Australian Shirazz, California Petit-Sirah, Cahors and Argentinian Malbec, and Red Zinfandel, and these dark, almost purple wines will stand up to the gamiest meals.

Four Types of Meats for Four Types of Red Wine

• Light, fruity red wines go well with white meats, light-fleshed birds, and darker-fleshed fish.

• Acidic, medium-bodied red wines go with darker-fleshed game birds such as pheasant (wild, of course) or quail, but also go well with duck. Turtledove (mourning dove), pigeon, palombe (wood pigeon), grouse, ptarmigan, partridge, wood thrush, snipe, and woodcock all are well suited to these wines.

• Tannic, full-bodied red wines go with red meats: lamb, beef, buffalo/bison, ox, yak, llama, ostrich, alpaca, llama, water buffalo, yak, cheval, chevon, cabrito, etc.

• Alcoholic, robust red wines go with gamier, dark-fleshed meats, such as Antelope, elk, moose, antelope, oryx, bear, hare, wild duck, bighorn mountain sheep, and wild boar; they also go well with the heavier, gamier-tasting red meats, such the dark, charred, caramelized surfaces of a grilled steak, etc.

The Four Types of Red Wines and Their Sauce Matches:

• Unoaked fruity light-bodied red wines, such as young Beaujolais, are delicious when young and, at this age, go well with red wine sauces for fish. At medium-age, these wines go well with white wine based brown sauces such as: Sauce Chausseur, Sauce Diable, Sauce Estragon, and Sauce Fines Herbes.

• Oaked acidic medium-bodied red wines, when medium-age, show their best when matched with the richness of sauces: white wine-based brown sauces like Sauce Duxelles, sauce Salmis, or Sauce Bonnefoy. They also go with vinegar-based white sauces such as Green Peppercorn Sauce and they go with other acidic-backboned sauces like Sauce Moutard, and Vinaigrette Sauces.

• Tannic full-bodied red wines can match with full-bodied red wine based brown sauces such as Sauce Bordelaise, Sauce Meurette, Sauce Rouennaise, Sauce Périgueux, Sauce Périgourdine, or Sauce Aux Champignons

• Alcoholic, robust, big-bodied red wines go best with the more robust sauces such as a vinegar-based brown sauces, like: Sauce Poivrade, Sauce Diane, Sauce Chevreuil, Sauce Grand Veneur, Sauce Moscovite, or Sauce Piquante and will go with other robust brown sauces such as savory Plum-Zinfandel Sauce, Sauce Godart, Sauce Hussarde, Sauce Charcutiére, Sauce Zingara B, or a Sauce Robert.

*A note about red wine reductions in sauces:

It is important to take care when selecting red wines to use in reductions for sauces.  Red wine reductions in sauces can add a flavor dimension that is very useful in matching with dry red table wines.  When a red wine is reduced, the water evaporates, the alcohol evaporates, and the remaining ingredients are concentrated greatly.  The reduced concentrated acids are very useful in matching foods with wines that have a distinctive acidic backbone (like Pinot Noir) and the reduced wine essence is useful in matching with various flavors in many dishes.  However, it is also true that any other ingredients that aren’t evaporated in the process, like oak tannins for instance, are also concentrated greatly during reduction and this can lead to problems matching with wines and foods.  This oak flavor, while pleasant in small quantities, can become quite bitter when too concentrated, giving a churlish, unpleasant taste sensation.  Therefore, when choosing red wines to use in sauces it is best to stay away from the full-bodied or robust tannic red wines that are vinified for aging, like: cahors, malbec, mourvedre, and cabernets that have spent a long time in new oak barrels, etc.  There are some merlots, syrahs, and even some cabernets, that are vinified to be drunk young and therefore have little contact time with oak (supermarket wines, I call them) and these can be useful in wine reductions.  Care must be taken with red wines - even Pinot Noirs - that see extensive contact time with new oak.

Most often, red wines that make for good reductions in sauces are those that spend very little, or no, time in oak and include: unoaked Pinot Noirs like Côtes-du-Beaune or Chorey-les-Beaune, new world Gamays, Beaujolais, Barbera d’Asti, Chianti, some lighter-styled Zinfandels, as well as many other light-bodied, acidic, unoaked red wines. Don’t worry, about using light-bodied red wines in dishes meant to be accompanied by a robust red wine; fullness and robustness can be incorporated into the sauce by adding a little brandy, for example, near the end of the sauce preparation process. The brandy won’t taste oaky because even though brandy sees considerable time in oak when it is manufactured, by adding it near the end of the cooking process there is not enough time for the brandy liquid to become objectionably concentrated.

✵Note: If you are planning to drink a particularly oaky red wine at the table with a certain dish, it may be sometimes useful to use an oaked red wine in the dish, even when the wine is reduced, in order to counterbalance the table wine’s woodiness. This is a judgement call.

Acidic Un-Oaked Red Wine Matches (i.e. Fruity Red Wines)

Matches for Young Wines:

Acidic unoaked wines that are vinified to be drunk as young and fresh as possible include wines like Beaujolais, Côte de Beaune, Chianti, Barbera d’Asti, California Gamay, and Gamay de la Côte Roannaise.  These wines may be at their most delicious when drunk immediately upon release, and will be good this way up to 6 months or, in some cases, as long as 2-3 years (after that, all bets are off).  These wines go well with wet-method prepared white meats and light-fleshed birds that are prepared in stews, civets, ragoûts, daubes, fricassées, and braises.  These wines also can go well with the denser, darker-fleshed, oilier fish when prepared in a stew or in braises prepared with red-wine.

Matches for Medium-Aged Wines:

Some of these acidic wines are vinified with light oak treatment so that they can improve with a few years of bottle age and these wines are at their best when drunk at 4-6 years of age. These include wines like Chinon (made from young vines) and Rouilly.  These wines go well with dry-method prepared (baked, broiled, grilled, sautéed) white meats, like rabbit, and light-fleshed birds that are served with a sauce.  These wines also can go well with the denser, darker-fleshed, oilier fish served with a red-wine sauce.

Matches for Fully Mature Wines:

Not many of these acidic unoaked wines can be matured for many years in bottle.

Acidic Oaked Red Wine Matches

Matches for Young Wines:

Acidic oaked wines can be vinified to be drunk a couple of years after release and age and improve up to 4-6 years.  These wines include wines like village-level red Burgundies, village-level California Pinot Noirs, and Barbera d’Alba, etc.  These young wines go well with wet-method prepared birds and some white-fleshed meats that are prepared in stews, civets, ragoûts, daubes, fricassées, and braises; or they can be prepared in a salmis. 

Matches for Medium-Aged Wines:

Some single vineyard acidic oaked wines are vinified so that they can improve with more years of bottle age and these wines are at their best when drunk at 7-10 years of age. These are premier-cru level wines and include wines like premier cru red Burgundies from the Cote d’Or and premier cru level Oregon and California Pinot Noirs [note: many new world Pinot Noirs are made to mature faster, reaching this same level of maturity at 4-6 years].  These wines go well with dry-method prepared (roasted, broiled, grilled, sautéed) small birds and some white-fleshed meats (like rabbit) that are cooked bien cuit and served with a flavorful, complex sauce. 

Matches for Fully Mature Wines:

Some single vineyard acidic oaked wines can be matured for many years in bottle, reaching full maturity at about 10-15 years of age, These are the Grand-cru level wines; the Grand-Cru red Burgundies mainly from the Cote de Nuits.  Wines aged this long are elegant, deft, long and complex and they go well with game birds that are cooked à point and served with a simple pan jus.

Full-Bodied Tannic Red Wine Matches

Matches for Young Wines:

Some vintners can make full-bodied tannic red wines so that they can be drunk a couple of years after release and that age and improve up to 4-6 years.  These wines include many village-level wines like red Bordeaux, Chinon, Riojas, and supermarket level new world Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots.  These young wines go well with red meats that are prepared in stews, civets, ragoûts, daubes, and fricassées. 

Matches for Medium-Aged Wines:

Some single vineyard full-bodied tannic red wines are vinified so that they can improve with more years of bottle age; these wines are at their best when drunk at 7-10 years of age. These include wines like premier cru-level red Bordeaux, premier cru-level Chinon, premier cru-level Rioja Reserva, and premier cru-level new world Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlots.  These wines go well with dry-method prepared (roasted, broiled, sautéed) red meats that are cooked bien cuit and served with a flavorful, complex sauce. 

Matches for Fully Mature Wines:

Some single vineyard full-bodied tannic red wines can be matured for many years in bottle, reaching full maturity at 15+ years of age, These include wines like: first growth red Bordeaux, first growth level Chinon, Rioja Gran Reserva, Vega Sicilia, and first growth-level California Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.  Wines aged this long are elegant and complex and they go well with red meats that are cooked à point (juicy)and served plainly.

Robust High-Alcohol Red Wine Matches

Matches for Young Wines:

Robust high alcohol red wines can be vinified so that they can be drunk a couple of years after release and will age and improve up to 4-6 years.  These wines include wines like village-level red Rhones, and village-level (supermarket level) new world Syrahs, Petit Sirahs, Mourvedres, and Grenache.  These young wines go well with wet-method prepared dark-fleshed game that are prepared in stews, civets, ragoûts, daubes, fricassées and braises. 

Matches for Medium-Aged Wines:

Some robust high alcohol red wines are vinified so that they can improve with more years of bottle age and these wines are at their best when drunk at 7-10 years of age. These are premier-cru level wines and include wines like premier cru-level red Rhones, premier cru-level Barbarescos, and premier cru-level new world Syrahs, Petit Sirahs, Mourvedres, and Grenaches.  These wines go well with dark-fleshed game that are served with a flavorful, complex sauce. 

Matches for Fully Mature Wines:

Some single vineyard robust high alcohol red wines can be matured for many years in bottle, reaching full maturity at 15+ years of age, These are the Grand-cru level wines and include wines like: first growth red Hermitage and Chateauneuf-du-Pape, first growth level Barolos, and first growth level new world Syrahs, Petit Sirahs, Mourvedres, and Grenaches.  Wines aged this long go well with dark-fleshed game that are cooked à point and served plainly.

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Tips for Matching White Wines

Tips for Matching Foods and Wines:

The Anatomy of White Wine:

The skeleton of white wine consists mainly of acids which serve as the main preservative for these wines, enabling them to age for long periods of time without spoiling; tannins and alcohol (and sometimes sugar) though present, play a much less important role as preservatives than in red wines.  The 'flesh' or 'body' of the grape gives each wine, its distinctive flavor, along with mineral flavors from the ground.  White wines are made in one of four styles:

There are acidic unoaked white wines. 

There are acidic oaked white wines. 

There are demi-sec white wines. 

And there are alcoholic robust white wines.

These four types of wine each have different food matching potentials.  Most white wines all have a similar weight or ‘body’, as do the foods that match with them.  Because the differences between white wines is subtle, careful attention must be payed to subtle differences between them as they age.  As white wines age, their aromas, flavors, and textures change and so do their matching compatibilities change as well.  All white wines are most compatible with white-fleshed foods, all of which have a similar weight or ‘body’: fish, shellfish, sea creatures, and white meats.  However, as these wines evolve with age, it is the preparations of these foods that must change in order to match well with these wines as their aromas, flavors, and textures metamorphose.

The Main White Wine Ingredients:

In addition to the four main ingredients comprising a dry red wine, some white table wines also may have have an additional ingredient, sugar, that can be used to match with certain white-fleshed meat dishes.  Sometimes, not all of the grape sugar is allowed to be fermented into alcohol by the yeasts during the fermentation process of some white wines.  This leaves residual sugar in the wine, in inverse proportion to the alcohol content of the wine.  These wines are labeled demi-sec wines (literally, semi-dry) and the small amount of residual sweetness can be used in wine and food matches, in cases where a completely dry wine simply won’t do well because it is too austere for some of the sweeter white-fleshed fish, shellfish, white meats and the sweeter vegetables.  As white wines age, the acidity becomes less pronounced and the color darkens.  As the wine ages, some of the alcohols and acids may combine to form esters, a sweet-smelling, viscous organic compound.

There are proportionately less tannins in white wines than in reds.  And there is a proportionately higher acid content in white wines than in reds.

Acidic Unoaked White Wines:

  When drunk young, these have a pale yellow color,  floral aromas, a fruity flavor and a light texture and these wines at this stage are most compatible with white-fleshed dishes that are prepared in a wine-flavored broth, such as fish and shellfish stews and braises.  When drunk a little older, these wines are compatible with white-fleshed dishes, served with a rich, complex white sauce.  When drunk at full maturity, at 7-10 years of age, these have darkened ever so slightly, have more complex aromas and flavors and a smoother, richer texture; the acids in these wines have softened and these wines at this stage are most compatible with white-fleshed dishes that are prepared in a juicy fashion and served simply.

Acidic Oaked White Wines:

  When drunk young, these have a greenish-yellow color, vanilla aroma, and an oaky flavor and creamy texture that is present after oak barrel élévage.  These wines at this stage are most compatible with white-fleshed dishes that are prepared in a broth, such as fish and shellfish stews and braises.  When a little older,  these wines are compatible with white-fleshed dishes that are prepared with a rich mushroom sauce.  When drunk at full maturity, at 7-10 years of age, these wines have a darker yellow color, more complex aromas and flavors and a smooth, rich texture.  The wine’s acids have softened and the oakiness has abated to a velvety quality. Wines at this stage are compatible with white-fleshed ocean fish, neutral pH shellfish, and white meats, served plainly.

Semi-Dry White Wines:

  When drunk young, these have a light gold color, floral aromas and a fresh acidic flavor that is delicately balanced against the residual sugar, creating a finely balanced, refreshing sweet & sour sensation, with a rich texture.  These wines at this stage match well with white-fleshed foods that are slightly sweet, prepared in brothy braises.  When drunk young, these wines are compatible with spicy Asian foods such as Indian curry and Thai-flavored dishes and they go well with butter sauces.  When drunk a little older, these wines go well with river fish served with a rich bechamel sauce.  When drunk at full maturity, at 7-10 years of age, these wines have a darker gold color, more complex aromas and flavors and a smooth texture and these wines at this stage match with sweet river or lake fish prepared in a juicy fashion, and served simply.

Robust Alcoholic White Wines:

  When drunk young, these have a gold color, floral aromas and a pungent fresh flavor that is delicately balanced against the high alcohol, creating a strong, forceful sensation en bouche.  These wines at this stage are most compatible with the darker fleshed fish that are meatier and sometimes oilier;  fish that are so heavy that they could also be easily matched with rosé and light-bodied red wines.  When drunk a little older, these wines are most compatible with the same darker fleshed fish, cooked bièn cuit, and served with a rich, creamy white sauce.  When drunk at full maturity, at 7-10 years of age, these wines have a darker golden color, more complex aromas and flavors and a smooth, rich texture.  The alcohol has become mellower and, at this age, these wines are drier.  They are also compatible with the heavier, more intensely flavored shellfish, sea creatures, and white meats.

What Wines are in the Four White Wine Groups?

➊ Acidic unoaked white wines include wines such as Chablis, Muscadet, Gros Plant, Entre-Deux-Mers, Aligoté, Loire Valley whites (such as Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, and Quincy), new world Sauvignon Blanc, Italian whites such as Orvieto, Soave, and Pinot-Grigio, Spanish whites such as Albarino and Verdejo, and Argentinian whites such as Torrontés all fit this category, as does Alsatian Riesling. ➋ Acidic oaked white wines include white Burgundy, Pouilly-Fuissé, California and Australian Chardonnay, white Bordeaux (i.e. Pessac-Leognan), and oaked Blanc de Fumé.  ➌ Demi-sec acidic white wines retain a soupçon of residual sugar that contrasts with the high acids in these wines; these wines include: German Kabinetts and Spatleses, Loire valley Vouvrays, Savennieres, and Montlouis, Demi-sec champagnes, and California white zinfandel and Gray Riesling.  Some Alsatian white wines also are vinified semi-dry.  ➍ Robust (alcoholic) white wines are the only group of white wines that doesn’t have a decidedly acidic backbone as its trademark.  These wines include Alsatian Gewurtztraminer and Alsatian Pinot Gris, and Rhone wines such as Hermitage Blanc, Chateauneuf-de-Pape Blanc, Condrieu and also new world Viognier, Marsanne, and Rousanne.

Four Types of White-fleshed Dishes for Dry White Wines:

White fleshed dishes have different pH’s.

Fish. 

1.Ocean fish have a neutral pH or may even taste a little salty, and include red snapper, sole, turbot, brill, John Dory, pompano, cod, pike, black sea bass, salt water striped bass, grouper, sea bream, etc. 

2.River or lake fish, to my taste, are sweet, including fresh water perch, lake trout, fresh-water striped bass, flounder, tilapia, and French varieties such as sandre and omble. 

3.Robust fish are darker, meatier, and sometimes oilier, and include varieties such as: shark, swordfish, wild salmon, wahoo, monkfish monchong, mahi-mahi, mullet, marlin, ahi, etc.

Shellfish (crustaceans and mollusks),

1.Some mollusks have a more neutral-tasting pH -even when cooked bièn cuit, the way I like them, such as mussels, clams, cockles, oysters, periwinkle, abalone, cuttlefish, land snails, other gastropods such as fresh water limpets, and univalve sea snails (such as conch, whelk, etc.).  Neutral pH crustaceans include langoustes (spiny lobster/rock lobster) and langoustines (scampi).

2.Some mollusks (scallops and petoncles) and some crustaceans (crab, clawed lobster, shrimp, prawns, barnacles, krill, and woodlice) all taste sweet to me when cooked bièn cuit.  On the other hand, these same shellfish when cooked à point have a more neutral-tasting pH and will then match with different wines than when they are cooked bièn cuit.

Sea Creatures.

1.Include frog’s legs, sea anemone, sea urchins, and turtle.  I include cephalopods (unshelled mollusks) in this group, such as squid and octopus.  These all have a more neutral-tasting pH.

White Meats.

1.Some white meats have a neutral pH, including suprêmes de poularde (breast of pullet, de-boned and skinned), poussin , rabbit, milk-fed veal shoulder or breast, etc,

2.Some white meats taste sweet when cooked bièn cuit, including roast capon, cornish hen, roasting chicken, turkey, pork loin, etc.

Four Types of White Wines and Their Fish Matches:

1.Unoaked acidic white wines, such as young Muscadet, are delicious when young and, at this age, go well with slightly salty-tasting white-fleshed ocean fish.  As these wines mature slightly they go with these same ocean fish served with creamy sauces.  Avoid sweet river and lake fish with these wines, unless the sauce served with the dish is acidic enough to compensate.

2.Oaked acidic, white wines show their best when matched with salty white-fleshed ocean fish.  Avoid sweet river and lake fish with these wines, unless the sauce served with the dish is acidic enough to compensate.

3.Demi-sec white wines match with sweet river fish and lake fish.

4.Alcoholic, robust white wines go best with the densely-textured, darker-fleshed, more robust fish like swordfish, shark, nairage, albacore tuna, ono/wahoo, opah/moonfish, monchong, monkfish, mahi-mahi, wild salmon, and marlin.  [*These wines can go with the other fish types, but only if the sauce served with the dish is robust enough to stand up to the wine without, at the same time, overpowering the fish].

Four Types of White Wines and Their Shellfish Matches:

1.Unoaked acidic white wines, such as young Muscadet, are delicious when young and, at this age, go well with neutral pH shellfish stews prepared with a wine-based broth; dishes such as mussels marinière and bouillabaisse.  As these wines mature slightly they go with neutral pH shellfish, like mussels, served with a sauce.  Avoid sweet shellfish with these wines, unless the sauce served with the dish is acidic enough to compensate and the sauce is compatible.

2.Oaked acidic, white wines show their best when matched with the more neutral pH-tasting shellfish dishes.  Avoid sweet shellfish with these wines, unless the sauce served with the dish is acidic enough to compensate.

3.Demi-sec white wines can match with sweet shellfish when prepared bièn cuit. These young wines also go well with shrimp curry and Tandoori crab and with Chinese-style or Thai-style shrimp dishes and these young wines match well with shrimp or clams battered and poêléed.

4.Alcoholic, robust white wines go well with oysters and mussels prepared in a deeply flavored robust style. 

Four Types of White Wines and Their Sea Creature Matches:

1.Unoaked acidic white wines, such as young Muscadet or Entre-Deux-Mers, go well with snail stews and fricassées made with a dry white wine-based broth, or if the dish contains some other acidic elements.  As these wines mature a little they go with the same sea creatures, but served with rich sauces (blanquette of snails, for example). 

2.Oaked acidic, white wines are at their best when matched with the neutral pH sea creatures, in dishes that are prepared in a juicy fashion.  Abalone, and similar textured sea creatures, makes a good match for these wines.

3.Demi-sec white wines can match with sea creatures that are slightly sweet in their preparation, such as snails and frog’s legs prepared with lots of sweet butter and garlic.  These young wines also go well with conch curry and frog’s legs, battered and poêléed. As these wines mature they can go with juicy dishes like abalone braised in white milk.

4.Alcoholic, robust white wines go especially well with most sea creatures, like octopus or squid or snails.

Four Types of White Wines and Their White Meat Matches:

1.Unoaked acidic white wines, such as young Muscadet or Aligoté, go well with poulard or white veal (milk-fed veal) chop prepared with a wine-based broth or prepared in a stews, braises, fricassées, civets, and ragoûts.  As these wines mature a little they go with the same meats, but served with rich, complex sauces. 

2.Oaked acidic, white wines show their very best when matched with dishes like wet-prepared suprêmes de poulard or white veal (milk-fed veal) shoulder served plainly, with a dry white wine deglazed jus, for example.  As these wines mature a little they go with the same meats, but served with rich, complex sauces made with a mushroom infusion.

3.Demi-sec white wines can match with white meats that are slightly sweet, such as chicken and cornish hen prepared with lots of sweet butter and garlic; they go well with tenderloin of young free range boar braised in sweet white milk.  These young wines also go well with chicken curry and Tandoori chicken and with Chinese-style or Thai-style chicken or white veal (milk-fed veal) dishes.  As these wines mature, they should be matched with the same white meats, but differently prepared.

4.Alcoholic, robust white wines, with a little age, go with blanquette de veau.  These wines will