Wine and Food Buddies

Wine and food typically like to hang-out together either casually with pizza at the kitchen table or formally with a rack of lamb in the dining room. There are some matches made in heaven and others that will never have a love affair no matter how hard they try. Wine and food have personalities that either bond harmoniously or are completely off-key.

The goal is that neither the food nor the wine should overpower the other. Here are a few quick rules for finding wine and food buddies:

Rule #1: Balance the body of the wine with the body/richness of the food. A full bodied wine (think Barolo or Bordeaux) is mouth-filling and rich which would overwhelm a delicate fish and a light bodied wine (think Pinot Grigio) would not make a good couple with rich venison. The more extreme the body, the less food-versatile the wine will be. Example of body: Light=skim milk, medium=whole milk, full=heavy cream.

Rule #2: Acidity in the wine or food needs to be considered. Everyone has experienced brushing their teeth with minty tooth paste and then drinking orange juice. The taste is terrible! Likewise, eating foods that have a lot of acidity such as tomato sauces or lemony sauces are not matches for high tannin, oaky wines. The clash is unpleasant. Rather, think Chianti with tomatoes and Chablis or Sauvignon Blanc with lemon.

Rule #3: Match or contrast flavors/spices. We are surrounded by food affinities: peanut butter and jelly, French fries and ketchup, chocolate chip cookies and milk, oil and vinegar, etc. A simple sautéed chicken breast will pair fine with a light white wine such as a Sauvignon Blanc, but when you add a port cherry sauce, a Pinot Noir with bright red berry flavors would be complimentary. A spicy Thai dish may call out for a wine with a little sweetness such as a Riesling. Barbecue ribs are smoky, spicy, and sweet. They will feel comfortable with a light tannin, juicy red wine such as an Australian Shiraz or Spanish Garnacha.

Rule #4: Tannins are friends or foes. Tannins are not a taste, rather a tactile sensation that exudes bitterness. Tannins and color comes from the skins of the grape. When you bite into a grape the inside is juicy and clear, but the skins are often chalky and leave a dry sensation in your mouth. That is what tannins do with wine. Wine with a lot of tannins coats the mouth and often blocks the fruit. Pinot Noir grapes have thin skins and thus have less tannin levels than Cabernet Sauvignon with thick skins. Other foods that have tannins are tea and walnuts. Just like milk (fat) in tea is complimentary, a strongly tannic wine is well-matched to very fatty foods such as steak. The tannins help break down the fat. On the other hand, a high tannin wine will clash with briny or fishy tastes and other bitter tastes like funky cheese. It will give a metallic taste. Salty foods also clash with tannins.

Rule #5: Match the fruit. Each type of wine has fruit flavors ranging from a tart/tangy green apple or cranberry to a soft juicy melon or plum. Some fruit is tropical such as mango and others are dried such as fig. The element of fruit improves a food pairing. When you make or order a dish, think of what fruit you would put with that dish. If you have a light white fish, you may not want a blackberry, but rather an apple or lemon. A rack of lamb might not taste as good with a pear or a peach, but would taste excellent with blackberries or figs.

Rule #6: When in doubt, match country of food. Italian food goes well with Italian wine. Spanish food pairs with wines from Spain. French foods deserve a French wine.

Rule #7: Drink what you like. Often the meal is consumed within 15 minutes and you are stuck drinking the rest of the bottle on its own.

Here are some top food-friendly wines to drink any night of the week:

Trimbach Riesling 2007 - Asian dishes or Alsatian Onion Tart
Wilhelm Walch Prendo Pinot Grigio 2008 - Seafood Pasta
Domaine Cheavau Macon-Chaintre 'Les Clos' 2008 - Pork or Chicken with Cream Sauce
Perrin & Fils Cotes du Rhone-Villages 2007 - Duck Cassoulet
75 Wine Company The Sum Red Blend - Beef Short Ribs
LAN Reseva Rioja 2004 - Lamb Stew