A number of gatherings, incidents and recent occasions prompted me to write this article. I cannot account for the many ‘great’ wines we ‘wasted’ this summer by serving them on the wrong occasion or with the wrong food or at the wrong temperature.

The most recent episode was a total mismatch between a very fine Ch Grand Corbin Despagne 1990, untimely served with a rich chocolate desert. The plan was to have the wine just after the cheese course and before the desert arrives – because the cheese would have been too strong. As it turned out, the desert was too sweet for the fully mature wine and made the wine taste bitter and flabby.

Much has been said and written about the subject of wine and food matching. Neither this nor any other past, present or future contribution will ever give us the definitive answer to combining wine and food.

The main reason is that the possible combinations are too many and have become even more so with the globalisation of food ingredients, flavours and the ever-increasing availability of wines from around the world.

Although not a modern phenomenon, Asian and north African flavours and ingredients are being mixed with more traditional European flavours to create fusion food. The popularity of oriental restaurants with all their regional nuances have changed modern European and the New World’s diets.

On the wine front, new winemaking ideas and global warming (see feature on opposite page) are just some reasons why wine styles are changing.

However, while complete disasters are few, there are a number of basic principles and ideas to keep in mind. These will help you approach the subject with some knowledge and confidence which will no doubt help you avoid disappointments while at the same time enhancing the pleasure you get from your food and wine.

Ultimately, the number one aim of my contribution today is to encourage you to experiment and find what works and what doesn’t for you.

Food friendly or unfriendly

Some wines go better with food than others. The ideal food wine will not be overly alcoholic or tannic, will have a good acidity and, if oaked, the oak must be well integrated.

Unfriendly wines are either the limpid, low-acid tasteless wines or the high-alcohol (over 15 per cent), over-oaked, low-acid, super-rich wines. The availability of these latter wines is, unfortunately, on the increase, mainly due to wine drinkers’ obsession with tasting scores and competitions which are encouraging winemakers to sacrifice balance for power, richness and points.

Match or contrast

These are the two main schools of thought: like with like or contrasting flavours.

The first principle is based on trying to find wines that have similar flavours as the food. For example, a nice herby and spicy Rhone Syrah with an equally herby ratatouille; lemony Verdicchio with plain grilled fish with a squeeze of lemon and olive oil; or sweet red wine with chocolate.

Contrasting means flavours and compositions that mix well but are intrinsically different. This theory works more with white wine than with reds and some very interesting combinations can be made.

Such examples would be sweetness and saltiness as in blue cheese with sweet wine; or refreshing acidity to cut through fatty dishes as in crisp Sauvignon Blanc with deep-fried spring rolls, wontons, tempura or ricotta pastizzi. Another example would be Alsace Gewur-straminer with sundried tomato-based dishes.

Traditional/regional

This is without a doubt the safest and easiest approach to the subject because very often the combinations are the result of many years of evolution. This is where the food that is traditional to a specific region is accompanied by a wine from the same region.

Many factors may have contributed to this. The fact that in the past few wines travelled across country or even regional borders is certainly one reason, but there is also an undoubtable affinity between food produce and wine grown in the same climate and soil.

Like, for example, Bistecca Fiorentina and Tuscan reds, paella and Spanish rosados, or tapas and Fino or Manzanilla sherry. Even easier are the dishes that incorporate wine in them, such as Brasato al Barolo, Coq au Riesling and Lamproie Bordelaise.

Occasion

Would you serve your much looked-after, prized, aged Bordeaux or Burgundy at a barbecue by the sea, or a top champagne at a rowdy birthday party? Or big, rich Barolo on a hot summer’s day? The occasion should suggest the kind of wine you serve and, to a certain extent, the kind of food as well. So, for a lunchtime summer party, rosé wines are ideal. For a wedding party, where a varied crowd has been invited, one should have a mix of wines: white, red, rosé, New and Old World. A traditional Christmas lunch should be served with traditional wines.

Weight

This in my opinion is the key. The food and wine should be of equal weight. Look for the body of the wine: a full-bodied wine will overpower light-flavoured food and vice versa.

It is important to keep in mind that the way food is cooked is very important. A steamed chicken cooked in an oriental style would be quite light and aromatic in flavour, while a roast corn-fed chicken with a crispy, caramelised skin would have much more weight and flavour. So, in the first case, an aromatic white would be ideal, while a fuller, not overly rich red would go with the latter.

 

Red or white?

Drink the wine you like, of course, but I think that the principle of white with fish and red with meat still applies. For example, I was one of those who actually did not mind drinking red wine with fish, but with time I realised that it does not really work; not even with tuna or salmon. There are some exceptions; for example, monkfish which is not very ‘fishy’ and is classically cooked with bacon.

Tannins, acidity, sweetness and spiciness

These are the main flavours and textures that you have to watch out for, both in wine and food. Tannins in wines can turn very bitter if you mix them with very sweet food. Acidity in a dish like vinegar or lemon juice can make a normally-balanced wine taste dull and insipid. The same happens if you eat overly-spicy foods. We will need many pages to delve into this further but the basic rule here is to use the same principle as in weight: try to combine like with like.

Food for great red wine

Simplicity is the answer here. If you are going to open a great wine – a wine which is complex and ready to drink – serve simple food. I find that nothing beats a nice simple roast accompanied by roast or mash potatoes, boiled or steamed vegetables, but, very importantly, a nice light jus made from the juices of the same meat may be infused with a little garlic and herbs.

Wine and cheese

It may come as a surprise but cheese is not an easy wine match. That is because most ‘good’ cheeses are too strong in flavour or thick in texture to accompany fine wine.

In fact, white wine generally works best with cheese. Of course, a good Amarone or similar wines like Marsovin’s Primus can accompany strong cheeses well.

If you are constrained – as we often are in wine events – to serve a fine, old wine at the end of the meal, choose mild and semi-hard cheeses.

Soft goat cheeses work best with dry white wines, hard ones with oaked, white wines, while blue cheeses work best with sweet wines or Port.

Finally, always remember that a particular dish will have many components and flavours. Roast beef is very different to beef stew, with the latter adding flavours and textures from the added ingredients and the style of cooking.

Cote de Veau is very different from vitello tonnato, as this Italian classic adds a very distinct, over imposing flavour of tuna.

Try to keep in mind the global flavour of the dish.

mike@michaeltabone.com