Certified sommelier Kristian LaPlante starts his wine course with the phrase “Wine is food, food is wine.” By doing so, he is emphasizing how important wine is at an Italian meal. The two are joined at the hip. I believe in all of Europe, this could be regarded as true. Europeans in the big three European countries (France, Italy, and Spain) like to have wine at almost every meal and drink ten times more wine than consumers in the United States. I do not believe they are sweating out the details of an exact perfect pairing of food and wine every time. I have several books on pairings and have been trying to learn what makes the perfect paring between wine and food. Could we Americans be overthinking this? No, not us! On your wine and food journey you will discover matches made in heaven. Relax and let these matches come to you. Andre Robinson believes if there is food on the table and an uncorked bottle of wine, there is a match.
What is wine’s secret weapon? What makes it join so well with food? Tony Porcellini will tell you wine’s acidity is the key to its love affair with food. Acidity is like a turbocharger for flavor and in such, makes your mouth water. When your mouth waters, the enzymes in your saliva break down the food unlocking the flavors, making the food taste better.
Chefs know the secret of acidity. It is no accident that nearly every famous sauce uses some acidic ingredient to enhance flavors: wine, vinegar, tomatoes, mustard, and lemon juice. Examples would include using lime with Mexican and pickled ginger with Thai food and sushi.
I think we understand the benefits of acidity without thinking about it. We squeeze lemon on fish, put pickles on a hamburger, and Worcestershire sauce on a steak.
Thanks to acidity, wine is the beverage for food.
A few simple pairings from Andrea Immer Robinson:
Potluck supper – Beaujolais
Saturday stir-fry – Pinot Grigio
Backyard barbecue – Red Zinfandel
Fridge leftovers – Chianti
PS. Do not forget our friend Riesling!
Cheers!
Hoosier Wine Guy
What is wine’s secret weapon? What makes it join so well with food? Tony Porcellini will tell you wine’s acidity is the key to its love affair with food. Acidity is like a turbocharger for flavor and in such, makes your mouth water. When your mouth waters, the enzymes in your saliva break down the food unlocking the flavors, making the food taste better.
Chefs know the secret of acidity. It is no accident that nearly every famous sauce uses some acidic ingredient to enhance flavors: wine, vinegar, tomatoes, mustard, and lemon juice. Examples would include using lime with Mexican and pickled ginger with Thai food and sushi.
I think we understand the benefits of acidity without thinking about it. We squeeze lemon on fish, put pickles on a hamburger, and Worcestershire sauce on a steak.
Thanks to acidity, wine is the beverage for food.
A few simple pairings from Andrea Immer Robinson:
Potluck supper – Beaujolais
Saturday stir-fry – Pinot Grigio
Backyard barbecue – Red Zinfandel
Fridge leftovers – Chianti
PS. Do not forget our friend Riesling!
Cheers!
Hoosier Wine Guy
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