Sometimes it’s a puzzle, and sometimes it’s not – food or wine first? In other words, do you pair your wine with your food, or do you pair your food with your wine? I’m calling that the “palate conundrum”. Ultimately, it’s about what YOU like and what you like to taste.
Wine and what?
Let’s assume that like most people, you’re willing to try a few different things and maybe even challenge the prevailing view that says “red wine with red meat” and “white wine with fish and chicken”.
In my podcast interview with Allie Pearce, of Buyers & Cellars, we talk about how you can turn wine and food pairing upside down (listen here). We also talk about how you can choose your wine first and then make food to go with it, or (as most people probably do) choose your food first and then choose your wine.
Either way works – whichever way you choose to go, you may end up tossing out some of your preconceived notions about pairings.
The traditional wine pairing vs. the creative wine pairing
Somewhere along the way, we were all taught to pair wine with the main protein of the meal. That means with prime rib, we’d search out a Syrah/Shiraz, a Bordeaux blend, a Cabernet Sauvignon; anything to stand up to the richness of the meat. And with the traditional turkey, we might choose a Riesling or a Chardonnay.
Or let’s think about fish – traditionally, we’d choose a white wine of course! And if the fish was white and light, we’d choose a white and light wine like Sauvignon Blanc or a Pinot Grigio. Salmon? Well, let’s choose something a little heavier like Chardonnay or perhaps an oaked rosé.
In other words, we’d choose the food first and then pick the wine. But what if we wanted to do it the other way around?
So let’s get creative. Just like Allie said in her interview, we can choose to pair wine any part of the meal. Here’s a list of what I think would be fun – would love to hear what you think.
Chenin Blanc
What if we have a lovely Chenin Blanc and we want to serve food that will highlight it?
If it’s dry, make the main dish a beautiful green salad with chunks of roast pork and a light dressing on it.
If it’s off-dry, try something curried – maybe a Massaman Thai curry that has lots of potatoes and chick peas in it.
Syrah
How about something different – a Syrah with mushrooms. Because mushrooms are the classic “umami” dish, they’ll go well with the spiciness of Syrah. Serve with noodles, rice or anything you want. Yum – makes my mouth water just thinking about it.
Grenache
To be honest, I’d never thought of pairing Grenache with yoghurt until I stumbled over this article. I’m not going to repeat it – just direct you to the site where they discuss this pairing.
Cava
I love Cava, especially when I’m in Spain and especially when I’m at one of the wineries in Spain where they create this lovely drink! So what would I choose to eat with Cava? Just about anything! Buttered popcorn, pork, salad, oysters, mashed potatoes, fried cod cakes – I think you get the idea!
Wine and food – it’s all in your taste buds
Like it? Don’t like it? You won’t know until you try it.
And really, what does it matter if you choose a food that doesn’t go with your wine, or vice versa? Just set the bottle side, and pick out another one. That first bottle awaits for another day.
Above, enjoy yourself. Be adventurous and create something new.
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