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What sorts of strategies do you use in pairing wine with a meal? (Asked by James Liska)
Charles Writes: The first this I do is look at the menu, no matter how large or small it is. Right then I have an idea of how many wines should be offered. The host’s personal taste is most important, but it also needs to conform to the foods offered. Usually for 2 courses, I recommend 1 white and 1 red. (I usually don’t recommend a dessert wine unless the host requests it.) For 3 courses, 3 different wines, and for 4 courses, usually 3 different wines. Unless it is a very long evening, most folks are tired after 3 different wines. Remember, 4-6oz. glasses equals a full bottle. When I recommend 2 or more wines for a menu, I always order the wines in degrees of lighter flavored to fuller flavored. If the menu requires a lighter wine to be served after a fuller one, I’ll ask the host to swap the order of courses. The reason for this is that the first wine jump-starts the palate and sets the tone for the evening. When the next wine is offered your palate is already used to the previous one, and you want to stimulate the palate up a notch. Thus, the fuller flavored wine. If this was done in reverse, then the following wine would taste watery and light…even a really good quality wine.
Marcia Writes: First, I start with the main course, whether it is meat, chicken or fish (I tend to take the more traditional approach), then take into consideration the time of year (season), which would dictate how light or heavy the varietal should be. Finally, the palate of who will be enjoying the meal, i.e., are they exotic? adventurous? mainstream?, etc. This will provide a pretty good idea of where to begin. For tracking purposes, although somewhat obsessive, you might want to create a historical database or matrix that includes the type of food served, the type of wine, tasting notes, etc.
How do you work your magic? What sorts of factors do you take into account when decided what wine would best go with a meal? (Asked by James Liska)
Charles Writes: As I love to cook, I like to dissect all the courses offered in the menu. I look at the main protein(s) offered, what herbs and spicing that will be used, and the method of cooking. Of course, also all the side dishes too. In some cases there may be a specific herb, spice, or accent used in the preparation of the menu and that will alter my wine selection for that dish. When I give wine class I always tell the folks that as the host of the evening, they will know at least 50% of the food/wine offerings. They will either make up a menu and then fill in the blanks with the wine, OR, they will know what wines they want to serve, and fill in the blanks with the food. Sooo…by knowing this, one always wants to never have the food overpower the wine, and the wine never overpower the food. With what is available in the wine world today, at all price ranges, it is incredible the selection. You may have a chicken dish (so of course we think of white wine), but if the herbs and spicing are fuller flavored, then you may want to go with a lighter red such as a Pinot Noir. For delicate white fish, one normally wouldn’t overpower it with too much seasoning because that would kill the delicate fish flavor…thus a delicate white wine would be in order that would also not overpower the fish. Grilled BBQ Ribs with a spicy sauce needs a hearty spicy red (such as a Syrah) to stand up to all the full flavors. Also certain foods are known to affect wine in adverse ways. An oily fish, such as salmon, bluefish, or mackerel, will make Chardonnay have a “steely metallic” flavor. Artichokes make most all wines show a sweetness. Asparagus is just too funky to marry well, but because it is so delicious most times we look the other way. For Southwestern spicy, chili based foods, forget wine…have a beer instead.
Marcia Writes: In addition to the answer to the previous question, the best bet is to find out where your ‘wine passion’ lies. As a true Pino-Phile, I tend to lead toward Pinot Noir (extra points if it’s from Anderson Valley, Sonoma or Napa Valley). Others may lean toward Cabernet, Bordeaux or (ahem!) Merlot. [Just had a flashback to the one scene in the movie Sideways] Once you know where your passion lies, the rest is relatively simple. Like I typically describe Charles attentiveness to his clientele: “He finds out what you really like and picks out the best option(s) for you- similar to how your hairdresser knows what hairstyles look best on you!”
