The vintage is made and tucked away for a long winter’s nap, the frenzy of the holidays with its heavy-duty wine and food focus is over, so what’s a winery to do during these gloomy cold winter months?  Have fun of course!  Outdoors we’re setting up the winter snow bar and fire pit, and inside we’re preparing to do wine & cheese pairings in January and wine and chocolate pairings in February….”pairing” being the operative word here.

So just what is the secret to successful wine and food pairing?

The reality is that some people just don’t care.  They like cheese.  They like chocolate.  They like food.  They like wine.  Just enjoy it all, the more the better.  But some of us foodies simply can’t let it go at that.  We love to create exciting combinations, what I call the “one and one is three” principle.  You have the wine.  You have the food.  And when you taste them together, if the marriage is good, you create a totally new entity, number three.

So just what is the secret to successful wine and food pairing?

Let’s start with the basics.  In the simplest view, there are really only two types of wine made in the world.  Forget all the regions, the grape varieties and the producers.  There are the simple light fresh fruity wines made for consuming young.  And there are the big rich earthy wines that are more complex and will hold up and age for a longer period.  They may be red or white, they may be sweet or dry, but they will still fall in these two categories.

Those who want to know why can read this paragraph, but if you’re on a “need to know basis” and don’t care about the explanation, skip this section!  The way light fresh fruity wines are made is to do as little intervention as possible – the grape starts out fresh and fruity, you press off the fresh juice, you ferment it to turn the sugar into alcohol and you put it in a neutral, impermeable container to age a bit.  A home winemaker would use a glass carboy; in our commercial cellars we use large stainless steel tanks.  Nothing added, nothing gained: the wine comes out a few months later light and fresh and fruity.  On the other hand, you can age the wines in oak barrels where many changes occur to add depth and flavor and complexity.  The wood breaths and the wine evaporates and thickens (read: big body).  Oxidation occurs to change the color and flavor.  Vanillans are extracted from the wood as are tannins, which are natural preservatives so the finished wine holds up longer….and so on. 

Back to pairing.  To make the best wine and food matches, you need to think of foods in the same terms.  Use light fresh fruity whites (example: Pinot Grigio, Alberino, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling) to go with light fresh foods, like fruits and veggies, fresh pasta dishes (think Pasta Pesto and Marinara sauces)and simple delicate seafoods, fish and  poultry recipes (like those using lemon).  Use light reds (like Beaujolais Nouveau, Italian Chiantis and some Pinot Noirs) with light simply prepared meat dishes like chicken (Cacciatore?) and veal and pork, made with fresh herbs and spices.

When the foods get more complex, when you make big rich sauces and gravies, when you introduce textural elements like butter and cream and cheese, the wines need to be more complex as well.  For dishes like Pasta Carbonara, try a rich oak-aged Chardonnay or big oily Viognier.  And then there are reds!  Big bodied, complex, full-flavored reds are my passion, both to make and to drink.  The big bold California Cabs.  The even bolder Aussie Shiraz.  Sinful big-ass Zins. The classic Bordeaux and Burgundy wines, though who wants to pay those prices anymore?  Better bargains in South American Merlots and Malbecs.  This is where you go (where I go most nights) with a big juicy steak, Boeuf Bourguignon,  grilled lamb chops, any rich game dishes and good ole’ greasy burgers and meat-lovers’ pizza.  Wine and food pairing just doesn’t get any better than that!

How Can You tell the Difference?

So how do you know how to identify “light fresh fruity wines” from “big rich earthy” wines – short of tasting them?  Here’s two easy methods, saving you the time and expense of attending numerous wine classes or tastings.  (1)  Ask the experts!  Cork dorks just love to talk about these things and always have recommendations.  At your favorite wine shop, tell the clerk you’re looking for a nice light fresh fruity dry white to go with your Sole Almondine.  Or a big full-bodied red for a rich venison stew.  In your favorite restaurant tell the Sommelier you’re having Pasta Primavera and would like an older barrel-aged white to accompany it.  They’ll think you’re very knowledgeable!

(2)  Check the price!  If the wine was made in stainless steel (that lasts for 100 years and was long ago paid for), if it turns over quickly and is being sold as a young wine (say ‘08 or ‘09), the winery doesn’t have a big investment in it and will sell it inexpensively (say $10-$18) – and it will be the young/fresh variety.  But, if the winery buys expensive oak casks every year (about $1000 for a 60 gallon barrel that may be used just once or twice), if it sits on the floor for several years and ties up the winery’s money, if it’s released as an older wine (say ’02 to ‘07), the price will be much higher ($20-$30 & the sky’s the limit) – you can be assured these wines are in the second category.