Pair Wine Like You Would a Sauce
The parts are greater than the sum.
by Erin Henderson
What's for dinner?
Usually when we ask this question, the answer is a short, chicken, beef, fish, pasta.
And that's all very fine and good, except, is that jerk chicken or coq au vin? Is the beef steak au poivre or Korean beef? And is the fish maple glazed salmon or fish and chips?
I’ve been teaching various wine and food pairing classes for more than a decade, and while there certainly are a few rules and concepts to maximize your culinary success, I find the easiest one, especially for novice wine enthusiasts, is to pair wine like a condiment.
Let me explain further with the below examples.
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Thanksgiving Dinner
When the holidays roll around, naturally, frantic questions start to pour in about what to pair with the turkey dinner.
All you have to do is think about the two sauces that are most commonly served with a traditional turkey dinner. Gravy and cranberry sauce.
Gravy is rich and decadent with a smooth texture and creamy flavour. What wine has those same characteristics? For me, Chardonnay, with its silky feel and buttery taste, will pair with anything you like to douse in gravy.
Meanwhile, cranberry sauce is bright, tart, and juicy. A wine that is often described the same way is Pinot Noir, with its cran-cherry flavour, mouth-watering acidity, and smooth tannins, a vibrant Pinot Noir is a terrific table mate for the Thanksgiving spread, livening up a dry bird and give a little energy to heavy mashed potatoes or stuffing.
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Macaroni and Cheese
As hedonistic as it is, macaroni and cheese really just boils down to two things: the cheese and the pasta. The raw ingredients are not that much different from a cheese board served with crackers or baguette.
What do people often put on cheeseboards to compliment the offerings? Fruity jellies, spicy chutney, tart apple slices, and/or sweet honey.
With this in mind, select a red wine that works like a strawberry jam or cherry preserve. A red wine with flavours of sweet and ripe red berries, a touch of spice, and a fresh, smooth, juicy, texture. For me, I think of a village-level Beaujolais, Crianza Rioja, basic Chianti, or a medium-bodied Cab Franc out of Loire.
If you’re a white wine fan, think about a juicy wine that reminds you of tart apple or sweet honey. Riesling is a no-brainer here and would be absolute dynamite to cut through all the richness of the oozy cheese. Gewurztraminer could also work for its exotic fruit and spice flavours, replicating the character of a chutney.
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Chana Masala
A chickpea curry that's a staple dish in Northern India, this vegetarian stew braises robust chickpeas in a mildly spicy ginger-garlic-tomato sauce that is flavoured with warming spices like cumin, corriander, and bay leaf.
Breaking down the parts: tangy tomato, earthy chickpeas, punchy herbs... a wine with similar character is Chianti Classico, a Tuscan red with flavours commonly described as sundried tomato and bay leaf. Chianti Classico also has the tangy acid to match that of the tomato, and the subtly rustic flavour to match the herbs.
Moules Marinières
This one is a touch harder, but let's see if we can do it.
A traditional seafood dish from Normandy, on France's cool northern shores, "sailor's mussles" as it's translated, has now spread around the world, ubiquitous with delicious bistro dining.
A simple method of braising fresh mussles in white wine with herbs, the pairing nearly speaks for itself: we have shellfish with the fresh salinity of the ocean, and mineral note from the shell, whatever wine you've braised the mussles in, and a scattering of verdant herbs.
What wine also echoes that same seaspray and bright herbal flavour? Look to wines from coastal regions: Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough would work well. You could also go with Assyrtiko, the white wine from Santorini that tastes like an ocean wave. Muscadet Sur Lie, a terrifically underrated wine from the Atlantic banks of France's Loire region is chockablock with salinity and mineral.
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Obviously these examples are just the tip of the culinary iceberg. But try it for yourself and see how you do. Remember, nothing is ever really a disaster, and if it is, well, you won't do it again. But once you get anough practice shots in, pairing will be come second nature.
