As interest grows in food and wine, more people are paying attention to food and wine pairings. Overall, the idea is to have pairings that would allow both the food and wine consumed together, to taste better than they do individually. Today, there are no hard do’s and don’ts. By and large, the view is that you should drink the wine you want to drink with the food you wish to eat and the pairing will probably be satisfactory. This wasn’t always so.

Up until about 50 years ago, there was relatively strict adherence to the basic tenets of pairing; white wine with fish, red wine with meat; the heartier the fare, the heavier the wine. Not only was there this adherence but correct pairings became a part of etiquette. If you served red wine with fish, you were at best an ignoramus. It was, in certain circles, a social gaffe, the kind of gauche behavior somewhat scandalous in polite society. Fortunately, we live in a more enlightened age, at least where food and wine pairings are concerned.

Generally, the old dictum of white wine with fish, red wine with meat is correct. There is plenty of room for nuance but it is a good place to begin. I don’t generally like the pairing of red wine with fish. I find the paring does nothing for the wine and gives the fish a metallic taste in my mouth. This is very evident with a heavier red and a more delicate white fish. But then there are the nuances, other considerations; how was the fish prepared; baked, grilled, broiled, steamed and other preparations? What else was used in the preparation; mushrooms, tomatoes, fennel, butter, cream and any of the countless ingredients in daily use for food preparation? My friends in the Northwest have long successfully paired grilled Alaskan salmon with Oregon Pinot Noir, a pairing I tried with some skepticism and have subsequently come to agree is much better than passable. The grill is not a subtle way to cook; flavors are bold and smoky and a smoky Pinot Noir can provide the foil for the strong flavors without overpowering the fish. It is also a pairing I do not find metallic! If not Pinot Noir, what would be a good pairing with grilled salmon? Try an oaky Chardonnay but one with power, grip and good acidity. Try also a quality Loire Chenin Blanc with just a hint of sweetness. What about white wine with meat? This, I find easier, as the pairing may not enhance the enjoyment of either but usually does not impact negatively on either. I enjoy roasted chicken or turkey with lighter reds; Pinot Noir or Beaujolais. But I also enjoy them, depending on preparation, with quality white Burgundy, Riesling Spatlese trocken or halbtrocken or a white Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Duck and Goose being darker, more flavorful meat, will pair well with Pinot Noir or Loire Cabernet Franc but also pair well with off-dry Morio Muscat and a Rhone Viognier such as Condrieu, particularly again, one with a hint of residual sugar.

An area that I feel deserves much more attention, is the pairing of sushi and sashimi with wine. My own experiments thus far have me feeling that sushi restaurants should have better wine lists as the potential is enormous! Japanese cuisine is clearly highly evolved and sophisticated and I understand that there are innumerable excellent pairings with the gamut of available qualities, styles and temperatures of Sake but could great wine pairings take the experience to a new level? I think so!

Then there is the consideration of how to pair wine with the fifth taste sensory perception, umami. Umami is a subtle savoriness and is enhanced by older wines that have softer tannins and more umami than younger wines.

Then, there are at least two approaches to pairing wine. My preference is to pair like flavors so that they blend into and even amplify each other. Under certain circumstances, one may wish to pair contrasting flavors, the idea being that the contrast frames and highlights the flavors, causing the delicious aspects of both partners to be magnified.

So ultimately, there are some great tried and tested pairings; shellfish and Muscadet, oysters and Champagne, foie gras and Sauternes, Stilton cheese and Port; a rare steak with Napa Cabernet; the list is endless! But we have the opportunity to try new pairings and, in 2018, we will not be ostracized for busting the taboos, so go for it and keep good notes!

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Want to taste a Pinot Noir which pairs excellent with salmon?

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Selected by Peter Koff MW

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