As a devout and opinionated wine and food person, I certainly have a point of view on my approach towards pairing wine and food in a way that maximizes your pleasure, enables you freedom and flexibility, minimizes any prescriptive ‘must dos/haves’, and allows for a simple approach which can be easily replicated once you learn the system- ahh, to do that, you should read my books (forgive the shameless propaganda).

With that framework explained, bottomed line is I base my thinking on the metrics of a given wine’s structure (sweetness, sourness, tannin, oak, and alcohol) and understanding how a wine’s unique DNA of those five elements lends itself towards food. I call the simple process ‘wine mapping’. Food, of course, has its own prioritization of key elements/ingredients, methods of cooking/preparation, and accompanying sauces/condiments. Personality filled side dishes. Once you understand which of those priorities is the ‘alpha male’ of the dish, matching a wine to that priority becomes the goal. In theory, straightforward but in practice, a question of exactly that- mega practice coupled with experience and…guidance.

Guidance in food and wine can come from a litany of sources. You own body of culinary experience not withstanding (and that may indeed be enough), we often seek out the opinions of others. Could be your sommelier in a restaurant, or your wine and food savvy friend(s). Might be the bullet recommendations accompanying a recipe in a magazine or it could be a bonfide food and wine book, such as one of mine but surely not limited to mine. I am constantly looking to see what others are doing- out of curiosity, the ongoing desire to learn and perfect my own skills, and examine other approaches. The two that have stood out in recent years have been “Papilles et Molecules” (Tastebuds and Molecules) by Francois Chartier, a brilliant look and approach with a tip of the beret to molecular gastronomy and “The Flavour Thesaurus” by Niki Segnit. If you are an avid participant in this epicurean arena, you should have both.  I was glancing through Niki’s book the other night and found myself enthralled by her manner of pairing that I have historically downplayed- that of flavor and/or ingredient matching. Now it’s not that I disagree with this approach, however without guidance it’s dangerous and scary- how many flavors/ingredients are out there in the world? OK, let’s begin abalone, almond, anchovy, apple, apricot, etc… you can see where I am going with this exercise, no? That need to know and pair thousands of flavors is what scares the bejesus out of most. When it works however, it’s sublime.

Orange with chocolate, red pepper and tomato, or added to soy-

Lime with cheesecake, white chocolate, butter, or combined with ginger-

Mint in toffee, fudge, whipped cream, or added to peas-

May I (again) recommend that you go out and snag a copy of Niki’s book which does this far better than any other I have seen? It will provide you with endless ideas…and  some wine recommendations to boot.

Your approach toward pairing?