Impossible Wine Pairings

Some foods are mission impossible for wine pairing. Crack the code with culture and creativity.

Picture it, Paris, 2012.

The 11th arrondissement was hot, a polished grit that blurred the lines between original hipster and chic.

Le Châteaubriand was the place to be. Blank walls and low lights, seasonal dishes, stunningly plated, and a must-try tasting menu with pairings of course!

The night I called, there were no reservations, but they said I could eat at the bar if I came late. C’est parfait! I love eating at the bar for a million reasons. It was perfect for a meal like this.

The beverage director guided me through each course. He left wine bottles for me to study, and he shared his own personal stories about what we were drinking and why.

The coolest part? Not every dish came paired with a traditional wine.

We had low-intervention, unfiltered wines, naturally sparkling wines, sake, and apple cidre. One course came with tea.

The moral of the story? Food and wine pairing doesn’t always have to be wine. When you’re struggling to find the perfect match, just like with love… be open-minded.

The Art and Science of Food and Wine Pairing

Food and wine pairing is an exercise in balance and harmony. For more on that see issue #4 of Tastefully.

Aroma, flavor, texture, consistency, and the intensity of each component play into the equation.

The right combination brings out the best in your food and your beverage. Surprising flavors emerge, and seemingly simple ingredients reach their full flavor expression.It’s thrilling.

It’s also a culture study

You may have heard the expression, “what grows together goes together.” When in doubt, examine the DNA of the dish. Where do the ingredients grow? Where did the recipe originate? What do people in that region or country drink with it? It’s not always wine.

My little sommelier heart almost broke at my first Greek taverna. Three wines on the menu: red, white, rosé. None of them particularly characterful or local.

I wanted nothing more than a spicy local red blend with Agiorgitiko to go with the lamb. But there was so much more than lamb on the table! More on Greek grapes here.

Taverna dining is very Meze-style, like tapas, or Venetian cicchetti. A huge variety of flavors and textures. There is no one-bottle-for-the-table answer.

Even wines-by-the-glass wouldn’t cut it.

The solution, as it turns out, is Tsipouro. Greek-style Grappa. A grape distillate served on the rocks. That’s tradition. Or Ouzo. Some tavernas are called Ouzeri, like an Italian vineria. The menu is made for it.

The silky smoothness of Tsipouro and its pretty floral aromas magically matched with everything from spicy souvlaki and garlicky and sour tzatziki, to the stuffed brined grape leaves in the dolmas.

Food and wine pairing takes practice

Gone are the days of “red with meat” and “white with fish,” though that’s a good place to start. Another good place to start is this video.

With so many interesting wine varieties and styles out there, the world is your oyster when it comes food and wine pairings.

What to pair with oysters

You say Muscadet (Melon de Bourgogne), I say old-vines Assyrtiko. Tradition says Champagne, and an unforgettable weekend on the North Fork in 2015 said Long Island Pinot Blanc (Lieb Cellars, trust me). Pairing can also be nostalgic.

All options have their merits. Oyster pairing is easy. Don’t overpower the delicate flavor of raw flesh. Chose a wine with a mineral long mineral finish, reminiscent of the sea.

Oysters are transportive. They should remind us of the ocean and all the coastal pleasures. Aphrodisiac explained.

Not every pairing is so simple. Read on for ways around the so-called impossible pairings.

The “Impossible” Wine Pairings

Artichokes

Artichokes are considered one of the world’s most difficult wine pairing. They contain cynarin, a natural compound that supports liver function and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The downside: a harsh metallic aftertaste.

Artichokes aren’t so tricky in the vignarola recipe I published, as they’re sautéed for quite a while and have legume companions to tone them down.

Solution: Anything too acidic, too tannic, or too sparkling will clash on your palate.

Look to central Italy where artichokes are a staple of the cuisine. Luscious, aromatic Malvasia, sunny and silky blends of local white grapes like Frascati Superiore.

The Lazio region around Rome also produces fantastic “natural” wines: low-intervention, unfiltered, naturally fermented and often sulfite-free. When you get a great one, they’re clean and refreshing on the palate, with subtle fruity, earthy aromas that will never overpower a dish.

NB: Natural wines taste best when enjoyed locally, as they can turn fast. The imported ones are a gamble, but when you win, you win big!

Asparagus

These springtime spears contain a lot of sulfur, which is challenging but doable. When sautéed they get sweeter. Grilling exacerbates the situation.

Solution: Avoid wines from super volcanic soils or extremely acidic wines like Sauvignon Blanc. Go for silky and smooth (see above), or even a buttery Chardonnay.

Spicy Foods

Your favorite Asian cuisines, Indian, Thai, and Sichuan really bring the heat. Beware of Sumac too.

The obliquitous (and delicious) Middle Eastern sumac, is a vibrant, tangy spice derived from the dried berries of the Rhus coriaria plant. It shows up everywhere from grilled meats to yogurt sauces. Think: fattoush and kubeh sumakieh.

Big spice can overwhelm your palate as well as delicate wines, and even make them taste harsh.

Solution: To temper the fire and even exalt those pretty spices and often bright herbs as well, try off-dry whites like Riesling, Gewürztraminer, or delicately chilled very fruity reds.

Charmat-style sparkling wines like Prosecco or naturally sparkling wines like pét-nat. The low fizz and mild texture help balance.

From a cultural point of view, beer is often the go-to. There’s a reason. Sweet and creamy Thai ice tea, Moroccan mint tea… same story!

Pickled Stuff

Any dish leading with acid— vinegar or citrus—as leading flavor component will clash with most wines’ natural acidity.

Japanese tsukemono, kimchee, sauerkraut, giardiniera, Russian pickled cabbage.

The solution: Take your cues from the culture. Matcha green tea, beer, sake, soju, and vodka.

Pickled foods are often served as a side to do exactly what wine does: clean the palate, and contribute a fermented food your system. Cuisine is evolution.

Chocolate

“Wine and chocolate” is an unfortunate cliché. Two of life’s most sensual delights don’t always bring out the best in each other (imagine two Pisces out of bed and in a relationship…)

Unlike the blacker berry adage… the blacker the chocolate the more bitterness you have to contend with.

Solution: You can get away with a very opulent, fruity red like and Amarone. Dessert wines like passito and vinsanto, or aged Port, Sherry, or Marsala bring a balance of sumptuous texture to mellow out the bitterness.

For super dark chocolate, skip the wine all together. Drink Cognac, Armagnac, Rum, or Whiskey.

Just the Tip…

There is so much more to explore in the world of wine and food pairing!

I’ve got a lot more to share with you, and I want to hear from you.

Tastefully is launching paid subscription perks any day now. That means premium content, and most excitingly, weekly wine and travel Q&As with me. You ask. I answer. Stay tuned.

As always, thanks for reading! Let me know what you learned and what you want to know more about. I’m writing, but I’m also listening.