Wine and Food Pairing

Question 1

What are the 2 factors in food that can make a wine taste less fruity and more astringent, bitter, and acidic?

(read: make a wine taste “harder”)

Answer 1

umami and sweetness

Think shellfish paired with Nebbiolo or apple pie paired with Chablis. Nebbiolo will seem overly astringent and bitter with lobster, and Chablis will taste acrid and highly acidic with sweet desserts.

Question 2

What are the 2 factors in food that can make a wine taste more fruity or sweet, and less astringent, bitter, and acidic?

(read: make a wine taste “softer”)

Answer 2

saltiness and acidity

Think bacon with Syrah or tomato sauce with Chianti. The saltiness of the bacon softens the tannins of Syrah, and the acid from the tomatoes curtails the nerve of Sangiovese.

Question 3

In broad terms, does food have a greater effect on how wine tastes or does wine have a greater effect on how food tastes?

Answer 3

Generally, food has a greater effect on how wine tastes.

Question 4

Fill in the blank:

Sweetness in food can make a dry wine taste less ______ and more ______.

Answer 4

sweet/fruity, bitter/acrid

Think sticky-sweet raspberry tart with dry Left Bank Bordeaux.

Question 5

Fill in the blank:

Generally, sweet foods should be paired with ______ wines.

Answer 5

sweet

OR wines that are at least as sweet as the food (but preferably sweeter than the food) otherwise the wine can taste bitter.

Question 6

Give some examples of foods with umami.

Answer 6

• Sundried tomatoes
• MSG
• Aged cheeses, e.g., Parmesan and Gouda
• Cured meats
• Dried Shiitake mushrooms
• Soy sauce, oyster sauce
• Fish sauce, bonito flakes
• Seaweed
• Shellfish

Question 7

Fill in the blank:

Umami in food can make a dry wine taste less ______ and more ______.

Answer 7

fruity/sweet, astringent/bitter/acrid

Think raw oysters with a tannic, high alcohol Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Question 8

Name some foods that are higher in acidity.

Answer 8

• Citrus juice
• Vinaigrettes
• Balsamic vinegar
• Soy sauce
• Mayonnaise
• Sauerkraut
• Unsweetened yogurt
• Buttermilk

Question 9

Fill in the blank:

Acidic foods can make a high acid wine seem less ______ and enhance the wine’s ______.

Answer 9

bitter/acidic, fruitiness/sweetness

Think salad tossed in lemon vinaigrette with Sancerre.

Question 10

What happens on the palate if food with high levels of acid is paired with a wine with low acidity?

Answer 10

The wine will appear less fruity

Think ceviche with a fat, low-acid Marsanne.

Question 11

Fill in the blank:

Salty foods can make a dry wine taste less ______ and more ______.

Answer 11

bitter/acrid/tannic, fruity and textural

Think smoked meats with red Côtes du Rhône.

Question 12

When eating spicy foods, does a low or high alcohol wine increase the burning sensation?

spicy foods = foods high in capsaicin

Answer 12

A high alcohol wine will make the spicy heat in food seem even hotter.

Additionally, the spiciness will make the tannins of a red wine seem even more bitter and astringent.

Think spicy Szechuan with a tannic, full-bodied Chilean Carmenère.

Question 13

What type of wine will help cleanse the palate of fatty richness?

Answer 13

A more acidic wine will help cleanse the palate when eating fatty or oily foods.

Fatty or oily foods have a rich mouthfeel and give a coating sensation on the palate.

Question 14

What are the components in wine that can make a wine challenging to pair with food?

Answer 14

• Lots of oak
• High tannin
• High bitterness
• Low acid

Question 15

What are the components in wine that will make a wine easier to pair with food?

Answer 15

• No oak
• Wines with a touch of residual sugar
• Medium-plus acidity

Question 16

What are potentially problematic components in food to consider when pairing with wine?

Answer 16

• High in sugar (e.g. desserts)
• High in bitterness (e.g. radicchio)
• High in umami (e.g. shellfish)
• High in capsaicin (e.g. jalapeños)

Question 17

What are some components in food that generally make wine pairing easier?

Answer 17

• Saltiness
• Acidity