Wine with Food Flashcards

Learn how to pair wine with food.

1
Q

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

A

Umami and sweetness

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

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

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

A

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 will negate the nerve of Sangiovese.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

When consumed with a dry wine, sweet foods or sweetness in foods can increase the awareness of ________ in wine.

A

Bitterness, astringency, acidity, and alcohol

Think raspberry tart with Left Bank Bordeaux.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

When consumed with a dry wine, sweet foods or sweetness in foods can decrease the awareness of ________ in wine.

A

Body, weight, and fruitiness

Think chocolate cake with Zinfandel.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Generally, sweet foods should be paired with _______ wines.

A

Sweet foods should be paired with sweet wines - or wines that are at least as sweet as the food (but preferably sweeter than the food) otherwise the wine can taste acrid.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

When consumed with a dry wine, umami in food can increase the awareness of what 4 things in wine.

A

Bitterness, tannins, acidity, and alcohol

Think raw oysters with Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

When consumed with a dry wine, umami in food can decrease the awareness of ________ in wine.

A

Body, weight, residual sugar, and fruitiness

Think raw oysters with Albariño.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

When consumed with a dry wine, acidic foods can increase the awareness of ________ in wine.

A

Body, fruitiness or ripeness, and residual sugar

Think salad vinaigrette with Italian Pinot Grigio.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

When consumed with a dry wine, acidic foods can decrease the awareness of ________ in wine.

A

Acidity

Think sour cream with Chablis.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Generally speaking, a low acid wine paired with higher acid foods will make the wine taste ________.

A

Dull, flabby, and unfocused.

Think Viognier with tomato sauce.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

When consumed with a dry wine, salty foods can increase the awareness of ________ in wine.

A

Body

Think smoked meats with Côtes du Rhône.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

When consumed with a dry wine, salty foods can decrease the awareness of ________ in wine.

A

Bitterness, acidity, and astringency

Think aged Parmigiano Reggiano with Barolo.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

When consumed with a dry wine, capsaicin (the heat in chili peppers) can increase the awareness of ________ in wine.

A

Alcohol, bitterness, tannins/astringency, and acidity

Think spicy Szechuan with an oaky, full-bodied Chilean Carmenère.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

When consumed with a dry wine, capsaicin (the heat in chili peppers) can decrease the awareness of ________ in wine.

A

Fruit and residual sugar, along with decreasing awareness of body, weight, and texture

Think spicy Szechuan with off-dry Riesling.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

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

A
  1. lots of oak
  2. high alcohol
  3. high tannin
  4. high bitterness
  5. high in flavor/complexity/extraction
  6. excessively high acidity
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

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

A
  • no oak
  • wines with a touch of residual sugar
  • low intensity/complexity/extraction/flavor
  • medium acidity
17
Q

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

A
  • Foods with lots of sugar (i.e. desserts)
  • Foods with umami (e.g. shellfish)
  • Foods with bitterness (e.g. radicchio)
  • Foods high in capsaicin (e.g. jalapeños)
18
Q

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

A
  • Saltiness
  • Acidity
19
Q

Name three food and wine pairing principles.

A

Terroir-driven (“if it grows together, it goes together”)

  • e.g. Sancerre with Valençay (goat cheese from the Loire Valley)

Like with Like

  • e.g. Tomato sauce (high acid food) with Chianti (high acid wine)

Contrasting Flavors

  • e.g. Port (sweet wine) with Stilton blue cheese (salty and piquant)