I’m writing this blog post in response to a comment made by Alder
Yarrow in our penultimate class last week. He said that wine pairings are a
myth – and that certain wines don’t pair with food better than others. I
disagree – here’s why.
First off, the history and wine and food pairings is inherently
cultural. Wine, for a very long time, has been a staple at the dinner table
across many cultures. Thus, the habit of pairing international wines with their
corresponding cuisine became the basis for many wine and food pairings today.
However, eventually the act of pairing became an art form – one practiced by
some of the most high-end restaurants today. The question is – do some wines
actually enhance experience of eating certain foods.
Most food and wine experts believe so – at least at a basic level. The
most basic element of food and wine pairing is the balance between the “weight”
of the food and the “body” of the wine. Robust wines, such as reds (e.g.,
Cabernet Sauvignon) would overpower a light, delicate dish, such as a quiche or
a fish. On the other hand, light-bodied wines, such as Pinot Grigio, would be overwhelmed
by a boeuf bourgignon. The key takeaway here is – you want to be able to enjoy
the taste of both your wine and your food without either one stealing the spotlight.
It isn’t just food and wine experts – science agrees too. Findings
published in the October 9th of Current Biology suggests that “mouthfeel,
the way food feels in our mouths, is responsible for the phenomenon. Or example,
Astringent wines often feel rough and dry in the mouth, whereas fats are
slippery. Eating them together helps balance the two out. In the study’s
summary, authors refer to this “balancing” mechanism as “palate cleansing.” As
a result, they found that participants in the study provided lower ratings of fattiness
and stringency for the food and wine that they were tasting relative to rinsing
with water.
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