It’s not enough to prepare a good meal or select a fine wine. Food and wine must complement each other or the taste of both could be spoilt. White wine with light meat or fish and red wine with dark meat is a good rule of thumb. But Odyssey’s resident sommelier Fotios Stamos reveals some of the secrets for making the perfect pairing.
It always seems that in our challenging lives we’re always striving for that perfection–an illusive goal, especially where matters of taste or style are concerned. The task is complicated by the barrage of advice from experts who opine about what makes the “ideal match” for everything in our world and we struggle to make sure we pair the right shoes with the appropriate outfit, match our children with the best schools for their talents or needs, match our investment choices with our finances and our projected future needs, and, yes, match the beverage we drink with our mood or the setting.
Fashion or trends play an important role in our decisions–even in determining our taste in food and wine, something that isn’t new but goes back as far as Minoan society. As the wine industry continues to blossom, so does the interest and knowledge of today’s consumers. The constant exposure to today’s wines and cutting-edge cuisine continues to keep us on our toes with exciting approaches and ideas. We have come along way from the standard white wine with fish and red wine with meat rule.
It all starts in the kitchen with our culinary leaders of the world. Today top-rated chefs are experimenting and utilizing ingredients that many of us didn’t even know existed before globalization exposed us to foods from different countries and cultures. The convenience and availability of acquiring exotic and unique ingredients has opened the doors to new and innovative cooking methods. The ultimate goal is to extract enjoyable and pleasant flavors as much as possible. Even though some of these ingredients such as saffron, truffles, ginger, and balsamic vinegar to name a few have been around for centuries, they’ve only now entered the mainstream of American and European culture. Take these simple ingredients and apply creative cooking methods and you’ll be amazed of the resulting flavors.
By the same token, passionate and talented winemakers are producing wines with amazing characteristics and structure. Modern technology has produced phenomenal results for the wine industry in terms of quality and achievements. But many have begun turning to old world methods of producing ‘good’ wine, that is meant to be accompanied with food.
According to past dining etiquette, each course must be accompanied by a different wine. The obvious approach of pairing fish and poultry with white wine and meats with red wine has been overlooked for the even more obvious reasons, flavor profiles. As winemakers spend endless hours in their vineyards and wineries trying to extract the ultimate flavors in their wine, chefs are formulating new recipes as they experiment with which ingredients to add to their next culinary creation. One of the most important elements here is to understand the nature of each entity’s achievements. Understanding the wine along with understanding the food is critical when it comes to pairing the two.
The formula can be broken down to a very simple method for pairing. Keep in mind that wine has a natural element of acidity that contributes to the structure of the wine. A wine that has a higher level of acidity, will be lighter and sharper. The lower the acidity, the wine will become heavier and rounder. These basic acknowledgements of the wine, whether it is white or red, can help us decide which wines to pair with which meals or foods. For example, if we decide to open a bottle of light-bodied red such as Xynomavro or Agiorgitiko, or light-bodied whites, such as Roditis or Moschofilero, we can pair it with hearty vegetable salads, rich savory soups, grilled fish with pronounced seasoning or fish stews, varieties of poultry, and practically any flavorful mezedakia. Both light-bodied whites and reds can pair very nicely with any of the above dishes cause of structure and acidity levels. The acidity of either can cut through oils, spices, and fat of the food to create a harmony of flavors. Another great example is pairing a fresh and crisp Assyrtiko wine from Santorini with grilled lamb chops. The lemon and citrus flavors of the Assyrtiko elegantly embrace the sizzling, zesty flavors of the grilled chops. There is plenty of acidity to break through the chop and create that finger licking effect. A similar effect can be applied when pairing a light bodied red wine with psari plaki. The flavors of the fish prepared with braised tomatoes and onions pair very well with the berry flavors of the red wine. The tones of spice in the red wine play very well with the spices of the fish dish. Once again, we are pulling out similar flavor profiles from each component.
For white wines we are looking for characteristics of citrus, zest, creaminess, along with either flavors of apricot, pears, and apples to pair with dishes that have similar flavor qualities. When it comes to red wines we are looking for elements of spice, fruit berry flavors and tannins to also pair with dishes that tend to have similar profiles. Once we can identify the two we can begin pairing and you will be amazed at the outcome. One rule of thumb that I go by is never be afraid to try it even if you think it might not work. Some of the best pairings I have experienced is from taking chances.
From the table, into the pot.
Wine doesn’t just go well with food–it adds wonderful flavor to food.
Make room in your food pantry or your spice rack for a variety of white, red, and sweet wine. This ingredient is becoming more commonly used in recipes today–another approach in cooking that has resurfaced in almost every kitchen across the globe. To some, it seems as a nice touch and to others it’s a necessity for enhancing flavors of a dish. Today, wine can be used right in the recipe while cooking or it can be reduced into a sauce for topping off a dish. You do need to exercise some care, however, as cooking can change a wine’s flavor, especially as it reacts to other ingredients.
The reasoning behind using wine is that it’s a liquid composition of flavors. The key to bringing out the flavors in wine is to actually heat it in a pan to evaporate the alcohol leaving just the flavor characteristics in the liquid. When you use wine right in the recipe while its cooking, the flavors of the wine blend in with the other ingredients creating an array of aromas and results. Often, a splash of the wine you’ll be serving with the food can help marry the flavors in the dish with the flavors in the glass.
One of the most common ways of using wine in cooking has been as a marinade. Wine reacts with meat, acting as a tenderizer but also imparting flavor. The acidity of the wine will break down fat and moisten the meat as it cooks. Red wines made from the Xynomavro, Mandilaria, Kotsifali, and Agiorgitiko varietals would be preferred in cooking with red sauces and red meats, but can also be used for spicy pasta dishes. White wines, such as Assyrtiko, Roditis, and Moschofilero would be ideal for cooking with shellfish, poultry, and white sauce pasta dishes.
Don’t hesitate to use a wine of good quality for your cooking instead of very cheap and inexpensive selections. The cheaper the wine is, the less flavor you’ll most likely get out of it. Depending on the purpose of your dish and how much flavor enhancement you’d like to achieve, use a graduating scale. The less flavor enhancement you’d like, the less expensive your wine should be and purchase and move on from there. A good price range for your “cooking” wine should be around ten dollars or fifteen euros a bottle.
Another interesting use for wine in cooking is to prepare a reduction sauce out of it to top off your dishes for a delightful finish. At this point, we will use either a red or sweet wine for the sauce. The sugar levels in both are relatively higher and create a thicker sauce in the pan. The method here would be to pour red or sweet wine in a heated saucepan and while the wine is cooking add some corn starch to thicken it. Once you see that it has become a thick liquid it is now ready to pour over your sizzling filet or sirloin. I highly recommend using Mandilaria, which is a dry red wine from Crete and has very rich flavor components; for your sweeter selections, Mavrodaphne and Muscat from Samos. Mavrodaphne and Muscat can also be drizzled over fruit or sweets to make a simple, yet unforgettable dessert.
Once you begin experimenting with wine in your recipes, you’ll be intrigued by the results. There are many publications out there that specifically focus on wine as your cooking ingredient. Niki Mitarea’s Cooking With Greek Wine is an excellent resource for using wine in the kitchen, with dozens of recipes and an invaluable guide to the properties of individual wines. Susanna Hoffman’s The Olive and the Caper also contains a number of traditional recipes using wine.
Issue: Jan/Feb 2008