Decoding Food and Wine Interactions

We are all familiar with the old rule of pairing reds with meat and big dishes and whites with fish and light fare. However, the success of these pairings often hinges on other factors such as how the protein is cooked, which may alter textures and weights on your palate. For instance, a steamed fish differs greatly from a fried one.  Sauces and seasoning play a crucial role and can also affect how the weight and texture are perceived on one’s palate. A filet of sole with a simple lemon and wine sauce tastes quite different from one with garlic and heavy cream. Therefore, when matching food and wine, it’s essential to consider not only the intensity and weight of the dish and wine, but all the ingredients and cooking methods to fully grasp their interaction.

If you started reading this post and expected me to give you a full list of food and wine pairings,  I suggest reading my earlier post on this topic, where I detail which wines, appellations and grapes pair best with various, common proteins and veggies.

Today, however, let’s delve into how different foods can influence your wine tasting experience. To help you with this process, I will share a few tips, used by sommeliers all over the world to successfully pair dishes and wines. So, let’s dive in and explore what happens to your wine when a dish is either acidic, oily, hot, salty, savory or sweet. In each instance your perception of the wine will change. Though, first it is important to clearly identify and familiarize yourself with the different elements in wine. Which are: its body, its acidity, its tannins or lack of, its alcohol, its fruitiness, and of course its sweetness.

Be mindful not to confuse fruitiness with sweetness; as some wines may smell very fruity and sweet but taste bone dry. My best advice always, is to taste, taste, taste. Tasting extensively will sharpen your nose and palate, helping you discern nuances and preferences, as well as to identify the different elements in wine, a key to understanding its many interactions with food.

Fried or Oily Foods: Oily foods diminish the perception of acidity in wines. Therefore, pair  high-acid wines like Champagne, Cava, Prosecco or Sauvignon Blanc with dishes such as fries, fried chicken, or fried oysters. Oils and fats also soften tannins, making them suitable partners for rich, high tannic reds like Barolo, Rhône Valley Syrah or robust Cabernet Sauvignon, with dishes like roasted leg of lamb or BBQ ribs. 

Hot and Spicy Foods: Spices accentuate alcohol, making it more noticeable, they also reduce  a wine’s perceived sweetness and fruitiness. Pair your spicy dishes with wines that have low or moderate alcohol, and some sweetness or ripe fruitiness to offset the heat. Avoid tannic wines, opting instead for unoaked and fruit-forward whites and Rosés. For example, pair spicy curries or Thai dishes with an off-dry Riesling, Muscat or Gewürztraminer.

Salty Foods:  Saltiness diminishes a wine’s dryness and acidity, making it appear fruitier and richer. Pair salty dishes such as Pizza with high-acid wines like Barbera or Chianti (light juicy reds).  Salt also softens tannins, so match salty foods with tannic wines and pair Rioja Gran Reserva or Uruguayan Tannat with Serrano Ham or Prosciutto.

Savory or Umami Foods: Umami makes wines drier, more bitter, acidic and less fruity. Choose non-tannic reds such as Beaujolais or soft Malbec to complement savory foods like ramen.

Acidic Foods: High acid foods pair well with high acid wines, but always ensure the wine has more acidity than the food to prevent it from tasting diluted and flat. Acidic foods soften the acidity in wines, making them sweeter and fruitier. For example, pair sole in lime sauce with Sauvignon Blanc or Grüner Veltliner and avoid low acid wines with high acid foods. 

Sweet Foods: Sweet dishes make wines seem drier, bitter and more acidic. Avoid pairing super tannic, dry wines like Cabernet Sauvignon with sweet desserts, instead opt for wines with a similar or higher sweetness levels.  Match wedding cake with Moscato d’ Asti instead of Brut Champagne, match Sauternes with Tarte Tatin or Crème Brûlée. Pair Tawny Port with chocolate.

Today’s recommendations are two Summer wines: Many thanks to Palm Bay for sending these to me!

Trimbach Riesling 2021, $31.99
This Classic from Alsace offers good flavor and definition, featuring 100% Riesling grapes and beautiful notes of lemon candied peel and pineapple, complemented by stone mineral undertones. It boasts refreshing acidity and a long, focused finish.

Saracina Rosé 2022, $19.99
This superb Rosé, made from 100% Grenache, showcases wild strawberries, juicy watermelon, and fresh raspberry notes. It offers depth with hints of orange blossom and red currant coulis. Balanced acidity cuts through the palate, leading to a dry, mouth-filling finish.

I hope you give them a try soon, and if so please take pictures and tag me on Instagram @ Silvinalawina. Cheers! Silvina.

#wineandfood #winepairings #thoughtsoflawina #wineelements #drinkupamerica #winewednesday

Fun Whites from Chenin Blanc!

Chenin Blanc is very often overlooked as a grape, mostly because wine producers prefer to plant and make wines from other white varieties that are more appealing to consumers such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc or Muscat.

Originally from the Loire Valley, where it thrives in appellations such as: Anjou-Saumur, Vouvray, Savennières Coteaux du Layon, Quarts de Chaume and Bonnezeaux. it is also the most planted white grape in South Africa, covering more than 18,000 hectares, where it is known as Steen. Chenin Blanc is also favored in California, Chile, Argentina, Australia and Israel.

Despite its underdog status, producers value Chenin Blanc for its versatility in producing all styles of wines, from dry to sweet, from mineral to fruit forward, from still to fine sparkling. It looks like for Chenin Blanc the sky is truly the limit.

From a viticultural perspective, Chenin Blanc is early budding but late ripening and naturally very vigorous, so plenty of cropping/ green harvest is necessary to keep it tamed. It thrives at lower yields, with 50 hl/hr considered ideal. Similarly to Riesling, it reflects the terroir in which it grows; sandy soils produce lighter and more delicate styles of wine, while clay yields richer full-bodied versions. Limestone soils result in elegant wines with crisp acidity, while schist, quartz and tufa soils impart plenty of minerality. Its ability to retain its natural high acidity makes it well-suited for warm climates, explaining its success in South Africa's Stellenbosch, Paarl and Swartland appellations.

Yet as imagined, geography will significantly influence the style of Chenin Blanc in your glass. Cool climate Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley is made in an old world style, showcasing delicate aromas of green and yellow apple, citrus, honeysuckle, with medium alcohol content, and prominent mineral and chalky notes. In contrast, New World Chenin Blanc from California or South Africa, tends to be riper, due to warmer weather conditions, and the winemaker’s intent to emphasize fruit-forward, tropical flavors, such as guava, pineapple, apricot and mango. Warm climates also soften Chenin’s piercing acidity, making these wines approachable earlier than some of their Loire Valley’s counterparts.

From a winemaking perspective, South Africa Chenin Blanc is typically vinified in inert containers such as concrete vats, old oak casks that don’t impart any flavors or stainless steel vats, to preserve fruit purity, without excessive winemaking intervention. Some producers may choose lees aging or battonage to add body and creaminess. Malolactic fermentation is usually avoided in warm areas, but probably widely used in the Loire Valley, that per se could be considered a marginal climate for growing this grape.

Chenin Blanc's superb sweet styles are crafted from noble rot affected grapes, exhibiting completely different aromas of quince, apricot, peach, honey, marzipan and brioche. They usually have higher acidity than Sauternes, and higher alcohol content than German dessert wines. Chenin Blanc is also a key component of Crémant de Limoux, a sparkling wine from the Languedoc Roussillon region in the South of France and also plays an important role in South African Cap Classique, the term used to label sparkling wines made using the Traditional method.  

My recommendations: recently I had the pleasure of attending a mini wine tasting organized by Wines from South Africa that featured a selection of Chenin Blancs.

Their delicious fruit, refreshing acidity and in some cases very affordable prices, make these wines an enticing alternative for Summer enjoyment. If you appreciate lively and vibrant dry whites as much as I do, consider giving your Rieslings and Sauvignon Blancs a break and trying one of these fantastic Chenin Blancs listed below, you will be pleasantly surprised.  Until the next one, Cheers! Silvina. 

Sparklehorse MCC 100% Chenin NV, $26.99
Lievland Old Vines Chenin Blanc 2022 $18.99
Beaumont Chenin Blanc 2023 $20.99
Reyneke Vinehugger Organic Chenin Blanc 2023 $17.99
Testalonga Cortez 2021, $49.99
Bellingham Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2021 $29.99
Raats Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2022 $31.99
illimis Chenin Blanc $49.99

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