Top Ten Most Difficult Foods To Pair With Wine

CULINARY PROFESSIONALS OFFER SAVVY SOLUTIONS TO WINE-FOOD PAIRING PUZZLES

Ever sit around munching on a snack and think to yourself, “Boy, it would be great to be drinking a nice glass of wine with this,” but you haven’t the darnedest idea what would go with it? Or you’re eating a nice steak, and the wine you’re drinking tastes terrific with it, but when you take a bite of the side dish and another sip of wine, something in you goes BOING because something isn’t quite right?

We’re here to help. Some of my favorite experts have assisted me in identifying and matching wines with challenging foods.

CHALLENGE #10: ARTICHOKES

The solution: Txakolina (pronounced chalk-oh-LEE-nah)
Contributed by: Lucas Henning, Wine Director at Cuvèe, Napa

Mr. Henning would rather never see artichokes displayed on a tasting menu at all. But if we insist, “I look to just hint or accent the flavors. The wine really depends on the cooking techniques, and the sauce of the dish”.

Sid Goldstein, author of The Wine Lover’s Cookbook: Great Recipes for the Perfect Glass of Wine, states that it is the acid, cynarin, in the artichoke that makes it “the enfant terrible of food and wine pairing”. Cynarin has the effect of making everything taste sweet after eating it, including wine.

Txakolina is a cool white with relatively low alcohol. The wine is crystal clear and has a considerably clean aroma and flavor.

CHALLENGE #9: CHOCOLATE

The solution: Port
Contributed by: Judy Meredith, Education Department, Diageo Chateau & Estate
Wines, Napa

Chocolate is a hard one, according to Ms. Meredith. “Many think cab goes with chocolate – but not really.” The port works not only for its sweetness, but its soft and lush texture. “…rich desserts such as chocolate and crème brulée demand a wine that is sweeter than the dessert, or the wine will taste thin, even bitter.”

Chocolate has been notoriously difficult to match due to its slightly bitter, slightly acidic nature, and its own tannins can overpower most wines. Further, the wide variety of chocolate types: from dark to milky; and incarnations: as a part of a chocolate dessert, filled or by itself, are enough to puzzle the most experienced sommeliers.

CHALLENGE #8: GERMAN RED CABBAGE

The solution: Trouchard Roussanne
Contributed by: Scott Tracy, Sommelier, La Toque, Rutherford

Foods like red cabbage need techniques to soften them before even considering a match with wine. Though delicious, the classic side dish, German Red Cabbage, made with bacon, apples, onions and sugar, also includes an ingredient deadly for matching: vinegar. “The roussanne is not big on fruit tones, but has a rich texture to absorb the earthy expressions [of the dish],” remarks Mr. Tracy. Low-fruit wines are best with vegetal flavors. With such difficult recipes, the goal is not to attain perfection with the pairing, but to find “good dancing partners”. Typically, culinary wizards expect that 1 + 1 = 3 with easier pairings. Any chef or sommelier should be happy if 1 + 1 = 2 results from some of these daunting challenges.