Wine First, Than Food.

It’s not as complicated as you think or lengthy books make it out to be.  Pairing a glass of wine with your meal can be one of the best parts of dining out, especially if your company is a bit dull.  Of course there is ambiance, conversation, cuisine and culture.  And for some unfortunate people, one might decide on their entree and then explore the wine list.  That is great and you will probably have a nice experience.  However, this post is for the reader who orders the other way around.  When one looks for what is interesting on the wine list and then chooses the meal to pair with it.  There are some traditional rules to follow if you choose the later during your next dining experience, but rules in the world of wine are just meant to be broken.  So here is how to break the rules by following (or not) some simple guidelines and have a fun pairing experience. 

·      Red wine, red meat, white wine, white meat.  Ignore that.  While it is a basic foundational rule of thumb its not entirely accurate.  It simplifies wine & food too much. There are too many exceptions to even start listing here. 

·      An expensive wine should be paired with an expensive meal.  Nope.  One day try fried chicken with a vintage champagne, or a nice Bordeaux with a shake shack burger.  Just don’t put orange juice into your Vintage Champagne, that is what Prosecco is for. 

·      “If it grows together, it goes together”. This is a great line.  But probably wont help you much when you’re looking at a dinner menu and a wine list.  Maybe if you’re actually at a restaurant in Colmar.  But it’s not often that you’ll be pairing your entrée of just asparagus with a restaurant that has a dry Alsatian Muscat.  If they do.  WOW. Go for that pairing, its great.  Also make sure you buy a lottery ticket the following morning.  But realistically the asparagus will be a side and the Alsatian wine on the list will be a Riesling. 

·      There is no such thing as a bad pairing.  Well.  Actually, yes there is.  There are people who will pair a first growth Bordeaux with their omakase.  At the end of the meal, all that counts is that you had a nice experience.  But if you do order a glass of wine and you don’t like what your eating with it, either order a new entrée or try a different glass of wine.  Life is too short to settle. 

·      Pinot Noir and chocolate pairings.  There are maybe a handful of chocolates and Pinot Noirs that could be paired together on earth.  Most likely this is a marketing ploy and often accompanied by a flower bouquet that’s included.  Please do not fall for this. Unless your date is as shallow as this marketing ploy.  Ignore it and enjoy both the chocolate and the Pinot Noir, just not together. 

The  rules above have a place when considering pairings. Except in rare circumstances the last one.  And you aren’t necessarily wrong by trying to follow them.  In the world of wine, because you are the customer, you are never wrong.  But the parameters we are working with are that you are dining at a typical restaurant (not Applebees) and ordering from a limited wines by the glass list.  Most restaurants have many more options for wine on their by the bottle list.  If you’re forced by circumstance to order from the by the glass list look for the most interesting wine.  Sometimes it’s the one that has the best value, or is a wine you really like.  Maybe you read about the popularity of Orange wines and they have one.  Or natural wines (good Luck with that, you’ll need it). Don’t overlook what sparkling wines they offer as well.  Sparkling wines make great pairings with a wide range of dishes because they tend to have higher acidity and effervescence.  But lets take a step back.  We just said “don’t follow any rules” so what should you do? 

You only have two directions to take (A third being the boring choice of taking a sober day and just drinking sparkling water).  A contrast pairing or a congruent pairing.  A contrast pairing will cut through or balance a dish.  Often referred to as a complimentary pairing.  A congruent pairing matches similar flavor profiles together to enhance the aspect of the wine or dish.  Once you decide on an approach, look at the dominant flavors of the dish or wine you are pairing with.  Ignore the protein, fish, steak, pork, the type of fish, etc. Instead, pay attention to the dominant flavor or aspects.  Is it an Earthy dish with mushrooms, peas or truffles?  Maybe compliment with an earthy red wine.  A Pinot Noir, a Northern Italian red or a Cabernet Franc from the Loire (Chinon). Is it a rich sauce with fish? A first thought might be a congruent approach with a Chardonnay but maybe they have a great dry Riesling on the menu that will cut the fattiness of the sauce with its high acidity or sweetness.  Don’t always default to congruent or compliment flavors.  Look at acidity, sweetness, weight and intensity of a dish.  Which flavors will dominate, or maybe it’s the texture of the dish that’s important.  Is it spicy, is there umami or bitterness?  These flavor profiles also carry over to the wine also. 

That’s it.  Find a cool wine, then look for an entrée on the menu that pairs with it and enjoy your evening.  Don’t hesitate to ask the Sommelier or use google AI.  We have incredible resources at our disposal.  But always remember, if the restaurant allows you to bring your own wine, bring one of ours.  Use the promo code “Corkage” for 25 percent off your next 6 bottle order.  This should cover the corkage charge at your next dinner.