Wine Pairing Basics (part one - Regional)

As we gathered for our Thanksgiving dinner, I was asked, "how do you determine what wine is best to pair with the meal?"...The easy answer is that is takes a lot of trial and error, but in reality, there are certain things I take into consideration when trying to find the best wine for the meal. Let me first say that food and wine pairing should not be something that you agonize over. Everyone's tastes and preferences are different.

To start, I think it is very important to know the common flavor/aroma profiles for at least the most common wine grapes.  For example, Sauvignon Blanc is known for its' high acidity. It is light to medium in body. When I taste Sauvignon Blanc, I always get a bit of vegetal character, similar to green grass, green beans or asparagus. I find this character stronger in wines that come from cooler regions, where the grapes may not have had time to ripen completely. The riper (or warmer region) Sauvignon Blancs pick up more tropical aromas (grapefruit, honeydew, passion fruit), but still have that tell-tale vegetal streak. Knowing this will help you to pair, as you will see later in this blog series.

The first thing I look at, is what type of food am I pairing? Is this a regional food? For example, if I'm eating Italian food, my first focus will be on Italian wines. Okay, next step, is it Northern Italian, Southern Italian? What wines are produced in that region? I figure that over time, the local cuisine and the local wine have determined what works best. Let's look at some classic regional pairings:

• Champagne - caviar or oysters
• Bordeaux - roast lamb
• Riesling (particularly German) - goose/duck
• Beaujolais - charcuterie
• Sauterne - Roquefort cheese or foie gras
• Port - Stilton cheese (wait, Stilton is English, and port is from Portugal....yes, but the English were responsible for the sweet ports we drink today)
• Burgundy - Coq Au Vin, duck or salmon
• Sherry - green olives or almonds
• Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot - steak
• Chianti - pasta with meat and/or tomato sauce

Knowing the common flavor profiles of the wines listed above, will help you to find similar wines from different regions that might also be fun to try. So, next time you are looking for a wine to pair with you meal, start with the regionality of the dish.

In the next blog, we'll look at weight of the meal, balancing the meal with the wine, and some of the "tricky" foods to pair.

Feel free to share some of your favorite "classic" pairings.

Thanksgiving Wine Pairing Ideas

With Thanksgiving only a couple days away, I have been getting a lot of questions about what wines to pair with the Thanksgiving dinner. I've got to say that this is one of the most difficult meals to pair, as everyone does something different and there are so many things going on. I would venture to guess that most people have the traditional Turkey, but beyond that, it is a virtual cornucopia of different side dishes, and desserts. So how do you pair with them all?

The approach I take is to look at the whole meal. What are your predominant flavors, and weight of the meal. Are you going heavy on the spice, sweet, or vegetables? Here are my thoughts....You can never go wrong with a sparkling wine. I like the acidity and refreshing sparkle to cleanse the palate. I find that a Blanc de Noir (white of reds) has a little more flavor profile.

If you are a white wine drinker, I like Viognier with Thanksgiving dinner. It has some nice acidity to it, and adds some floral aromas that seem to pair well with many of the side dishes that accompany the typical dinner. If you are not familiar with Viognier...this is a classic grape from the Rhone region of France, but you can find many wineries in California that are producing wonderful versions. If you are a bit more daring, try an Italian Falanghina, or a Spanish Albarino, or even a dry Riesling from Alsace (the only dry Rieslings that I have found in California are Clairborne and Churchill, out of the Edna Valley - very nice, but a bit hard to find).
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For the Red Wine drinkers. Stay away from the high tannin, heavy wines, and go a bit lighter and fruitier. I like a nice Pinot Noir (particularly from Oregon, which I find have a bit more earthy character, which works well with food), or a fruity/spicy Zinfandel. Even the odd Beaujolais Nouveau works with Thanksgiving dinner, but it is a taste you will need to get used to.

If you can't decide between red or white (you should probably have both anyway), why not a nice rose? I find that when I mention rose, most people immediately think of White Zinfandel. There really are some very nice roses on the market. If you can find Tavel or Bandol (from France) give them a try. They are are little hard to find this time of year, but are worth the search. I have also found some nice roses coming out of the California central coast (try Dragonette Cellars).

Lastly...Dessert. Always remember to have a dessert wine that is sweeter than the dessert you are serving. Tawny Port, Madiera, PX Sherry...all make nice additions. Try the PX with apple pie...YUM!

Hopefully this will give you a few ideas. Pairing sometimes gets too darn serious....so have fun, and experiment. Please share your pairing experiments here, and we can all add some ideas to our list!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Jim Newcomb
Certified Sommelier/President Arrowhead Wine Enthusiasts

Beaujolais Nouveau

Today is the third Thursday in November, and for those of you who follow wine, you know that this is the day Beaujolais Nouveau is released. So it begs the question...what is this Nouveau stuff?

Let's start with where it comes from...France. But more specifically, the Burgundy Region. "But Jim, Burgundy makes super expensive, wonderful Pinot Noir based wines (and Chardonnays), but this doesn't taste anything like those." There is another red grape in Burgundy, and that is Gamay (grown only in the southern section of the  Burgundy region, in, of all places Beaujolais). The Beaujolais region is made up of  ten main villages: St Amour, Julienas, Chenas, Moulin-a-vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Regnie, Brouilly, and Cote de Brouilly.

So what is so special about Beaujolais Nouveau? Well, it is the first wine released from the most recent vintage. That is, the wine is only about six to nine weeks off the vine. It doesn't go through the "normal" fermentation, but goes through a process known as carbonic maceration. This is a process in which the grapes are not crushed, but are kept in whole bunches, in an anaerobic atmosphere. The weight of the grapes crush the lower grapes, and natural fermentation begins, creating carbon dioxide. This permeates the uncrushed grapes, and causes them to ferment from within. This process leads to simple, vibrant, fruity/grapey wines. they are meant to be drunk young, as a celebration of the harvest.

I find that these types of wines work well with cheese (particularly goat cheese) meat, stews, charcuterie, salmon, turkey (Thanksgiving idea).

I went looking for the new releases today, and was disappointed to find that only one label was in all three wine stores I went to (and probably in your local grocery store)...George Debouf. When I tried this label last year, I found it overly "cherry cola and bananas" tasting, so decided to stay away this year. I'm holding out for the Drouhin release. I've always liked their wines.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on Beaujolais Nouveau...