Pairing wine with our food can create the perfect marriage and who isn’t looking for that? Food on its own can be great as can wine on its own, but there are those absolutely magical matches that take us to gastronomy heaven.
For most of us, when we think of wine and food, we automatically think of a juicy steak and a glass of a robust red wine, or, perhaps we think along the lines of having white wines with white meats and red wines with red meat. But what if there is no meat, does that mean we don’t think wine….ahhhhhhhhm…I hope not!
If one is Vegan or Vegetarian, one’s first thought might be to go to organic wines and while there are a few available and the list is growing, many wines are not organic. Wine is very simply grape juice fermented with specially cultured yeast so it could be assumed wines are vegan. However, animal ingredients are sometimes used in the final stages of the winemaking process to capture any sediment present in a stage called Fining. Although many winemakers are now using vegan fining ingredients or they skip the fining stage altogether, it is not disclosed on the label however you can research almost all wines on the internet.
Pinot Grigio with its crisp acidity complements tomatoes, artichokes, garlic and basil as well as cucumbers, celery, dill and endives.
Thankfully, there is just as much pleasure to be had when matching wines with our non-meat dishes and below are some guidelines to help.
In the absence of meat, many of us eat vegetables and there are many popular wines that pair very well with a wide variety of them. Among the popular white wines, Pinot Grigio with its crisp acidity complements tomatoes, artichokes, garlic and basil as well as cucumbers, celery, dill and endives. Chenin Blanc in its style as a dry wine has crisp minerality with notes of pear, ginger and chamomile so can be perfectly matched with shallots, squash, Cauliflower, most yams, and cabbage to name some popular items.
If you are looking for a red wine, then one with a lighter body and softer tannins such as Beaujolais (made from the Gamay grape) and Chianti (from the Sangiovese) are very good options. Additionally, the herbaceous and sometimes earthy notes of a Pinot Noir is great with dishes featuring oyster mushrooms, red bell peppers, beets and pulses. And if white wine is your choice, an oaked Chardonnay with its toasty notes and creamy mouthfeel will do wonders.
A favourite root vegetable I enjoy is Sweet Potatoes and whether boiled, roasted or fried, I find a sparkling wine such as Prosecco or Cava, a medium-bodied white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or a medium-bodied earthy red with medium tannins such as a Pinot Noir make my meal delightful.
Spring vegetables such as Beets, Carrot and Bell Peppers work very well with wines when they are roasted and a bit of spice added. Try to match the notes of the spice to the notes of the wine, e.g. Ginger will be complemented by the ginger notes for which Gewurtztraminer is sometimes known. I love Beets in any form and adore Portobello Mushrooms too and I love a big red wine with them so I match those dishes with a big, bold Cabernet Sauvignon or Malbec.
lettuce and salads are now frequently main courses and are so versatile they can be very simple or quite complex!
In recent times instead of being appetizers or side dishes, lettuce and salads are now frequently main courses and are so versatile they can be very simple or quite complex! Salads that feature herbs and baby lettuce or pungent greens like radish or arugula will go great with rosé wines as its subtle red fruit notes and rounder mouthfeel will provide perfect balance for the sometimes bitter flavours of our greens.
Pasta is another favourite we love to eat and just as varied as the types of pasta are the combinations we create. With our tomato-based pasta dishes medium-bodied red wines such as Chianti, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Pinot Noir are great choices. With cheese-based pasta dishes full-bodied white wines such as Chardonnay or a light-bodied red such as Pinot Noir are ideally suited.
Wine and cheese pairings are equally as stimulating to the palate when done right. Many cheeses originate in little European towns as they were created to compliment the wines made in their regions. The array of styles, textures, names and ingredients is quite extensive.
As a rough guide to matching our cheeses with wines, below are some general pairings ranked in order of ascending flavours and pungency.
If you like Mozzarella, Marscarpone, Burrata, Halloumi and Chevre which range from easygoing to creamy to briny, then white wines with good acidity such as a Sauvignon Blanc or Torrontes or medium-bodied reds with soft tannins such as a Merlot can be interesting.
Soft, creamy cheeses such as the deliciously creamy Triple Cream Brie, mild-medium blue cheeses, Camembert, medium-sharp Cheddar, Chevre, Gouda Gruyere and Edam are great with Champagne, Prosecco and other sparkling wines as the acidity and bubbles mitigate the tongue-coating effect of the cream and cleanse the palate, or an unoaked Chardonnay. An interesting pairing is an off-dry Riesling as the hint of sweetness compliments the cream.
Sharp blue cheese, aged or firm Cheddar, Edam, Munster and Swiss pair well with Bordeaux-style reds or white wines.
If you like hard-ish cheeses like Havarti, also try Colby, Monterey Jack, Asiago, Raclette and enjoy with an Oaked Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Grenache or Syrah.
There are so many Cheddar variants to experiment with! Red Leicester, Cheshire, Lancashire are flavourful, usually buttery with some being earthy and gamy and a solid red Cabernet Sauvignon, Aged Merlot or Malbec will work beautifully.
Parmesan, Aged Goat or Sheep Gouda is interesting with Lambrusco, big reds like Malbec or Zinfandel.
The classic Blue Cheese and Port pairing is undoubtedly amazing but so too is Blue with Sauternes.
Wines change from vintage to vintage and our palate changes in what it likes over time. Wine allows you to sip around and try new things.
Wine with food should be fun…do not limit yourself! We are all different and so are our preferences. While others’ opinions can be used as a guide, try it for yourself. The best pairing is the one you like so experiment with having different wines with different foods and most importantly, when you decide to go Meatless, do not go wineless.
Debra Taylor has 28 years in the Wines & Spirits industry in roles from Sales to Brand Management, from Business Development to Educator. As a qualified Wines & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Certified Educator, she has certified over 150 candidates at Levels I and II in Jamaica. Affectionately known as “Winelady Debra”, Debra is currently the Trade Development Manager at Select Brands in Jamaica.