We all know that a big red wine pairs well with a steak, but what about more difficult dishes like vegetables and sushi?
Well here to tell us about 5 terrible wine and food matches, and how to fix them, is Natalie MacLean, the author of the upcoming memoir, Wine Witch on Fire.
Let’s start with veggies, especially asparagus, why are they so difficult to pair with wine?
Asparagus and artichoke have cynarin, an organic acid, that stimulates our taste buds’ sugar receptors and fools us into thinking that everything we eat or drink afterwards is sweeter than it is, including water. This plays havoc with wine.
So if you pair it with a big red, the wine is going to taste like liquified moldy marshmallows running through a rusted drainage pipe.
Instead, try a dry, vibrant white wine, like this Chilean Sauvignon Blanc from Emiliana, which I call salad in a glass.
Emiliana Adobe Reserva Sauvignon Blanc
Casablanca Valley, Chile
How would a light white wine do with roast beef?
The roast beef is too heavy in weight and flavour for light wines. So you’ll get notes of stagnant swamp on the palate with a paint thinner finish, I think it’s Sherwin Williams, but I can’t be positive.
Instead, try the roast beef with the big red instead that is equal to the weight and flavour of the meat like the Caymus-Suisun Grand Durif made from Petit Sirah, but there’s nothing petite about this wine. It offers full-bodied, smooth richness that will muscle in nicely beside your roast book.
Caymus-Suisun Grand Durif
Suisun Valley, California, United States
What would you pair with sushi?
Sushi is too light for these robust reds. They’ll taste like you’re chewing on dandelion stems dipped in vinegar with a burning rubber tire finish.
Instead, try the sushi with a zesty white wine like this Austrian gruner veltliner from Lenz Moser. Both the texture and weight are a great match for sushi.
Lenz Moser Prestige Grüner Veltliner
Niederösterreich, Kremstal, Austria
How about creamy cheese like brie?
A big red in this case will taste like rancid Cheetos stuffed in sweaty gym socks floating in a puddle of motor oil.
The full-bodied wines overpower the mildly flavoured soft cheese.
Try instead a dry rose like this one from Cupcake. Its racy acidity cuts through the creamy richness of the cheese. also low in calories so you can have more cheese.
Cupcake Vineyards Light Hearted Rosé
California, United States
What about desserts?
If you pair desserts with a dry red or white, on the nose, you’ll detect a whiff of wet feline furballs followed on the palate by a rush of rusted nails, the kind that if you step on them, you need a tetanus shot.
The dessert is sweeter than the wine, making the wine taste bitter by comparison.
Try instead a dessert wine like this luscious Riesling Icewine from Quails’ Gate in BC.
Quails’ Gate Estate Winery Riesling Icewine
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, BC V.Q.A., Canada
Posted with permission of LCBO
