Food and Wine Pairing -
Breaking with Tradition
March 1999 -- Culinary Connection

By Tim Hanni

  At first glance, creating promotions for food products by designing them to accompany or include fine wine seems like an appealing idea. However, on closer examination, the way wine and food "traditionally" are paired may create obstacles rather than enticements for the consumers you're trying to reach.

  History helps illustrate this point. In the 17th century, salt was the most important item on the table at any meal. It was such a prized condiment that it would be positioned on the table in a place of honor, often in a magnificent pearl- and gem-studded saltcellar. Where you sat at the table in relation to that saltcellar said something significant - the lord of the manor and his guests sat 'above the salt,' while the rest of the guests sat 'below the salt.' The farther away from the salt, the less important you were.

  Salt didn't merely draw the line between the hoity-toity and the riffraff - it kept the foods separate too. If you were seated below the salt, you certainly weren't going to savor the same quality salt, food or wine as those above the salt. It was kind of like eating on an airplane today - while first class enjoys saumon fumÈ, economy passengers must content themselves with coleslaw.

  Imagine, all that fuss over salt! Who'd believe we ever had such elaborate rules for something so basic? But before we snigger too loudly at our ancestors, let's have a little look at wine and food matching - the rules are pretty elaborate there as well.

Ruled by rules?

  The same people who followed the gospel of salt etiquette in the 1700s didn't give a hoot about what kind of wine they drank, or what food they paired with it. Sure, the sommelier had to ensure that the lord was served a wine of appropriate status and quality (this along with testing the wine for poison were the sommelier's sole functions), but that was about all anybody worried about. Prince or pauper, if you wanted wine, you had wine.

  Not so today. First of all, it's "safer" to buy beer, so you'll probably do that nine times out of ten. If you finally muster up the guts to say you'd like some wine, you have to deal with your server asking the difficult question of "What wine would you like?"

  Remember what you were taught. Rule number one: Don't say white zinfandel, no matter what you do. Rule number two: If you've ordered a steak, don't make an idiot of yourself and ask for white wine. Rule number three: You only like your wines dry, bone dry. Rule number four: Recall all the wine words you've learned - nose and bouquet and legs and cassis and toasty and oaky and smoky - and use them liberally.

  "What wine would you like?" your server asks again. "Ahem." Clearing your throat and looking authoritative, you say, "I'll just have a beer."

  This scenario isn't actually meant to be facetious; it's the gastronomic curse of our time. Just as the old rules of salt kept those below from having the wine and food they wanted, so our arrogant, elitist rules surrounding wines are keeping the wines and foods we want out of our reach. The rules checkmate consumerism.

Changes in attitudes

  Why can't you like white zin? Who says white wine doesn't taste good with meat? Is sweetness in wine inherently evil?

  Think about that, because chances are you're someone who either drinks or sells wine, and no doubt at one time or another you've preached those very rules to consumers less knowledgeable than yourself. I've done my share of preaching - I know all those rules inside out and used to practice them religiously. I'd never have passed the Master of Wine exam if I hadn't. But I must admit, they never really made much sense to me. On the contrary, I was suffering from near-fatal bouts of cognitive dissonance almost every time I dined. Red wine with sole? "Baaaad," I'd tell my dinner companions, meanwhile sneaking another bite while their heads were bowed in apology.

  I knew there was something wrong with everything I'd been taught, but my wine-fearing upbringing had me quaking beneath the gargoyles over the wine-shop door. I was sure I heard them yell "repent!" as I hid the Riesling in the trunk of my car and drove off with the Hermitage on display in the back seat.

  Of course I'm over all that now, and proud to be the notorious heretic that I am.

  After years of teaching other people what made absolutely no sense to me, I finally decided to start exploring for myself how wine and food work together, using my own senses. What I discovered was that the traditional rules, when tested, were unfounded and often false. What did work was a much simpler set of principles revealed to me over the course of hundreds of tastings.

Savory sensations

  These principles are based on the five taste sensations. Most people have learned to recognize only sweet, sour, salty and bitter, but scientists today tell us there's another distinct basic taste to add to the familiar quartet. It's called umami, and its relevance to creating wine-friendly cuisine is paramount.

  Umami is perhaps the most prevalent and important taste in foods. Described earlier this century by a Japanese food scientist, umami is essentially 'savoriness' - undoubtedly the same savory taste that French gastronome Brillat-Savarin identified as osmazome in 1825. The prototype for this fifth taste sensation is monosodium L-glutamate (MSG). It enhances the overall taste of foods, as well as intensifies characteristics like "mouthfulness," impact, continuity, mildness and thickness.

  Humans are partial to umami, which occurs naturally either through ripening or through cooking, curing or smoking. That's why aged beef is preferable to fresh beef and cooked potatoes to raw. Also, umami levels in foods vary seasonally. That's why foods are best in-season - essentially that means they've reached their optimum levels of flavor concentration.

  Being aware of all five sensations impacting taste is the first step toward understanding how all foods and wines can taste great together. All wines react in the same way to a dominant taste, but to varying degrees. In other words, if the umami taste in asparagus brings out bitterness in a cabernet sauvignon, it will bring out the same bitterness in a white zinfandel, but to a lesser extent. A simple and delicious adjustment to the food will ensure both wines taste great with the asparagus.

  This simplifies enormously the task of making wine and food work together. It means that to make a dish taste great with any wine, you simply taste your dish and adjust the seasonings to bring out the best in the type of wine that reacts most strongly to it. Once the dish has been adjusted to allow that wine to stay true to its intended taste, all less-reactive wines will follow suit. In other words, Jack Sprat can enjoy chardonnay at dinner and his wife can merrily uncork the merlot.

Practicing the principles

  The trick to ensuring that wine and food taste great together is understanding how the dominant taste in food impacts the perception of the taste of wine, and making the appropriate adjustments to seasonings. The principles are really quite simple. First, remember that all wines react in the same way to a dominant taste, but to varying degrees. Specifically, this means that:

*  Sweet and/or umami tastes and spiciness from hot ingredients in food make wine taste stronger.

*  Sour and/or salty tastes in food make wine taste milder.

  It's that simple! I'm now officially calling these principles Wine and Food in Balance. I've developed a wine-list system that is helping over 2000 hotels, restaurants and cruise ships sell more wine and further enhance the dining experience for their customers. The combination of the wine list and food balancing philosophies are known collectively as the Beringer Progressive Wine List System.

  The net result of this approach is unbelievable. It empowers servers to say, "Here is our wine list. It's easy to find the wines that will taste best to you. Our food is delicious with wine and we encourage you to have whatever combination sounds best to you. Thanks for joining us tonight."

  And though it may sound unorthodox to some, wine-drinking cultures have been practicing these very principles for centuries. For instance, in Tuscany, bistecca alla fiorentina is served well-salted with a wedge of lemon. In Burgundy, wine reductions, mustard or verjus (unsweetened grape juice) accompany the regional dishes. The inclusion of an acid is not futile - it serves to mellow out the strong tastes in wines such as sangiovese or cabernets. In that respect, "wine and food in balance" should appeal to even the most devout traditionalists.

Smart flavor tricks

  Any dish that is properly balanced will taste intense and flavorful, whether it is served with wine or without, and any wine served with the dish should remain true to its intended taste.

  If your wine tastes bitter (dry, less fruity, acidic, bitter or tannic), season your food with salty and sour ingredients to make the wine taste milder and bring the wine and food into balance. Try adjusting the seasoning with vinegars; lemon or lime; mustard; verjus; soy sauce; olives or olive brine; sour pickles; wine reductions; or dry, fortified wines.

  If your wine tastes too mild (exaggerated sweetness or fruitiness, less tannic and bitter taste), season your food with sweet and umami (savory) tastes to make the wine taste stronger and bring the wine and food back into balance. Try adjusting the seasoning with sugar; honey; fruit or fruit juices; hoisin sauce; sweet wines; off-dry wines; black, green or pink peppercorns; or chiles.

  Careful! Some ingredients can make wine go either way. Use the following ingredients with caution: tomato products; onions; leeks; barbecue sauce; Worcestershire sauce; demi-glacÈ and reduced stocks; anchovies; fish sauce; bacon; ham; asparagus; and artichokes. Tasting the dish with a strong wine will guide you in the steps you need to take.

  Try Wine and Food in Balance next time you're in a restaurant. Test the tequila trick, for example. Have a sip of a strong wine. Put some salt and a squeeze of lemon on the back of your hand. Taste it and then taste your wine again. The wine will taste milder. Or, if you're having Chinese food and it's making your wine taste bitter, try adding a drop of rice vinegar and soy sauce to your dish. It should make the wine taste milder.

  With the philosophies of Wine and Food in Balance, specific food products can be marketed successfully to all wine drinkers. The principles provide a platform for creating great-tasting food that is delicious with anyone's favorite wine.

  Tim Hanni has been involved with food and wine for over 30 years, and is one of two resident Americans to have completed the Master of Wine examination in London, which is regarded as the highest accolade in the international wine industry. He currently serves as director, on-premise business development for Beringer Wine Estates, Napa, CA, and is responsible for developing the Beringer Progressive Wine List System. Hanni has trained and worked as a professional chef, and his philosophies for creating wine lists and balancing food with wine are employed by hundreds of restaurants and hotels worldwide.

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