Summer Food & Wine Pairing Tips
BY: Sean Wilborn, Tasting Room Manager at Château Élan Winery
As we usher in the warmer weather, we beasts of nature leave the warmth of shelter and trade in our boots and fireside dining for flip-flops and patio eats. What an amazing time to enjoy food! Whether you’re grilling out or dining on the patio of your favorite eatery, there’s no better time to step outside of the ol’ comfort zone and try new wines to pair with your summer fare!
There’s a common saying in the world of wine that you pair lighter foods with lighter wines and heavier foods with heavier wines. That is a good foundation for matching the right wine with the right meal however, what’s more is the balance of texture. You taste wine and you feel wine.
The same is true when we eat food so it’s important that you not only compliment flavor but texture as well. Do that and you can turn mere sustenance into a symphony or even a full blown rock concert! The key is not being afraid to experiment and to take time…slow down…let the flavors develop and ultimately taste and feel what’s going on inside your mouth. So light up the grill, put your capris on and use these helpful tips to help you wine and dine like a pro this season!
Light with Light: Among the simplest rules is pairing the “weight” of a dish with a similar bodied wine. A light and delicate dish such as white fish calls for an equally delicate wine so after the charter boat has docked and it’s time to cook up the catch, reach for a Pinot Grigio or perhaps a nice Chablis.
Heavy with Heavy: When enjoying Mama’s homemade lasagna, you need something that can stand up to the complex girth of the dish. Don’t create a “one-ring circus” a Master Sommelier once advised me, meaning, don’t let the dish overpower the wine and vice versa. To stand up to a heavy pasta dish, go for a Chianti, Barbera or my favorite…Barolo!!
Sweet and Spice: Something that counters the spice of a dish quite well is sugar. A sweet wine hits the reset button on your palate and allows you to dive back in for more pain! I love a spicy Thai dish with our Muscadry, which is an off-dry Riesling style muscadine wine. It’s unlike any muscadine wine you’ve ever tasted and will make you think twice about the potential for this amazing grape. Other options are a German Riesling or Gewurztraminer.
Acidity and Tannin with Fats: Protein fats are magical with tannic wines in the same way acidic wines work well with fats. Protein fats such as those found particularly in meats neutralize the palate from heavy tannins and the tannins help reset the palate. A “cab and slab” being the perfect example of this where enjoying a fire grilled slab of Ribeye with oaked Cabernet Sauvignon will make you levitate just a bit. Not all fats work with red wine however. The most disastrous pairing would be to pair an oily fish with a red wine. Fish oil clashes with red wine like toothpaste and orange juice. Save yourself and don’t do it. But do enjoy acidic wines like Sauvignon Blanc or a dry Riesling with a buttery shrimp or the like!
The list goes on and on but these are a few tips that will help you get started. We have a lot of fun at our wine education events where we discuss wine pairings such as our new “Taste of Georgia” event where we join forces with some of the finest artisan food crafters from Georgia and showcase local fare with our award winning wines or our ladies night called “Women of the Winery” where our winery chef showcases tapas pairings with our wines. So get out in Suwanee or the surrounding area and try new daring pairings…and live! ■
