Some Myths of the “Impossible Food and Wine Pairings”
A MISMATCH
While this idea is not entirely a fantasy, there are always a few ingredients that food and wine gurus say are “impossible” matches with wine. And while certain ingredients do pose greater difficulties with some wines, most are FAR from “impossible”…The most common “impossibles” are:
Asparagus - This is by far the most baffling of the “impossibles”. Yes, with certain bigger wines, asparagus can produce certain “off” flavors when eaten with wines, but many felicitous apirings are possible
Artichokes - A bit more difficult than asparagus due to the subtle bitterness that artichokes display, but there are solid matches for ‘chokes too.
So, the three biggest DON’TS:
- NO REDS! - Tannins are the problem here. Most tannins contained in wine are derived from grape skins which are same source for the color in red wines. White wines are almost always made with little or no juice/skin contact, so tannins in white wines are held to a minimum.
- NO HIGH ALCOHOL WINES! - Keep the levels to about 13% or lower. The higher the alcohol level in a wine, the greater the discord between that alcohol and the very vegetal flavors contained in both asparagus and artichokes.
- NO “HEAVY” WINES - Wines with rich, unctuous bodies paired with asparagus or artichokes can bring out metallic flavors in the wine.
Cross these boundaries at your own risk…YUK!
So let’s be positive - what DO you want to look for in a wine to match with these items?
- LEAN TOWARDS ACIDIC WINES - Sauvignon Blanc is better than Chardonnay. Verdejo is better than Garnacha Blanca. Tocai Friulano is better than Pinot Grigio. Gruner Veltliner is better than Zierfandler.
- SEEK OUT “AROMATIC” WINES - Traminer, Riesling, Muller-Thurgau…the difficult compunds in artichokes and asparagus seem to become submerged or at least play well with the pungency of these white wines.
So after this little debunking discussion, in my opinion there are indeed ingredients that are best without wine, or ones that should be avoided if wine is being served. The greatest culinary enemies of wine are…
Hot Pepper - A BIT of heat in a dish can be MITIGATED with light-bodied, acidic, low alcohol and slightly sweet whites or reds, (depending on sauce, main ingredient, etc.) but with a vindaloo or a Mexican green sauce with some real FIRE, drink beer or fruit juice.
Vinegar/Lemon Juice - Once again, a moderate amount of these ingredients in a dish can be managed with VERY ACIDIC, un-oaked white wines like a bone dry Chenin Blanc or a brut Champagne, but tossed salads or ceviches are never very good with any wine.
Raw Onion/Raw Garlic - Yet again, SMALL amounts of raw onions or raw garlic as an INGREDIENT in another dish can be overcome, but for the most part, these ingredients are simply too pungent to match WELL with any wine. Soaking sliced raw onions or garlic in a salt bath can reduce a bit of the sting, but again, no wine really matches WELL with these foods, at least none that I’ve found…
So, a couple of questions for all of you:
- What are some of your “impossible” matches? (those above are just the most often discussed, and HARDLY a comprehensive list)
- What wines have you discovered that work well with these or any other perceived “impossibles”?
TOM CIOCCO
12 Comments »
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Occaisionally raw garlic can be matched with the Cls du Gilroy grenache from Bonny Doon which understandably carries a raw garlic note to it. As for Mexican food I tend to be inclined towards beer as Mexico doesn’t have a strong wine culture to begin with and no external influence on the creation of it’s cuisine quite like some European nations have had (ie Belgium has no real wine production but has close associations with other nations who do)
Comment by alco holland — January 4, 2007 @ 4:40 pm
You covered mine well. Homemade fajitas, with tostados and salsa for me scream for beer, Modelo Negro if you got it. Chicken enchiladas run a close second. OTOH, a lot of my cooking involves onions or garlic or both. I muddle through.
But you gave me a good reason to continue to avoid asparagus and artichokes.
Comment by elbowroom — January 4, 2007 @ 8:48 pm
Being an artichoke lover, they have always posed a big problem for me. The only wine I have found that remotely works is sparkling wine, such as Prosecco. Otherwise, I leave them on my plate to eat last!
Comment by kevin — January 5, 2007 @ 8:11 am
For Asparagus, Arneis perhapse bridges that gap the best. Check out Bruno Giacosa’s recent efforts, they don’t get any better for the varietal.
May fly with Artichokes too, but never tried a pairing.
Comment by Rich K — January 5, 2007 @ 8:15 am
I find that chocolate is harder to pair than most people think. Champagne? No thanks. Many people think any ol’ red wine will do, but I find that most fall short. Banyuls, however, with a semi-sweet chocolate, will work. The Villa Banfi Rosa Regale, however, makes a beautiful match.
Comment by Dale Cruse — January 5, 2007 @ 10:49 am
Artichoke has a chemical isn’t bitter but rather has a chemical in it that makes everything eaten with it or after it sweet. Thus, any wine is essentially going to loose its specificity. There is no solution that I know of. I agree with the above comments for asparagus. Other than that, impossible food with wine. Caviar, though having such a problem on a regular basis would be nice. Only thing that goes with it is iced vodka. Contrary to some suggestions here and elsewhere, champagne makes caviar (REAL CAVIAR) taste metalic.
Comment by phig — January 5, 2007 @ 12:21 pm
Artichoke isn’t bitter but rather has a chemical in it that makes everything eaten with it or after it taste sweet (in a chemically nutrasweet kind of way). Thus, any wine is essentially going to loose its specificity. There is no solution that I know of. I agree with the above comments for asparagus. Other than that, impossible food with wine. Caviar, though having such a problem on a regular basis would be nice. Only thing that goes with it is iced vodka. Contrary to some suggestions here and elsewhere, champagne makes caviar (REAL CAVIAR) taste metalic.
Comment by phig — January 5, 2007 @ 12:23 pm
Rich-
I’ve never paired Arneis with Asparagus - interesting…
Dale-
I think you’re right on…Banyuls and sweeter aromatic reds (sparkling or not) work best with chocolate
Phig-
Agreed on the artichoke/sweet thing - that’s why highly acidic and or aromatic wines work best (at least in my experience)…the former is harder for the ‘chokes to “sweeten” and aromatic wines already have a “sweetness” about them, so the level of incongruity is diminished…
TOM CIOCCO
Comment by Tom C — January 5, 2007 @ 12:28 pm
Glad I read this segment. I always had a very hard time pairing wine with chocolate (both semi-sweet and milk chocolates). Which is why I gave up on it as I thought it may just be a “trendy” thing. Maybe I’ll try the Banyuls.
Comment by Tom T. — January 10, 2007 @ 10:01 am
I find that grilling asparagus with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, & pepper somehow makes it more agreeable with wine.
Comment by Tim J. — January 11, 2007 @ 6:41 pm
Tim-
I agree. I think that what’s at work here is the rich sweetness of the balsamic vinegar and the unctuous flavors of the olive oil manipulated via the grilling process presents a stong “overlay” to the difficult flavors in the asparagus…sauces are often the determiner for matching with “‘tweener” ingredients like chicken or pork or rabbit…I think that this also what’s at work here with asparagus.
TOM CIOCCO
Comment by Tom C — January 12, 2007 @ 10:42 am
in my opinion the most remarkable and misunderstood conflict is chocolate and red wine in spite of the widely held opinion that it not not only works but is synergistic. In reality the conflict is not with chocolate at all. It is in fact with the sugar. Sugar reproducably shuts down receptors which sense many of subtle characteristics of table wine therefore destroying any nuiance. Certainally a 16% fully ripe zinf with or without residual sugar is not easily pushed arround but that still does not make the general case
Comment by alvin — January 27, 2007 @ 2:43 pm