Food and Wine Pairing : A Sensory Experience

Exercise 4.1 87

EXERCISE 4.1

TERROIR’S IMPACT: HARVEST-FRESH VEGETABLES, EARTHY GOODNESS, AND WINE

Harvest-fresh vegetables combined with
the earthiness inherent in root vegetables
creates an undeniably wine-friendly com-
bination and hints at the way terroir links
food and wine. Many vegetables create a
more wine-friendly atmosphere when
added to cooked dishes (remember the
combination in Oysters Marie Laveau).
Root vegetables such as onions, garlic,
and shallots often require cooking to
bring out the natural sweetness and ac-
centuate their earthy character. Beans
and potatoes are other sweet and earthy
examples, and when they are accented
with onions or garlic, the combination
creates a rustic but magical taste. Other
earthy vegetables include beets, cauli-
flower, cabbage, turnips, parsnips, and
even greens.
The three traditional dishes in the
following exercise provide a glimpse of
the wine affinity of the onion family. The

featured wines exemplify differences

based on climate zone characteristics.

This exercise points out the classic char-

acteristics of climate zones that provide

great clues for food and wine pairing. In

analyzing the match potential with the

food items, be sure to consider the body

of the particular dish (light or full-bodied),

the cooking method (light, such as

steamed or poached, or heavy, such as

broiled or braised), and the style of the

dish (rustic, homey, or upscale and luxu-

rious).

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this exercise are to re-

inforce your understanding of climate

zone differences and to expose you to the

compatibility factors between earthy-

sweet root vegetables and wine. Tasting

wines from different climate zones side

by side will allow you to clearly differen-

tiate the acid, fruit, and body character-

istics of wines from cooler and warmer

climates. When tasting these wines with

food items to determine the best match,

this exercise reinforces the relationships

of earthy flavors, natural sweetness,

cooking method, texture, and body with

the acid, sweetness, fruit, tannin, and

body of wine.

Mise en Place: Things to Do Be-

fore the ExerciseBe sure that the pro-

duction of the food recipes (at the end of

this chapter) and their timing is well

planned out and clearly understood. The

mise en place for the recipes should be

done in advance and plans for transport-

ing the item samples to each taster and

the cleanup process should be deter-

mined ahead of time.

MATERIALSNEEDED

Table 4.2 Materials Needed for Exercise 4.1

1 white paper placemat per student with numbered or labeled circles to

place wineglasses (Figure 4.2)

Crackers to cleanse the palate

1 spit cup per student Napkins

Corkscrew Drinking water for each student

Utensils for tasting food 4 wineglasses per student

Prepared dishes: Onion Rings, Roasted Garlic, Onion Soup Paper plates and bowls to serve dishes

STEPS

1.Choose four wines from the list below.