Exercise 4.2 89
8.Onion Rings.Based on your analysis of each wine and the Onion Rings, select the wine that you believe will be
the best match with this dish. Why did you select this wine? Taste that wine with the onion rings. Did the
match meet your expectations? Next, taste each of the other wines with the Onion Rings. Rank the wines by
level of match with the food, from least match to best match. Record any other observations.
Least match!1. 2. 3. 4. !Best match
Observations:
9.Roasted Garlic. Select the wine that you believe will be the best match with the Roasted Garlic. Why? Did you
perceive similar components, body, or flavors? Taste that wine with the dish. Did the match meet your
expectations? Now taste each of the other wines with the garlic. Rank the wines by level of match, from least
match to best match. Record any other observations.
Least match!1. 2. 3. 4. !Best match
Observations:
10.Onion Soup.Select the wine that you believe will be the best match with the soup. Why did you select that
wine? Did you perceive similar components, body, or flavors? Now taste that wine with the soup. Did the
match meet your expectations? Next, taste each of the other wines with the soup. Rank the wines by level of
match with the soup, from least match to best match. Record any other observations.
Least match!1. 2. 3. 4. !Best match
Observations:
11.Discuss and analyze the results. Did any one wine match all or the majority of the dishes relatively well? Did a
particular wine do a poor job of matching overall? What do you believe was the primary determining factor of
a match between the wines and food? If you did the optional tasting and tasted both reds and whites, which
do a better job? Was a particular varietal more food-friendly? Why or why not?
EXERCISE 4.2
TERROIR, TAKE 2: THE EARTHY GOODNESS OF MUSHROOMS, TRUFFLES, AND WINE
This exercise is intended to show the
wine-friendly character of some classic
earthy foods. It is also designed to rein-
force the understanding of differences
between Old World and New World
wines by tasting them side by side with
some earthy food dishes.
Mushrooms and truffles are two
foods with a clearly identifiable earthy
character to them. The recipes that follow
feature mushroom duxelles, black truf-
fles and potatoes (two earthy ingredi-
ents), white truffles and risotto, and por-
tobellos. There are many examples of
earthy foods, including beets, frogs’ legs,
brown rice, lentils, rainbow trout, and
crawfish, to name a few. The duxelles
recipe is included because it is a staple of
the French kitchen (I fondly recall making
frequent batches of duxelles as a young
chef to top fish, stuff poultry, as an hors
d’oeuvre topping, a key ingredient in Beef
Wellington, and so on). It is easy to pre-
pare and provides a relatively light dish
filled with earthy goodness.
The black truffle and mashed potato
recipe combines the earthy taste and
scent of black truffles with the earthy tex-
ture of potato. When visiting the south of
France with a group of students, I had the
good fortune to visit amarche ́ aux truffes
(a traditional truffle market) and visiting
the largest black truffle house in the re-
gion, located in Cahors. While there I hadone of my most memorable meals: black
truffle omelets, good bread, and local red
wine in a thirteenth-century building. We
ate them off paper plates, standing up in
a not-yet-completed catering kitchen,
with our wine in plastic cups. It was mar-
velous!
The white truffle and risotto recipe
features two items that are definitely
Old World and earthy. The white truffle
comes from the Piedmont region in
northwest Italy, near the town of Alba.
Whereas black truffles are generally
served as part of a cooked dish, white
truffles have a distinct aroma, texture,
and flavor and should not be served in
cooked. White truffles are served sliced