Food and Wine Pairing : A Sensory Experience

110 Chapter 5 The Impact of Sweetness and Acidity Levels in Wine and Food

Table 5.4 Example Acidic Foods with Wine Suggestions

Food Item Suggested Wine(s)

Alcohol Level

of Match

Artichokes or asparagus A crispy white—New Zealand Sauvignon

Blanc or white Rioja; if served with melted

butter, a young, crisp Chardonnay

Neutral to good

Caesar salad A full-flavored white such as cool/

moderate-climate Chardonnay (New York or

Washington)

Refreshment to neutral

Ceviche A tart Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand,

Sancerre

Neutral

Crudite ́s Young dry whites such as Pinot Grigio,

Chenin Blanc, or Pinot Blanc

Neutral to good

Fruit salad A sparkling wine such as Moscato d’Asti Good

Gazpacho Sauvignon Blanc or Manzanilla Sherry Good

Lemon tart Canadian ice wine, Riesling Good to synergistic

Chicken curry with lime Gewu ̈rztraminer or Riesling Neutral

Salads (general

guidelines)

Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Grigio, dry

rose ́, or light reds such as Beaujolais,

Dolcetto, or Gamay

Refreshment to neutral

Sauerkraut Very crisp and dry white—Mosel Riesling,

Canadian Riesling

Refreshment to neutral

Sorbets Light sweet sparkling wine—Moscato d’Asti Good

Savory dishes made

with yogurt

California, Washington, or Australian

Chardonnay

Good

Adapted from J. Simon,Wine with Food(New York: Simon and Schuster, 1996).

It should be noted that vinegary tastes in wine and vinegar used in food do not provide

a match. Tartaric and malic acids are produced by the grape as it develops, but these principal

sources of natural acidity in wine are nonvolatile.^20 One of the most common winemaking

faults is volatile acidity (VA). VA is the result of the growth of bacteria that produce acetic

acid. Bacteria causing VA are found on the surfaces of grapes, winery equipment, and used

oak barrels. The bacteria can also start in the vineyard, with grapes damaged by birds or

mold. These bacteria need lots of oxygen to proliferate. When left unchecked, they produce

enzymes that transform alcohol into the vinegary-smelling acetic acid. When wine has higher

levels of oxygen exposure, is low in sulfur dioxide, and is low in tartaric, malic, and lactic

acid, the wine becomes a likely breeding ground for volatile acidity.^21 This vinegary char-

acteristic of poorly produced wine creates serious problems from a wine and food pairing

perspective.

Because acid in wine can heighten flavors in a dish—much like adding a squeeze of

lemon—the higher acidity in unoaked, fruity white wines allows them to work reasonably

well with the tang and zest of many salads. Acid in wine also cuts the fat in food dishes, but

the level of success in pairing wine acidity with food fattiness depends not only on the

amount of wine acidity and the amount of fat but also on the type of fat. Plant-based fats

such as olive oil and canola oil work well with wines that are moderately high to high in

acidity. With cream or butter (dairy fats), the importance of body match (full-bodied wine

with full-bodied food) becomes a better prediction of match than the acidity/fat relation-

ship.^22 Because Chardonnays and other oak-aged whites generally have lower acid levels, an