Food and Wine Pairing : A Sensory Experience

200 Chapter 9 The Impact of Spice

Table 9.3 Safe Bets for Food Spices and Herbs

Herb or Spice Possible Wines

Coriander and dill Sauvignon Blanc

Mint Cabernet Sauvignon

Fresh chiles Crisp, fruity whites

Dried chiles Try fruity, lightly acidic whites or lighter reds

Garlic Sauvignon Blanc, unoaked Chardonnay

Ginger Alsace Gewu ̈rztraminer, Riesling, Champagne

Mustard Solid acidic whites (Sancerre, Riesling), lighter Chardonnays (unoaked), lighter

Pinot Noir, Rioja

Saffron Dry whites, young Tempranillo

Pepper Tannic or rustic reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Coˆtes du Rhoˆne

Horseradish Fruity, lightly acidic white or light red (Sancerre, Dolcetto, Beaujolais)

The exception to this rule is the impact of fruit-forward wines from the New World.

While these will not be a great match with highly peppery and hot spicy foods, they will

hold their own in this relationship up to moderate or intense spice levels.

The good to synergistic match is determined by the level of spice and basic spice flavor

matching in both food and wine, with acidity, sweetness, and texture as other important

factors.

SUMMARY

Spices can be categorized into three main groups:
sweet, savory, and hot. These categories represent prom-
inent spice flavors that impact the match relationship be-
tween wine and food. This relationship is impacted not
only by the type of spice but also by the level of spice.
Sweet spices are inherently more wine-friendly than hot
spices. The level of potential match and wine-friendliness
is influenced by the level of savory spices, hot spices, and
sweet spices as well as whether the wine selected creates
a similar or contrasting match with the food item.
Spices and herbs are distinguished by where these
items are derived from on a plant; herbs come from the

leaves, while spices come from other parts of the plant.

Herbs and herbal characteristics are important in the wine

and food match. Herbs are more wine-friendly than spices

as a rule.

Spices can have a substantial limiting effect on

matching levels of wine with food. High levels of savory

and hot spices are potential ‘‘wine killers’’ as much as ex-

cessive food sweetness, acidity, saltiness, and bitterness. An

assessment of food and wine spiciness is an essential ele-

ment in predicting the possibility and level of match be-

tween a wine and food item.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What are the prominent spice categories?


2. How are the different spice sensations defined?


3. What wine elements interact with food spice?
   4. What impact do wine tannin, sweetness, and acidity
   have on food spice?