How Spice Is Assessed: Identifying Hot, Savory, or Sweet 195
peppers. Common varieties include habanero (also known as scotch bonnet), poblano, ancho,
serrano, jalapen ̃o, Anaheim, and chipotle. Calling the sensory reaction to these peppers ‘‘hot’’
refers not to an actual thermal reaction but rather to a chemically induced irritation.^9
To determine a natural wine pairing for spicy foods, it is very useful to look at what
people drink with the dish in the region of the world where it originates. For example, in
Italy, Italian pasta with pesto is served with Soave, Bianco di Custoza, Gavi, or Lugana.
These white wines are light, acidic, and refreshing, which works well with the basil and
garlic elements in this pasta dish. Japanese food served with sake or a Louisiana seafood boil
served with beer provide additional beverage examples that work well in terms of taste
components, texture, and flavor matches.
Thai cuisine presents a unique situation where all of the elements and spice types may
be incorporated into a single dish: sweet spices, hot spices, savory spices, and a variety of
herbs. In this case, slightly sweet, light, acidic, and refreshing white wines provide a coun-
terbalance in the relationship.
HOW SPICE IS ASSESSED: IDENTIFYING HOT,
SAVORY, OR SWEET
As discussed earlier, flavors are closely tied to our perceptions of specific characteristics
inherent in food or wine, and are derived from both aroma and taste sensations. These
sensations can be described as in-mouth smells.
In assessing spice in wine or food, it is important to differentiate between herbs and
spices as well as among hot, savory, and sweet spices. While many foods include more than
one type of spice or herb, the evaluation process is about determining the dominant spice
types that will have an impact on wine choices. Once the dominant spice types are deter-
mined, the level of intensity of the specific spice flavor has important implications for wine
choices.
The termintensityrefers to concentration, power, or force^10 and applies to all flavor
types. The evaluation of spice intensity defines the relative level of intensity or force of the
characteristic spice(s) in the wine or food. These levels can be verbally described on a scale
ranging from no spice to weak spice, moderate spice, intense spice, and powerful spice.
These descriptions are defined and ranked utilizing the appraisal values described in
Table 9.2. At the no spice level (the 0–2 value band in Figure 9.1 for wine spice and 9.2 for
food spice), the sensation of spice either is undetectable or fades almost immediately. At the
weak spice level (the 2–4 value band), the spice sensation is recognizable but the stimulus is
not very strong. At the moderate spice level (the 4–6 value band level), the sensation of spice
is defined as ‘‘sufficient’’—the spice sensation is amply defined. At the intense spice level
(the 6–8 value band), the spice sensation can be clearly identified in a very distinct way;
foods in this range begin to push the limit in terms of wine matching possibilities. Finally,
at the powerful spice level (the 8–10 value band), the spice sensation is intense and can be
identified unmistakably; only a limited number of wines can be matched with foods in this
range.
Each spice type has differing acceptable levels in regard to wine and food pairing.
Sweet spices in food are more wine-friendly—they can be matched with a wider variety of
wines, and higher match levels are more likely. In food, some savory and hot spices, as well
as the more intense spice levels, make it increasingly difficult to create a good match. Po-
tential ‘‘wine killers’’ are ingredients that have an unusually high level of sweetness, sourness,
saltiness, bitterness, or hot spiciness.^11