A Taste Of Things To Come...

The question I get asked at 99% of the tastings I host is "and what food should I pair with that?".

It used to be fairly black and white, well, red and white, but now all the rigid old-school rules of "drink red wine with meat and white wine with fish" have been thrown out the window. Not least because when you eat you don't just have an unseasoned, unaccompanied steak on your plate: usually it comes with sides (chips, loaded mash potatoes, creamed spinach, griddled asparagus,sauteed mushrooms) and some kind of sauce (peppercorn, chimichurri, Diane, red wine jus, guacamole, salsa verde, blue cheese). So your preferred drink has to stand up to/compliment everything on your plate.

Also, there are more than just two styles of wine: there's rosé, orange, sparkling, frizzante, spumante, traditional method, charmat method, the asti method, dry, off-dry, medium dry, sweet. And then there are the rest of the drinks of the world: beer, cider, spirits, no and low, softs. There is a lot of scope to have a lot of fun with lots of different variations. One of the most common misconceptions is that wine is the only drink you can enjoy with food and vice versa.

And finally, everyone's tastes are incredibly diverse which means that my tall refreshing pint of Cobra paired with a Goan Fish Curry may not sound and look as delicious to you as it does to me. Maybe you dislike the bitterness in beer so you reach for an off-dry Riesling. Maybe you want your drink to enhance the spice on your plate so your choice of tipple is a Pisco Sour (more alcohol means more heat!). Maybe you don't drink alcohol in which case a sweet, cooling mango Lassi is more your flavour.

I am not a Sommelier ("A sommelier uses their skills and knowledge to create wine lists, coordinate food pairings, facilitate wine education, and more" The Court of Master Sommeliers Americas) but my studies have meant I've dipped a finger in the educational pie of food and wine pairing. However, it was a very provincial pie. It gave me the basics on what works with wine and what doesn't, and then caveated that with pretty much everything I've described above! I also have a plethora of books on the subject and receive various publications/notifications on the best food and drinks pairings. So, I have decided to start working my way through said recommendations/publications and sharing them with you, my handful of readers. I'll let you know the pairings, if I've swapped anything in or out and even a little bit about the drink if there's time.

Watch this space, the first pairing is perfect for an easy night in, or you might be lucky in your local and they might have a bottle of this on the menu.

Cheers!