If you find it useful when someone suggests a specific food to pair with a specific wine, you aren’t alone. I appreciate the advice and often make my own suggestions.
Fresh crab with Chablis; oysters with Muscadet; and Champagne with lox are specific pairings I enjoy and sometimes pass along. The problem with suggested pairings, however, is that sometimes they are seen as etched in stone, which inhibits exploration that could well prove enlightening.
There are a couple of myths I would like to tackle. The first is the oft-repeated wisdom that red wine can’t be served with fish unless it’s Pinot Noir with salmon. I beg to differ.
There are certainly parts of the world where fish is plentiful and white wine isn’t, Bordeaux, France, being the best example. So what’s a serious foodie to do in such a situation? One chef I know, while preparing a multi-course dinner for a crowd of Bordeaux collectors, cooked up a Mediterranean sea bass surrounded with earthy root vegetables and mushrooms. The crowd ate it up, literally. There was nary a complaint.
The takeaway from that experience was that pairing often has more to do with the preparation, seasoning and sauce than the protein on the plate.
The other oft-repeated myth I want to explode is the imperative of serving Merlot with lamb. Yes, Merlot with lamb is a beautiful combination. But so is Syrah with lamb, Cabernet Sauvignon with lamb, or a savory Barolo with lamb. It’s all good. The object should be to tackle the strong flavor of lamb with a bold, savory red that has power and depth.
The takeaway is simple: The rules of wine and food pairing were made to be broken — or, at the very least, tweaked to your own liking.
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