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Food
& Wine Pairing
VQA
wines, with crisp, clean flavours, are the ideal accompaniment to
a wide variety of foods. Choosing wines that best suit your meal can
be intimidating with the endless list of food and wine pairing rules
to remember. Really, there is only one rule that deserves to be carved
in stone. THERE ARE NO RULES! So relax, experiment and enjoy yourself.
Of Course a little knowledge might help you learn which VQA wines
you prefer with your favourite foods.
Flavour, Intensity and Texture:
These are the three key elements which combine to create the character
of every wine you buy; consider them equally when creating your own
inspired food and wine pairings.
Flavour: the taste of the wine. Successful food and
wine pairings rely on either a similarity or, less commonly, a contrast
of flavours.
Intensity: how concentrated in flavour the wine is.
The stronger the flavour of the wine, the stronger the flavour of
the food; in this case, the ideal match is always one of similarity,
never contrast, so that neither food nor wine is over-whelmed.
Texture: the feel of the wine in your mouth, resulting
from the influence of all the components of the wine - fruit, alcohol,
acid and tannin. As with flavours, the match may be one of either
similarity or contrast.
Chardonnay:
Flavour: Apple, baked apple, pear, lemon-lime, pineapple,
tropical fruit. If
barrel-fermented and / or oak aged, also butter, butterscotch, toast,
fig, vanilla,
hazelnut, nutmeg, clove.
Intensity: Restrained to assertive.
Texture: Firm and crisp if stainless-steel fermented;
round, full bodied if oak
treated.
Sweetness: Dry
Chardonnay's rich elegance finds its match in foods that are equally
stylish. Bolder examples show especially well with strongly herbed
dishes, while more restrained versions shine in the company of luxurious
cream and butter sauces and mellow, earthy flavours such as mustard
and mushrooms.
Pinot Blanc:
Flavour: Apple, lemon, pear, banana, fig, straw,
sometimes slightly earthy or herbaceous; if barrel-fermented and /
or oak-aged, butter, butterscotch, toast, vanilla, nutmeg.
Intensity: Subtle and moderate.
Texture: Firm and crisp if stainless-steel fermented;
if oak treated round and medium-to-full-bodied.
Sweetness: Dry
Pinot Blanc - sometimes called the poor man's (or women's) Chardonnay,
well-made Pinot Blanc can show remarkable strength of character. It
is a chameleon of wine, providing a rich, subtle back-ground for whatever
dish it accompanies.
Riesling:
Flavour: Ranges from mineral, citrus and petrol to
ripe peach, apple, herb and floral.
Intensity: Restrained to assertive.
Texture: Light-to-medium-bodied, crisp.
Sweetness: Dry to sweet.
No matter what the style, Riesling maintains an attractive balance
of fruit and acidity, making it an exciting match with dishes incorporating
their own sweet and tart elements. The most fruit-driven examples
take well to barbecued or smoked foods and a wide variety of fruity
and subtle spicy flavours.
Gewurztraminer:
Flavour: Clove, rose, lychee, grapefruit, fruit salad;
drier styles also mineral, earth, pepper, citrus.
Intensity: Highly aromatic, assertive.
Texture: Medium-light to full-bodied, lively.
Sweetness: Dry to semi-sweet.
Gewurztraminer is one of the most popular varieties, and for good
reason; its intense, exotic aromas and flavours seem ideally suited
to spicy cuisines from China to Thailand to India, and it stands up
equally well to the fruitiest salsas and smokiest grilled and barbecued
flavours of contemporary North American cuisine.
Merlot:
Flavour: Raspberry, plum, black cherry, licorice,
orange, coffee, toffee, chocolate.
Intensity: Moderate to assertive.
Texture: Medium-to-full-bodied, can be tannic.
Sweetness: Dry.
Merlot is THE red wine for red meats. It has the weight and fruit
to match wine-braised stews and roasts and the structure and polish
to pair with rare-grilled prime cuts.
Cabernet Sauvignon:
Flavour: Blackcurrant, cedarwood, blackberry, sometimes
eucalyptus, bell pepper, green olive.
Intensity: Moderate to assertive.
Texture: Medium-to-full-bodied, tannic.
Sweetness: Dry.
While the classic accompaniment is rack (or leg) of lamb, Cabernet
Sauvignon stands up beautifully to virtually all red meats, whether
served simply with 'jus' or rich, reduced sauces. Fine, older Cabernets
are excellent accompaniments to special occasion meals, while younger
ones match simpler fare.
Pinot
Noir:
Flavour: Cherry, strawberry, plum, violet, beetroot,
mint, smoke, cinnamon; mature examples also tea, leather, brown sugar,
mushroom, even barnyard.
Intensity: Subtle to moderate.
Texture: Light-to-medium-bodies, silky, generally
soft tannins
Sweetness: Dry.
Pinot Noir's greatest strength is its suppleness. Without the hard
tannic structure found in many red wines, it pairs effortlessly with
a wide range of foods - from fish through game birds to grilled beef
and lamb. Don't overwhelm its gentle fruit and refined complexity
with strong or spicy flavours; simply-prepared dishes are best.
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