Matching food with wine (or vice-versa)

(Photography courtesy of Andrew Barrow)
Our friend and resident wine connoisseur Andrew of Spittoon has just published an article on Wellfed where he asks "Are Food Bloggers a Bunch of Teetotalers?" He states that foodbloggers rarely write about wine, even though you'd assume they are people who appreciate a good pairing, a wine complementing the food they bring to the table. And I do.
But although I love those restaurants where you can have perfectly matching wines with your various courses and (if you're lucky) the chef and the sommelier are in synch enough for the kitchen to make little amends to a dish to suit an interesting wine, I mostly work the other way round. Simply because I have a food-, not a wineblog, so it is cooking that is always on my mind, whereas the task of choosing a wine (and keeping the winefridge well stocked) falls on my husband.
Saying that, I have had a number of instances where he's brought home a very special wine (for example something which is difficult to get in the UK or simply not available to retail customers at all) and we might have enjoyed one of the bottles, contemplating a variety of pairings and, some time later on a special occasion, cooked a meal especially to accompany said wine. But that happens maybe twice a year, if that often.
And it's not for lack of trying: I sometimes do add wine suggestions to my recipes, but only if I happen to find a great pairing. More often than not we'll have wine with the meal, but if it is not complementing the food perfectly (or the other way round), I'd rather not give recommendations. After all, the mediocre is my pet hate!
Andrew then goes on listing traditional wine/food pairings, and while I can whole-heartedly support some, I do have my hesitation about others: for example, he raises the WWWF rule (as in: always have "white wine with fish"), and although this might be a safe option for someone who isn't well versed in food or wine, I can actally think of a number of fish dishes where I'll prefer a red... for me it really depends on the way the fish is prepared and what it is served with. I would never order a Rioja with my oysters, but with some preparations a light red does work well: a thick-cut seared salmon with crispy chorizo and oven-roast tomatoes or with beluga lentils interlaced with bacon, for instance. And the reservations go for the foie gras/Sauternes pairing: for the longest time, I had only had foie gras with some fruit jelly/compote and toasted brioche - nothing better than a Sauternes with that! But a few months ago, at Guy Savoy in Paris, we had it served in a red cabbage reduction with jerusalem artichoke purée, so a sticky was out of the question! I can't remember what we had with it, but a full-bodied white (a Pouilly-Fumé or a Chassagne-Montrachet comes to mind) is definitely a much better option here! So in my humble opinion which wine you choose does not just depend on what you're having, but how it is prepared.
Another pairing is a sight for sore eyes on that list: champagne with caviar. I don't actually think that caviar or (another usual suspect) smoked salmon goes that well with it, although restaurants up and down the country will serve it that way... the price tags may match, I'll give you that, but I think champagne is far too subtle and the roe kills the taste. The Russians have it with Vodka for a reason!!! Smoked salmon is even worse, as when they meet in the mouth, it'll leave a nasty sensation on your tongue - and doesn't do the champagne OR the salmon any favours at all!
Aaaah! I could go on and on, but I do agree that I could make more of an effort recommending wines with my recipes. I fear that we'll end up having a lot of occasions where I'll crack open a bottle to "research" its characteristics before I start cooking something to match and then be too tipsy to create anything that lives up to my expectations ;-)
And now you'll excuse me - I have rather a lot of wine to drink before I can post my next recipe...

Comments

[Andrew]

Some good points - to be honest I destest caviar (which is lucky as I cant afford it anyway) and rarely drink champagne with food.

I trust when we call on you in the future for an Austrian recipe to match (in the Combinations event) you will put forward some interesting suggestions!

[sam]

another no no in my book is champagne with dessert or cake. They go so badly together but there is rarely a wedding that doesn't make the mistake of pairing them anyway.

[Bendita]

I do appreciate your comments. About the vodka thing I agree. Also on the point of vodka, I think it is the Nepalese that also use the similar concept of a vodka like alcohol shot with their raw meat dish.
Also champagne is usually best on its own ( at least the brands that I have tasted)

[Jeanne]

I have to agree with Johanna - I am primarily a food blogger so cooking is pretty much always on my mind. Once the food is cooked then we might decide to open a bottle of something nice, but to be honest if it is a weeknight I usually dissuade Nick from doing so as I really don't want to drink half a bottle of wine on a "school night" and I hate leaving a really good bottle of wine open in the fridge overnight as very few are improved by this!! So often we end up drinking something arbitrary & I don't bother to mention it. Also (and this is purely my OCD showing...), I tend to only want to post about wines if I have made proper tasting notes, and often in the heat of the moment I eat, drink & forget to take notes! And I feel to embarrassed to just say "it was nice"! But that's just me...

Oh, and re. champagne, this is going to sound like sacrilege, but a dry champagne/cava and olives work for me - not a million miles from fino and olives which is acknowleged as a good combo...

[johanna]

sherry and olives - definitely my thing, jeanne. but then, champagne is soo versatile, i'd happily drink that, too.
champagne and cake, sam? dear lord! coming from a country which is renowned for its dessert wines, I have thankfully never had to experience that!