The common wisdom in wine and food pairing is that high-alcohol wines (those above, say, 14% by volume—the number is on the label in small type) are incompatible with food, difficult to pair because the wines overwhelm the food and take center stage, a no-no in the pairing game.
It is true that wines with high alcohol can taste “hot” if they are not well balanced; they can have a huge, mouth-filling body; they can even seem somewhat sweet due to a common effect of alcohol, as well as the incredibly ripe fruit that many present on the palate. These are not go-to wines for food, and many wine lovers eschew them altogether as unsubtle and lacking nuance.
Recently, though, at the annual conference of the Society of Wine Educators in Washington, D.C., chef Tony Lawrence presented a fascinating seminar called “Wine & Food Pairing: The High Alcohol Myth,” with Mark Chandler, of the Lodi Winegrape Commission.
Lodi lies south of Sacramento near the northern end of California’s Central Valley. The area is home to some big wines, and those served at the seminar ranged from 14.6% to 16.7% alcohol, six reds (cab, syrah, tempranillo, and zin) and two whites (marsanne and a viognier blend). Chef Lawrence prepared eight diverse sauces—from fresh Jersey tomato sauce to a maple beef coulis to lemon verbena caper sauce—presented with a tiny spoon, to mix and match with these wines. It was one of the more fun tastings I’ve attended.
If the huge body and richness of high-alcohol wines are one
of the main pairing problems, Lawrence planned his sauces well: All of them had
an intensity of flavor that stood up to the intensity of the wines. St. Amant
Winery Marian’s Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandel and Macchia’s Soucie Vineyard Old
Vine Zin (at 15.8 and 16.7% respectively) paired flawlessly with a chocolate
blue cheese coulis.
Perhaps equally important was that each of the sauces was distinctly sweet—a quality that helped the sauces balance the sweet impression of some of these wines, whether coming from alcohol, extracted fruit, or oak.
Lawrence stressed throughout the tasting that it is important to serve the wines cool, not at room temperature. As our perception of alcohol’s “heat” is greater at higher temperature, lightly chilling the wines reduces this heat, making it less of an obstacle in food pairing.
Regardless of one’s opinion of high-alcohol wines—and there are strongly held opinions—they can be paired with food successfully if the richness and intensity of the wines is the foremost consideration.
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