Wine and Food-101

Reflecting Flavors

Consider the classical combination of roast pork and fried apples. When pork is served with apples, you can reflect the specific flavor of apples found in certain wines to the fried apples served with pork. This serves to tie the wine to the food. It creates symmetry: apple flavor in food product reflects to apple flavor in wine. Since apples are a white wine flavor, a white wine would be appropriate for this dish. If the white wine that you choose is devoid of apple flavors, don’t worry, as white wine flavors blend wonderfully with each other and will likewise blend splendidly to the flavors of the pork. With such a pairing, you have made a base hit.  Nonetheless, always try to be as specific as you can. If you can find a wine that does have apple flavors, you have scored a home run.

Try to tailor your wine-food match as precisely as you can. Sometimes it is not fruit that you are considering, but other items on the plate. For example, if the pork was served with mashed potatoes and asparagus spears, you might select a Sauvignon Blanc. The green vegetal flavors found in Sauvignon Blanc reflect wonderfully to the asparagus (green flavors) in the dish.

Even visual elements can serve as points to reflect a wine’s flavor. For example, Indian sweets, such as ras gulas, gulab jamun, and biriani are commonly flavored with rose water. A clever chef might decorate such dishes with rose petals. Gewürztraminer is a wine that has flavors and scents of rose petals. The visual effect and the scent coming from the dish would make a great focal point to reflect to the floral scent and flavor in the wine.