Unexpected Pairings
Steak & Rosé, Amarone & Indian Food, Bubbly & Fried Chicken
In love and wine, unlikely pairings are often the most intriguing. Of course, the stakes are higher in matters of the heart, but when it comes to food & wine, the risks are minimal if you play the field a bit. Classic pairings, like Chablis and oysters, are tried and true, but discovering delicious new combinations is part of the fun. Go ahead and break the rules; you may find a new perfect match for your palate. Cheers!
Steak & Rosé
Steak and rosé? Why not! That was my response when Karla Alindahao, senior editor for news & trends at Food & Wine magazine, challenged me to suggest pink wines to pair with steak. It feels a little strange to quote myself, but here is a snippet of my response: “Rosé is not a monolith. When we think about rosé, our first thought is that it’s really pale, crisp, and citrusy. But the beautiful thing about rosé is that it comes in many different styles,” says Mann. “So if I’m thinking about steak, I’m actually visualizing a darker rosé because that’s a cue to me that the wine has had sufficient skin contact. I want a rosé that’s slightly darker because it’s going to have a little more body, a little more grip, a little more tannin.” Click here to read the full article, Pairing Steak With Rosé Is the Pro Move You Should Try — Here’s Why. It includes my suggestions for five rosé wines to pair with everything from ribeye to steak tacos.
Amarone & Indian Cuisine
I wish I could take credit for this pairing, but I must tip my hat to third-generation vintner Marta Galli of Le Ragose winery. Marta's family has been producing Amarone della Valpolicella since 1969, so it's safe to assume she knows a thing or two about which foods to pair with this Italian red. Marta recently hosted a lunch for women wine writers in NYC, and I was intrigued by the invitation to taste Amarone alongside Indian food at Junoon restaurant. Amarone is produced by drying the grapes to concentrate their flavors, a process known as appassimento. Known for its complexity and richness, Amarone can sometimes be too much of a good thing, but Le Ragose's wines are beautifully balanced. Their rich fruit and sweet spice flavors are lifted by a bright acidity that made them a winning match with our meal at Junoon, which included spiced chickpea patties, mustard-marinated Paneer (cheese), and marinated Tandoor roasted goat chops. Who says you can only pair Italian wines with Italian food? I always recommend trying food pairings beyond a wine's place of origin. For example, this was not the first time I was invited to Junoon for an unexpected pairing; in 2017, I enjoyed their menu paired with Rare Rosé Champagne 2007.
Champagne & Fried Chicken
A bottle of fine bubbly and a bucket of crispy fried chicken is the ultimate high-low pairing. It may seem like a new-fangled trend, but it’s a longtime favorite of mine and many wine professionals. At COQODAQ, aka the temple and cathedral of fried chicken, the wine list, created by sommelier Victoria James, includes an astounding selection of four hundred champagnes, which is said to be the largest champagne list in the USA. Champagne is the perfect match with crispy fried chicken because the acidity elegantly cuts through the richness of the crunchy skin and juicy meat. Other traditional-method wines, including Cava and Trentodoc, are also a great match. If you want to take a deeper dive into why this pairing is a winner, I recommend reading the article Why Are Champagne and Fried Chicken So Great Together? by Eric Asimov, chief wine critic for The New York Times.
I am counting down to the debut of the Food & Wine Classic in Charleston (September 27-29), where I’ll lead the Rosé Gets a Glow Up: Luxury Pink Wines seminar. I’ll be showcasing 8 superb rosé wines from France, California, Oregon, Chile, and New York.
cheers,
Wanda