[cape chef]

I was asked by a member to try and explain how our four senses react with food and wine. As a chef and lover of wine I feel that is very important to understand this concept of taste. Let me give this a try.

I'll start with Componets, then Flavors, then textures.
salty
Anchovies and bacon
Acidic
Lemon juice and tamarind
Sweet
Barbecue sauce and raisons
Bitter
Broccoli rabe and Endive
*******************
Fruity
Peach and jams
Nutty
Almonds and praline
smokey
Ham and bbq ribs
Herbal
Coriander and pesto
Spicy
Cloves and lamb curry
Cheesy
Parm and pizza
Earthy
Truffles and organ meats
Meaty
Filet and prime rib
Light
Souffle and salmon mousse
Rich
Creme fraich and lamb chops
Coarse
Craked wheat and blood sausage
Fatty
Confit of duck and rilletes

I know to make this concept work you have to have a pretty good knowelage of what wines taste like, But i will try to show you a couple wines that would work with these senses. For salty I wouldn't worry, This is much to rare in wines, but for acid I would look to a chablis, muscadet or a vinho verde for whites and beaujolias nouveau, Sancerres, and bordilenos for reds. Good acidity likes good acidty. For your sweet sense, sauterns,barsacs, TBA's or Ba"s for whites and Vintage port and Valpolicelo for reds.

Bitter needs to be handled by the bullies!! over oaked chards and white burgundies and tannic young Bordeauxs, Cabs and rhones for the reds.

For flavors, fruity loves young reislings, young sweet fruit chards and for the reds young dolcettas, young merlots and pinots

For Nutty (like me)Fino sherry, meursault

smoky, Aged white burgundies,Bordaeux,riojas and borolas

Herbal, S.Blanc
Poully Fume
chinons

Spicy, Mosel reislings, barrel fermented chards, gigondas, and shiraz.

cheesy, Chianti

Meaty
Young merlots.

All of these items because of there individual flavors, textures and aromas need eachother to benifit the food and wine. These are simple guidlines to follow. It's what I use for my wine and recipe developement.

If I can try to streamline any of this let me know with questions. Hope you find it useful
cc

 

[anneke]

I had to read it a couple of times. This is such incredibly useful info CC. Thank you.

Ok. So if I understand this correctly, your wine should NOT fight your food. That is, it should not contrast it, it should go along with it, right? If the course is salad, wine should not calm the bitter/sourness of it, it should mimick the flavours so to speak. Otherwise, the wine becomes more like a backdrop, a palate cleanser, which would be a waste of potentially good wine I suppose. Am I making any sense?

What about the textures you mentioned. How do you (can you) match them? And what on earth is a "chunky" wine? I can work with the tasting wheel, but textures? That's tricky...

 

[cape chef]

You got it, You don't want to drink orange juice after you brush your teeth right?
It's the same with wines and food. They have to basically "Hold hands"

I'm glad you enjoyed the information..as far as textures, it's a similar rule of thumb...light textured foods...Souffles, savoury mousses need light bodied wines with balanced acid.

You wouldn't want to have a warm salmon mousse with a full bodied wine...The wine would deflate any chance the mousse has to shine.On the other hand a light vinho verde or even a soave would work perfectly.

As for a "Chunky wine" I tell you there are many names associated with the wine kingdom...That would mean young,huge tannins, toasty oak and a big finish...almost "Chewy"