Welcome to the American Wine Society Bristow Virginia Chapter “Wine and Food Pairing” January 20, 2008

Bristow Chapter Guests may attend 2 meetings before joining the National AWS ($58 per couple). Door fee (currently $15) will cover cost of wines and supplies for seminar events. Chapter events will focus on educational themes. We will establish Chapter by-laws and elect officers in the next 3 months (Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer).

Tonight Wine & Food Pairing Fundamentals/Background Information 12 Wines & 13 Foods “The Matrix” Challenge

What to Drink When?

Wine (& Food) Tasting 101 See – Evaluate the color and appearance of the wine Food: Appearance can be important. Esp with plated presentations Swirl – Swirl the wine in your glass to aerate. Give the wine a chance to develop in the glass. Food: Well… Not generally a good idea. Skip this step. Could get messy! Smell – Evaluate the wine’s aromas and the overall bouquet. Food: Evaluate the aromas of the food. Can you distinguish ingredients? Prevailing characteristics? Do they match/complement wine aromas? Sip – Taste the wine. Swish it around in your mouth. Suck air in over the wine to expose it to oxygen. Food: No need to oxygenate the food, but allow yourself to fully taste the food before swallowing. How does a sip of wine change food taste? Swallow or Spit – Swallow or spit the wine. Evaluate the aftertaste and length of the wine on your palette. Food: Well, avoid the spitting part here… But do evaluate the aftertaste and persistence of the food on the palette. Does the wine enhance this?

Wine (& Food) Aromas

What do the terms flavor, texture, complement and contrast mean? Flavor is the taste of food in your mouth, such is fruity, spicey, or smokey. The dominant flavor may or may not be the main ingredient. For example, the main ingredient in chinese garlic chicken is chicken, but garlic is the dominant flavor. Many times the dominant flavor will follow the word “with”, such as pasta with a pesto sauce. Texture is how the food feels in the mouth. Is the food smooth or rough, tart or sweet? Complement is when the wine and food have similar flavors and / or textures. For example, a Cabernet Sauvignon with the flavor of mint would complement a lamb with mint sauce. Contrast is when the wine and food have different flavors and / or textures. For example a Chardonnay with citrus flavors would contrast with a sautéed shrimp with garlic and olive oil. However, add a twist of lemon, and the pairing now has a complimentary component.

The Weight of Food & Wine The first step to improving a wine and food pairing is to, as closely as possible, match the weight of the food with the weight of the wine. By making certain that both the food and wine are balanced against each other, you can prevent either from overpowering the other.

Pairing to Sauces (Chicken, fish, or when sauce dominates flavor/texture)

The Matrix Challenge Use the general pairing guidelines provided and discuss at tables. Take small tastes of food and follow with wine. Determine Good, Neutral, or Bad for each pairing and mark your chart. Need two glasses and we will work with 2 wines at a time. You probably will not need to taste each wine w/ all foods. We will discuss results for each set of 2 wines at a time. (limit sidebar discussion here please)

AWS Bristow Chapter Questions?? Please help with cleanup. Glasses upright in boxes. Next Meeting is Sunday Feb 17, 6:00PM Al Guber (571)

Complement & Contrast Following are some examples of how flavors are blended together by complementing or contrasting the flavors and textures of the food and wine. The example below shows how the pairing of Sauvignon Blanc and Broiled Snapper can be altered by the addition of new seasoning ingredients. Type of ExamplePairingFlavor(s)Texture(s) Complement Flavor / Complement Texture Sauvignon Blanc with Broiled Lemon Dill Snapper Wine: Citrus/Herbal Food: Citrus/Herbal Wine: Tart Food: Tart Complement Flavor / Contrast Texture Sauvignon Blanc with Broiled Snapper and Lemon Dill Cream Sauce Wine: Citrus/Herbal Food: Citrus/Herbal Wine: Tart Food: Smooth (cream fat cuts acid) Contrast Flavor / Complement Texture Sauvignon Blanc with Broiled Snapper in Diced Tomato / Caper Saute Wine: Citrus Food: Tomato Wine: Tart Food: Tart (from the tomato) Contrast Flavor / Contrast TextureSauvignon Blanc with Broiled Snapper and Tomato / Caper Cream Sauce Wine: Citrus Food: Tomato Wine: Tart Food: Smooth (cream fat cuts acid)