1. A discussion on Wine Pairing With Chef Leonard Ruiz Redé Seeking Balance

2. 1. In the period of an hour I will attempt to explain why certain foods and certain wines make for good pairings and illuminate the simple things that one can do to make your food more wine friendly. 2. Over the period I will discuss the five basic tastes-Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter and Umami. 3. I will demonstrate the interplay of these flavors in food and how wine influences the overall flavor and pleasure potential of the food and wine pairing. 4. I will also discuss the Fundamentals of Wine Preferences &Understanding Wine Perception, Preferences and values

3. Understanding Wine Perception, Preferences and values Wine preferences Fundamentals

4. Perception People are having completely different experiences Also explains contradictory messages on wine you hear Why don’t I like the wines I am supposed to like?

5. Perception People are having completely different experiences Also explains contradictory messages on wine you hear Why don’t I like the wines I am supposed to like?

6. Understanding what you like How you interpret the experience Your personal preferences Having the wines you enjoy with the foods you enjoy It’s all up to you

7. Your Wine Preferences Personal Preferences Life Experience Sensory Sensitivity Learning Observation Culture & Environment

8. Sensory Physiology Sensory Hardware Reception and transmission of sensations The range and intensity of sensory information sent to our brain The sensations you may experience can occur differently to other people

9. 9 HYPER-SENSITIVE TASTERS (left) SENSITIVE TASTERS TOLERANT TASTERS (right) HYPER-SENSITIVE TASTERSHYPER-TOLERANT TASTERS People have vastly different taste anatomy… More than 12,000 3000 is average less than 500 Dr. Bartoshuk’s Test

10. 10 The EXACT SAME THING may taste completely different to any two people: 25% 50% Tolerant Have fewer taste buds – as few as 11/cm2 Less sensitive to bitterness Hyper-sensitive Have more taste buds – up to 1,100/cm2 VERY sensitive to bitterness Sensitive tasters: Open to a wider range of styles The Taste Bud Continuum 25%

11. Taste SQ HYPER-SENSITIVE TASTERSHYPER-TOLERANT TASTERS More Sensitive Less Sensitive Hyper-SensitiveSensitiveTolerant Coffee = Yuk! Salt = Love salt! Artificial Sweetener = Yuk High Alcohol = Burn Coffee = cream and sugar Salt = likes salty snacks Artificial sweeter = ok High Alcohol = Irritating Coffee = black & strong Salt = No issue Artificial sweeter = OK High Alcohol = OK

12. Taste SQ HYPER-SENSITIVE TASTERSHYPER-TOLERANT TASTERS More Sensitive Less Sensitive Hyper-SensitiveSensitveTolerant 12345678910 Sweet Wines Delicate Wines Smooth Wines Intense Wines

13. Taste SQ HYPER-SENSITIVE TASTERSHYPER-TOLERANT TASTERS More Sensitive Less Sensitive Hyper-SensitiveSensitveTolerant Sweet Wines White Zinfandel Riesling Dry Rose Moscato Delicate – Smooth Chardonnay Sauvignon Blanc Pinot Noir Merlot Intense Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz Zinfandel Malbec Wine Types and Flavors Categories

14. 14 Barry Goff, President & CEO TAVISTOCK RESTAURANT S, LLC Sensitive Intensity and balance are key Can go many directions Love aromatic wines Moderate tolerance for oak Jancis Robinson MW Hyper-sensitive Favor delicacy over power Live in a “vivid” taste world Sweet wines and fruity cocktails ‘100 point’ wines often suck! Tolerant Love intensity and power Alcohol tastes sweet ‘100 point’ system makes sense Oak Bombs! Jean-Michel Valette, MW Bill Harlan, Harlan Estate Chef Lenny Bob Parker? Tim Mondavi Jim Laube? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Taste Sensitivity Groups and Wine Preferences

15. 15 Imagine trying to sell shoes not knowing people have different size feet!

16. Sensory Psychology Sensory Software How your brain processes the sensory information it receives The emotions and judgments strongly connected to your personal experiences and memories Our INTERPRETATION of sensations can vary dramatically and change over time

17. Sensory Psychology Why you like what you like Immediate sensations are compared to our past experiences and allow us to evaluate and form opinion Your Opinion : YOUR Experiences and how you interpret wine sensations

18. Your Preferences are Your Memories The Grassy smell of Sauvignon Blanc may vary depending on your own personal experiences with lawns or grass. Your reaction can easily change over time as you have new experiences. Some may never get over the Kitty Litter.

19. Why you like what you like What You Experience (taste SQ) How You interpret your experiences determines YOUR personal preferences and wine values There are no right or wrong answers, only better.

20. Sensory Perceptions Hearing Touch Smell Taste Sight Mouth feel

21. Social Influences Values Family & Associations Lifestyle Culture Beliefs & Religion

22. Psychological Factors PsychologicalFactors Knowledge Recognition Nostalgia Imagination Memory

23. “ A visionary is somebody who sees something that nobody else sees and is absolutely sure it exists, which almost makes it synonymous with delusional” – Tim Hanni M.W. Self-proclaimed “Swami of Umami”

24. A Word About Balance IN WINE : It is generally recognized as the relationship between Sweetness, Alcohol, Acidity, and Tannin. IN FOOD: It is generally recognized as the relationship between Sweetness, Salt, Acidity, and Tannin. Each of these elements adds to the harmony or perception of BALANCE in a wine. An understanding of these elements can then be used to compliment or contrast their presence in both the food and the wine.

25. First there were four… Salt Sweet Bitter Sour

26. 鲜 味 Umami

27. 鲜 味 “delicious” “essence” Umami

28. Difficult to translate, commonly described as meaty, tasty, deliciousness, richness, and savory. In the east it is not limited to just taste, umami is described as using all of the senses, including emotion. The perfect quality of taste Taste vs. Flavor The Chinese have acknowledge umami for over 1,200 years

29. Umami Recptors Identified by researchers at the University of Miami in 2000 Identified Glutamate as a neurotransmitter Metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR4) Receptor associated with protein rich food

30. Umami Rich Foods Protein rich foods such as eggs, cheese, meat, fish and shellfish contain high levels of glutamate. Glutamate rich foods also include seaweed, soy sauce, tomatoes, peas, mushrooms, truffle oil, green tea, bonito flakes, miso, worcestshire sauce, meat extracts and fish sauce.

31. Three simple rules for food and wine pairing: With the five basic tastes in mind, sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami: 1. Sweet and Umami flavors make wine taste drier, less fruity, more acidic, bitter and tannic 2. Acid and Salt make wine taste more mild, more fruity, less dry, less tannic and less bitter 3. If you balance Sweet/Umami and Salt/Acid, in any food, the dish will have little effect on wine flavors and you can drink anything you want. If your food is balanced, you will love your wine.

32. The Balancing Act The plate: Sweet Apple Roast Chicken Unseasoned steak Salty potato chip Tomato Slice of lime Prawn squirted with lemon and a sprinkle of salt Salt for sprinkling Piquant Sauce The Wines: A Riesling A Nice chardonnay A robust Cabernet Sauvignon

33. Take a bite of the apple and a sip of the Cabernet. Should make wine harsh and unappealing. Taste the beef. Should also make wine unappealing Now squirt the apple with lime juice and try the wine again. Better? Now sprinkle the steak with salt and take a sip of the wine again. Should taste entirely different Next take a bite of the potato chip and a sip of the wine. The wine should taste juicy and delicious Add a drop or two of your lime and then taste the wine, Again, you will find a great match Now try the shrimp with lime juice and salt You should get a great match dispelling the myth about seafood and red wine

34. Now add a bit of Piquant sauce to the shrimp Should make wine harsh and unappealing. Taste the shrimp with the Riesling. Should be a better match Now try the chicken with the Reisling. Bland? Now sprinkle the chicken with salt and a bit of tomato and take a sip of the wine again. Should taste entirely different Next take a bite of the chicken and a sip of the chardonnay. How does that work? Add a drop or two of your lime to the chicken and then taste the wine, Again, you will find a great match Now try the chicken with lime, tomato and Piquant You should get a great match because your dish should be balanced

35. Here is what I think… Umami does not need to be paired to separately, just respectfully. It isn’t just one flavor profile but a composition of many.

36. What Kind of Taster are you? Remember there are no right or wrong answers, only better ones.

37. Thank you.