In a chef’s tasting menu, what do you look for in the Wine Pairings?

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
1

Often we just bring a bottle from our cellar but I’m interested in instances where you choose to go with the restaurant’s wine parings for a tasting menu or similar.

  • What is it about the pairings that makes you choose it over a bottle on the list?
  • When you’ve raved about a paired dinner, what have you said?
  • Is advance knowledge of the pairings important?
2

A few reasons:

  1. many many many courses such that i can’t possibly pair everything byo
  2. i’m not paying flirtysmile
  3. when it’s priced very reasonably
3
  1. To me, it is. But rarely is the list of pairings displayed with the tasting menu (at least in my experience–maybe I’m not going to the right restaurants). And when the wines aren’t printed, I can’t help but be suspect that the wines paired will be low value, excess stock, or both.
4

Good points guys. I wonder too if wine pairings aren’t targeted at wine geeks and instead more the average foodie. I have seen some places with a pairing and then a reserve pairing.

5

When permissible, where allowed, we take a bottle and decide on my bottle, one of theirs or the pairings. My issue with pairings is “rare finds” by somms who offer a wonderful Bulgarian Pinot or Nordic Cab. If I do a pairing I want to see what is being offered first. So yes, advance knowledge is required. My wife and I are wary after being scorched in a couple of highly regarded restaurants with (as mentioned above) either low value and/or excess stock. Or simply pairings that just don’t work. I really need to trust the restaurant with pairings. I also know what my wife and I like and don’t like and if I see a couple of questionable wines being offered with the tasting menu I just get a bottle of something.

The biggest problem is with places with very diverse tasting menus (Alinea for instances). If you don’t know what is coming out of the kitchen and how it will pair there is some risk. At the same time there are a number of wines/varietals that are safer bets if you have the slightest idea of what is being served.

JD

6

Timely post. I have a dinner next week but we are doing the reverse. We are providing the chef with a list of our wines and he is building a menu based on that list.

7

I usually find the wine pairings not to my taste and as a way for the restaurant to make some $. The only way that I really see it is if there are a number of dishes that present pairing issues for one/two bottles.

8

Wine pairings can be a very good thing or a very bad choice. If you ever have a chance to do the tasting menu at Charleston Grill try the one the pairings. They now have 3 levels of pairings and use a Coravin. The pours are generous and the price is reasonable to me. Always nice to have d’Yquem paired with desert.