Food and Wine. Does wine actually taste better with Food?

WINE TALK
21

I only drink wine WITH food. In my salad days (long ago) I would occasionally have a glass of wine as a cocktail. I also used to drink spirits, but alas, no more. Now,all my dinners are carefully planned and paired with wine.

22

I’m confused. What wine goes with salad? [scratch.gif] [stirthepothal.gif]


Personally, I can’t believe the OP was even posted on a wine board.

23

It’s highly variable to me. Fortunately, if a wine does not work well with the food I’m eating (like tonight), I can just wait until I am finished and enjoy the wine by itself.

High acid wines are FAR better with food than on their own, and, for the most part, I find Burgundy more enjoyable with food. If the alcohol is over 14%, I will likely not enjoy it with food.

24

As far as I am concerned, wine shouldn’t have more than 14% alcohol unless it is a sticky or port. While these two don’t need food, otherwise, wine and food are inseparable to me… flirtysmile

25

Depends on the salad Ken [whistle.gif]

26

wow! its weird to me that anyone would debate this. some wines completely suck without food. the structure of these wines demand food; drinking them with food opens them up and transforms both the wine and the food. without food they can taste like acidic and sometimes tannic monsters with no redeeming qualities to them. On the other hand, try sucking down an overly extracted sugary “cocktail” wine with food and you will say bleh. the exception being sugary foods like saucy bbq in which case a zin with it will blow your mind.

27

Riesling!!

28

And that’s why a somm worth his salt will take a hard look at you, listen to the wines you like, determine if you really are into wine, and then suggest a burgundy to go with your Prime Bone-In Kansas City Strip. Or an hermitage, but more likely a burgundy. The earthy notes, non-sweet fruit, and acidity bring the flavor out of the beef without nuking it. A big ass cab + fatty beef is something I usually love, but I’m willing to admit that the fat mixed with sweet fruit is sometimes a less successful pairing, and sometimes results in muted wine and muted beef.

I love pinot and duck, but Napa Cab and duck, depending on how it’s prepared, can be even better. Duck meat is so succulent, and goes wonderfully with sweeter sauces, like cherry port-wine reductions. Some reject the idea, given how duck is traditionally paired, but try it with a fairly young cab…it can rock your socks

29

You know, I’m one of the few sympathizers with Gary. If it’s really fine wine, I like it to begin with alone, or perhaps with bread or a light cracker. Later in the bottle, once you’ve gotten a real feel for the wine, then very simple food is a great idea. If the wine is great, then any food that is complicated tends to detract. It doesn’t mean that you can’t have great wine with great food, but they often compete with each other.

the ordinary really good meal warrants a very good but not great wine.

30

It isn’t necessary, and plenty of wine and food are enjoyable alone. People do worry about pairing a bit too much, but the greatest experiences I’ve had with wine have always been with a great meal.

31

Depends. Old world wine tastes better, (or have taste), with food to me. New world wines are food. You just decide how much garlic or spice you need in the food so you can taste it.

Give me a citrus prominent, med-high acidity New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc before food to cleanse my palate, tease my taste buds and make me hungry. After that, everything tastes great.

32

A creative food pairing is the best way to rehabilitate an otherwise average wine. To me, the best wines are best on their own. But wines that seem out of balance (too much acid, too bold tannins) can easily be “fixed” by serving them with the right meal.

33

Yes! And Muscadet.

34

And somewhat oxidized Chardonnay, believe it or not.

35

The wines I drink taste better with food, because I buy wines to drink with dinner.
The wines that are better stand alone I usually don’t like much anyway, with an exception.
That exception is very old wines. Drinking old wines is like a museum experience, like
watching old silent films, listening to Caruso recordings. It is an intellectual exercise more than sensual immersion.
(maybe I should post that in the controversial beliefs thread)

Peter Hickner

36

The inverse of the original question is incontrovertible.
Food tastes better with wine.

P Hickner

37

+1. Though I would say, about the best older wines, that it is “and intellectual exercise AND a sensual immersion”

38

IMHO, Grgich Hills Fume Blanc is a great wine to pair with salads.
Then again, Grgich Hills Fume Blanc could make toenails taste good…

Personally, most of the wines that I enjoy are made for the table. I think wine and food can be incredible together, the sum of the parts being greater than the whole. But I do think that trying to find some “perfect” food and wine pairing for every single dish can be overrated (don’t tell my staff or my customers that please) because I think most dishes can match up well with a large range of wines. When I think of wines that generally don’t match well with food, I mostly think of big bombastic reds that are overgrown, overextracted, and then overoaked (or perhaps just one of those three), and that’s not the kind of wine that I prefer.

39

I’m drinking an '08 Papapietro Perry Leras Family PN and pairing it with saltine crackers. After a leaving the bottle open a few hours, this wine would overpower any food.

40

For me it’s about the quality of the vino. There is obvious synergy with many wine/food combos, but when I want to enjoy great, & near great wines, I don’t want a meal competing, however synergistic the combination is.

That being said, with just a little bit of wine knowledge, & halfway decent palate, It’s hard to totally screw up, & even then, the results can be interesting.

Cheers to the Juice!

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