I use the term cocktail wine for those that are too much for more than a single glass. Too much oak, too much ripeness, too much flab, but mostly too much alcohol. These don’t typically do well with food.
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Maybe you’re eating the wrong foods?
It’s not the toughest match. Should still have good acidity and some structure.
I don’t think it’s that deep. Some wines are good casual refreshing wines where you don’t have to focus on their nuances. Whereas ‘meditation’ wines merit smaller amounts of consumption and more focus.
For people like us. The number of people who suck down Caymus and Silver Oak with their steaks means it’s not true for the general public.
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I don’t think there truly exists any wine that is made to be best enjoyed without food. There is a relative scale for me where some wines do better without food compared to others. So Champagne can be pretty good on its own as well as dessert wines. Other wines really demand food - I am not drinking a Chianti without some Italian food. I will definitely drink a Napa Cab by itself.
I love love love botrytized sweet wines and do not think that the best ones are ever improved by food. For sure, there are some nice pairings, but to me personally none of them are better than the wine alone.
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Perfectly possible. This is compared to more mature red burg though which I feel compliments most of my favourite foods much better (meat, chicken, mushroooms, heavy sauces etc).
Basically any wine can be enjoyed with or without food. There are very few magical pairings, and if you don’t have both in your mouth at the same time, you’re not having wine “with” food anyway. We often open a nice white after dinner. Most people here would probably say that an acidic white “needs” food. OK if that’s what they want. Not everybody does.
And then there are wines that are destroyed by food. Roquefort will pretty much destroy any wine you have, including big sweet fortified wines. But I love Roquefort, so I eat it anyway, and don’t sip wine immediately after swallowing.
Chocolate too - maybe a tawney Port is OK with it, but liquor is much better than wine.
Big Napa Cab and Dark Chocolate (say 70%) works well for my palate. Roquefort and Port pretty darn good.
Ok, maybe that explains our different reactions, because my cooking is pretty much the exact opposite! Pescetarian, driven by farmer/s market produce, generally on the ‘lighter’ side.
But, I do cook a wide range of dishes and have no problems making tweaks for various wines. I wouldn’t have thought it that difficult to do for young juicy Burgundy. But I guess the point is that your favorite dishes lean another way.
And a medication wine.
Personally I prefer all really mature Bordeaux and Loire reds without food. Of course great pairings are possible, but I just like enjoying them on their own so I can focus on the aromas and flavours.
I see your point. I will look into that type of cooking. Wow two persons had differing opinions on the internet and managed to have a respectful discussion. I will open something from burgundy tonight to celebrate!
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Only had a few experiences with oxidative style wines, but I was shocked by how much they changed with food (in an unpleasant way). Lopez de Heredia Tondonia Reserva Blanco and Rosado.
Yeah, maybe you’re also more precise with wine-food matches than I am. I tend to mainly focus on avoiding major clashes, and then doing small tweaks as relevant.
In summer, I find that robust and vibrant flavors like red pepper (cooked of course) and basil can work well with juicy young red wines, including red Burgundy. (Whereas a more mature red wine might have me reaching for something more subtle, maybe roasted mushrooms) But I also make do in the winter!
I usually don’t try to pair food with new world wines. A North Coast or Walla Walla Cabernet is usually a meal in itself. Ditto for oak laden Chardonnays and grassy, aggressive Sauvignon Blancs.
I seriously question how many winemakers in Napa Valley are making winemaking decisions re their Beckstoffer Cab that take into account whether the wine will pair well with this or that food. I think the winemakers are just doing everything in their power to make the best wine, standing alone, that they possibly can. If it goes well with a steak, great. But folks aren’t usually eating steak in a tasting room or a critic’s office.
I would say the same re champagne. With rare exceptions, I suspect champagne makers are making wines they believe will best stand up to critique when sipped on its own. Even in big wine-driven events, champagne is usually the wine consumed on entry, before food is passed around or served.