Sunday, 3 October 2010

Does matching matter?


When it comes to what to drink with what food there are probably more opinions on the subject than there are grains of rice in a bag of it. At the end of the day whatever you like to drink with what you are eating is probably the right thing and having travelled the world a bit I can tell you that it also changes by region – what works in France does not necessarily work in a place in Australia or Chile.

If you like a pint of Lager with Foi Gras then go ahead and have it – but here is a suggestion….. for thousands of years people have been perfecting the making of alcoholic products and testing them against all variations of food.

For me Lager and Foi Gras is not a logical match – a properly chilled Gerwurstrimeiner or even a good Sauterne are much better – but I did not know it until someone introduced me to one of life’s perfect mixes….

I recently attend a Chaine de Rotisseurs Amical dinner – a combination of the best food the restaurant could prepare alongside the best wines they had available. All the food and wines were from the Venice region of Italy and great trouble had been taken to match the best with the best. 

The result – a dinner that was absolutely to die for. Course after course left you full of anticipation for the next culminating in a traditional slow cooked Oxtail served with an amazing Bradisimo 2004 Inama.

My personal tip – find a friend who really knows there food and wine then listen and learn. Alternatively join a wine or dining club and dive right in.

No comments:

Post a Comment