Paired to perfection

Chardonnay and poached Peruvian and white asparagus with a hollandaise sauce. Sauvignon Blanc with a steamed pomfret. Perfectly paired food and wine — but requiring quite a bit of thought. Food and alcohol pairings require a delicate balancing act, and I salute the sommeliers and chefs who do such a great job of this.

Balance is all-important when pairing food and wine. A fruity white, for instance, pairs well with a sea bass and the flavours complement each other. You can enjoy each, without it overpowering the other’s taste.

This holds true for whisky too. In a complimentary pairing, the aromas and flavours are not identical. However, the flavours which you identify in your whisky are then matched with some specific ingredients in the food.

I recently tried dark chocolate with Black Dog Black Reserve. Oh! This was a dream combination, I thought. Quite naturally, this fits into the complimentary zone. The dark sweetness of the chocolate paired elegantly with the ‘sherry’ notes. I could almost feel the soft peaches, gentle oak, marzipan, cinnamon spice, as if Christmas had come alive on my palate.

While on desserts, I must recommend that a full-bodied oaky Chardonnay is the ideal match for desserts. When the food and the alcohol you’re drinking has something in common, by way of taste or a similar aroma and flavour, there is complete harmony in such a pairing. For example, a bourbon matured whisky paired with a creme brûlée brings about a harmony of flavours on either side.

With wines, too, the same principle holds true. The flavour component of the food has to be similar to that of the wine. When the wine is paired with the food, it is really an extension of the existing ingredients in the dishes. I recollect having sipped a Cabernet Sauvignon, once with rosemary flavoured lamb chops wrapped with Parma ham and parmesan cheese with grilled vegetables at the Grand Hyatt Mumbai. These were both full-bodied, with strong flavours and the protein in the meat lightened the tannin in the wine.

Contrast pairings are more avante garde, an art you must have complete mastery over. Initially, I would wonder why certain dish was paired with a particular wine or whisky, but after a few sips, everything would fall into place. Cream cracker with feta cheese, drop of honey, walnuts and a sundried tomato balanced on it — that’s what I experienced recently at a whisky pairing dinner by Black Dog. It was a good contrast: The near creamy feta cheese felt a bit salty when rolled over with the whisky. The honey sweetness of the whisky was further enhanced with the natural honey. Suddenly there was a burst of the whisky led vanilla, butterscotch, hints of peaches, cut short by the dryness of the walnuts and the mild zest of the tomato. mini ribeiroBe creative the next time you’re pairing alcohol with food and the results could be amazing!

Mini is a food writer