Perfect Pairings by Goldstein Evan

Author:Goldstein, Evan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of California Press

PAIRING POINTERS

Cabernet Sauvignon works well:

• With red meats. There's a good reason this pairing is a classic. For a twist on the obvious, select an older wine to accompany rarer cuts and, conversely, a wine that's youthful and juicy to go with longer-cooked meat or stews.

• With grilled foods. Grilling adds a bitter component to the food and creates a great stage for Cabernet's tannins.

• With bitter foods. From mustard greens to radicchio, from braised escarole to endive or roasted eggplant, bitter items pair well with Cabernet's tannins.

• With foods or treatments that pick up on the wine's oak character. Grilling, smoking, and plank roasting mirror oak's characteristics and its impact on wine. The incorporation of toasted or roasted nuts or a charred soy-honey glaze on meat will echo similar tastes in the wine.

• At countering fat. Creamy, buttery, or otherwise fat-laden dishes that coat the mouth with a light film of texture will be lovely with a chewy Cabernet.

• With black pepper. On steak, as a crust for tuna, or simply added generously but judiciously to a dish, pepper will tame Cabernet's tannic bite. This combination works best with younger wines.

• With earthy and herbal elements. In particular, wines that stress similar flavors (those from Bordeaux, Washington State, and New Zealand) are complemented by fresh herbs and dark mushrooms.

Cabernet doesn't work well:

• With delicate and subtle dishes. Its personality is just too bold. Think of placing a blowhard in the same room as a wallflower: it's a recipe for failure.

• With strong cheeses. Counterintuitively, the stronger the cheese, the less successful the match. Opt for milder cheeses that won't fight with the wine for attention.

• With most fish. Meatier and less oily fish are generally the best matches (ahi tuna, swordfish, shark).

• With spicy-hot foods. The capsaicins create a storm by ratcheting up the perception of the wine's alcohol while accentuating the bitter and astringent nature of the tannins.

• With dishes that have no fat or protein (such as plain risotto or crudités). These may well accentuate the wine's bitterness.

• With most chocolate. Really. Never mind what you've heard. While bitter and semisweet chocolate can work well with a ripe American or Australian Cabernet (in a not-too-sweet mole sauce for example), most chocolate is simply too sweet for any dry red wine, and it never pairs well with the austere wines of Bordeaux.

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