The New Wine Rules...There Are No Rules

The New Wine Rules...
There Are No Rules
By Candice J. Wanner

I was in a dilemma (a not unusual occurrence, by any means). I was having a dinner party for some friends who are wine drinkers and I, being a total wine ignoramus, had no idea what type or types of wine I should be serving with my dinner. I could’ve asked my future dinner guests for suggestions, but I didn’t want to tip them off to my ignoramushood, so what could I do?

Dither, that’s what. A lot. But, after I was done doing my dithering (nice bit of alliteration, huh) I happened to notice an ad in the Lower Paxton Township Newsletter about a wine class being offered by one Jim Dodd. I got on the phone to said Mr. Dodd, and lo and behold, found myself talking to the Wine Information Specialist for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. A well-spoken and intelligent man, Mr. Dodd said he was a self-taught wine connoisseur who had, at the age of 21, been tantalized by the wine mystique and ended up working for the PLCB for 23 years, first in the stores and then later in his current position. He answers wine questions for people who call, offers classes to those interested and handles the wine training for the state store employees in the central part of the state. Duly impressed, I proceeded to question Mr. Dodd about food and wine pairings. He was helpful beyond belief and showered me with scads of information, the best of which I shall now bestow upon you.

We began by my tentatively offering my one piece of wine information. I told Mr. Dodd that I had read somewhere that the old "white with chicken & fish and red with meats" adage is no longer applicable. Jim said that those rules became somewhat obsolete due to the change in cooking. During the Donna Reed period of our history, Americans lived on the old meat and potatoes diet and if someone had mentioned Pacific Rim cuisine to them, they’d think it was some sort of new appliance. Today, however, many new flavors, spices, and ways of preparing dishes have influenced our cooking. There are literally hundreds of thousands of ways to prepare chicken, so what you drink with it depends greatly on how it’s prepared. Jim stated that when choosing a wine to go with a certain dish, the purchaser should take into account not only WHAT the dish is (chicken, beef, pasta, etc), but the ingredients and how it’s being prepared. There are no hard and fast rules for what you should pair up, but there are some very definite pairings you should avoid. You don’t want a heavy cabernet sauvignon with lightly braised fish for the wine would completely overpower the taste of the fish, neither complementing or contrasting, simply destroying. Conversely, you wouldn’t serve a light, white wine with rare roast beef, you might as well drink water with the meal.

Jim went on to say that in his course for the state employees, he has them eat ten different types of foods then serves them different wines to show them which ones are good pairings. Goat cheese is served with a grassy Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley (which is where much of the true goat cheese comes from, by the way). A tomato based food is matched with a young Sangiovese, which is high in acid, just like the tomatoes. Spicy, BBQ wings are well-matched with a young red fruity wine such as a Shiraz, while something like a spicy shrimp is complemented by a german Gewurztraminer (which name means "spicy", after all). Glazed ham with its combination of sweetness and saltiness stands up well to a German Riesling because it also flirts with both flavors. And, last but not least, red meats like prime ribs and not-well-done steaks are matched for body and fortitude with Cabernet Sauvignons.

Having had an idea sparked by the goat cheese and Sauvignon Blanc combination, I asked Jim if it was a good idea to serve a regional wine with that region’s cooking, say a Mediterranean wine with Mediterranean cuisine, for example. Jim stated that choosing the wine from the same area of origin as the food is a good idea since that region has probably been experimenting for centuries as to wine combinations, and it takes a lot of the guesswork out of choosing a varietal. So, try a Pacific Rim wine with Pacific Rim cuisine; if nothing else, it’ll give you more experience of diverse wineries.

Before letting Jim go, I did ask him one tough wine question that had him squirming a bit. I said, "Okay, suppose you’re supposed to bring the wine to a dinner party and you aren’t sure what the cook is preparing, what do you bring?" After trying to avoid being pinned down, Jim finally said, "If it were me, I’d try to find out what is being served. If I couldn’t, I’d bring a wine that could be used as an aperitif instead of a cocktail such as a sparkling wine or a dry sherry. Or, I’d bring a dessert wine such as port or a Madeira. That way, I could tell the cook that they didn’t have to prepare dessert, I would be bringing a wine to cover it." Personally, I thought this a great idea. Heaven knows dinner parties are complicated enough, if someone’s going to handle something like the dessert, that’s one less thing you have to worry about.

After furiously scribbling down everything Jim had just told me (and making him SPELL all that stuff), I decided to march down to the local state store and look at the wine selection. Upon my entrance to the store, my attention was immediately caught by the Choicemaster display in the corner. The Choicemaster is a CD-ROM interactive display that answers questions about wine. You could choose a variety of subjects such as: Wine, Food Matches, Liquor, Cordials, Plan Party, etc. It was very informative. There were also many brochures, newsletters and wine magazines in an information corner all designed to inform and educate the masses on wine. I even found Jim’s newsletter entitled "Shoppe Talk". It’s quite amusing, very informative and even has an article comparing wine buying to shopping for underwear. Go figure.

So, with the help of Jim’s advice and the Choicemaster at the state store I was able to select a vintage that went superbly with my dinner. My guests raved, I was no longer a total wine ignoramus and the evening ended happily for all. As to what the "New Wine Rules" really are, well, as I think you can guess by now, there really AREN’T any true rules, but there are several things to remember: 1. When choosing a wine, consider not only the dish, but its ingredients and how it’s being prepared. 2. Do not choose something that will either overpower your dish or be overpowered by it. 3. Choosing a wine from the same region or area of the food is usually a good bet. 4. If you’re unsure, ask. No one is going to laugh if you don’t know what you’re talking about. Wine is a complex subject in which it takes many, many years to become knowledgeable. There are tons of resources out there if you have the interest. Use them.

And finally, do remember to choose what you like. Don’t try to drink something just because someone told you that you should if you want to be a wine drinker. Wine is a subjective experience and it’s only true value is in the pleasure it gives. Everyone’s tastes are different, that’s why there’s chocolate and vanilla, or in this case, Cabernet Sauvignon & Chenin Blanc. Most of the time, people really aren’t that wine knowledgeable anyway, and they’re just trying to cover up their own wine ignoramushood. So, sit back, relax and enjoy the subtle magic of the winemakers’ art without worrying whether what you’re drinking is a "fine wine" or not. After a while, who knows, maybe you, too, will feel the call of the grape and decide to become a master wine specialist so writers can call you up in the middle of the day for advice. You never know.

Fun Wine Facts

• Cabernet Sauvignon contains some chemicals that help break down the proteins in red meat and actually help you digest your meal.

• Most wines have serving suggestions on the back of the label as to what food pairings are suitable for that vintage.

• The thicker the skin of the grape, the more "body" a wine gains.

• 43-46% of the population drinks no alcohol and of those that do, 90% of the wine is consumed by only 5% of the remaining population.

• People confuse sweetness and fruitiness. Sweet is one of the four basic tastes (bitter, sour and salty are the other three), but “fruitiness” is entirely olfactory.

• Tannins protect red wine from oxidation and they seep from the grape skins, stems and seeds that go into the fermentation tank. Tannins bind with proteins on the tongue and create the astringent effect known as “dryness.”