Perfect pairings

I like to learn/explore what are considered "perfect" pairings. A few to consider:

- Pinot Noir and grilled salmon
- Zinfandel and barbeque (or pepperoni pizza)
- Riesling and Thai (spicy) food (also Gewurztraminer)
- Sauvignon Blanc (or chablis) and oysters/shellfish
- Bold Meritage and lamb (some prefer Syrah here)
- Pinot Gris and sauted halibut (whitefish)
- Malbec and grilled steak & onions
- Cabernet Sauvignon and bone-in rib-eye steak
- Merlot and grilled foods/meat

Others? Suggestions??

Interesting topic

What about -

Pinot Noir and Mushrooms
Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) and roasted red capsicum, tomato and basil salad
LBV Port and Stilton

[Robin Garr]

Others? Suggestions??

Lobster and White Burgundy
Lamb and Bordeaux
Dry-aged beef and old Burgundy
Grilled beef and Cote-Rotie
Grilled beef and Chianti Classico
Duck and Barolo or Barbaresco
Oysters on the half-shell and Muscadet de Sevre et Maine
Dark, bitter chocolate and Banyuls
and what Sue said about wild mushrooms and Pinot

I applaud the spirit of exploration, James, but there's no such thing as a failsafe and easily generalized "perfect pairing".

Too much scope.

Not every Pinot Noir (there's a wide range of places and styles) goes with every Salmon (this might surprise you, but there's a wide range of styles/flavors/types of salmon, and an even wider range of ways salmon is prepared).

Zinfandel and barbeque? By which I am guessing (hoping) you mean barbeque and not grilled stuff)? So Zinfandel will go equally well with pork, brisket, sausage, turkey and chicken? And the incredible assortment of Zinfandels available, from sticky sweet and pink to pruny, hot and overly alcoholic, will go equally well with vinegar sauce, mustard sauce, sweet tomato, spicy tomato, and pepper sauce? I wouldn't bet on that, James.

Pinot Gris and sauteed halibut? Again, seems safe...but there's a huge gap between the ocean of bland, featureless and essentially tasteless cheap Pinot Gris/Grigio and, say, Alsatian Pinot Gris.

Malbec? Which Malbec do you mean? Argentinean or Sud Ouest French? Very, very different wines as a rule.

Merlot and grilled meats? Well, some of that would depend on the meats being grilled, and some of it would depend on just which Merlot you picked from a very, very wide range of Merlots. And why a Merlot instead of a Cabernet Sauvignon, since most people can't differentiate between the two varieties in most instances?

And for that matter, what's the essential difference among Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Meritage? Aren't they all inhabiting the same general zone; and therefore wouldn't they be essentially interchangeable in your list? Which then makes your "perfect pairing" simply a "fairly good combination most of the time".

Sorry to be such a wet blanket, James. But if you're going to explore 'perfect pairings' you'll have to be more specific and less general. And don't just give us a litany----tell us why you think they work together so well. Again, I see where you're going with some of these (although, quite frankly, some of them leave me puzzled), but I learn nothing from a point to point list, unless you describe to me what it was bout the pairing that elevated it beyond just a food with a beverage.

I knew Hoke would be the one to say it.

[James Roscoe]

I knew Hoke would be the one to say it.

IT?

Anything and Champagne!

Hi James and welcome to our wine and food friendly corner of the world. I would disagree with Robin about the lobster pairing (I prefer Vouvray, a Loire Chenin Blanc). To go along with Hoke, generally pairing wine and food can be either an exercise in contrasts or complements, and it can be a matter of personal preference. While all food friendly wines should cleanse and invigorate the palate between bites, it can be done in different ways. A Cabernet Sauvignon, or Rhone can sandblast your taste buds with tannins, thus making that last bite of steak taste as good as the first one did. Acidity and fruit are what make the Chianti - spaghetti and Burgundy (Pinot Noir) - Coq Au Vin match ups so classic. A buttery-oaky Chardonnay complements many cream sauce based dishes, such as Chicken Scallopine, while un-oaked Chards (Chablis) do wonders with many seafood dishes. Then there's simple grilled fish with dry Riesling. Sometimes, a meal has so many varied foods that it's hard to match up everything, so I like either a dry sparkler or an off-dry Rose with Thanksgiving Dinner.

[James Roscoe]

Sometimes, a meal has so many varied foods that it's hard to match up everything, so I like either a dry sparkler or an off-dry Rose with Thanksgiving Dinner.

Didn't I say anything and champagne? I meant food too.

As Howie's sparkler is outstanding it would definitely qualify as a "food wine." Great stuff Howie!

Didn't I say anything and champagne? I meant food too.

Hey, I type slow. Your post wasn't there when I started typing.

Simply sauteed flounder filet with Vinho Verde.

On the deck in summer.

Cheers,
Carl

Ah, Vinho Verde. Can't think of a better match for it than lime (touch of seltzer too!)...

I think a "Perfect Pairing" is highly subjective to the person doing the pairing. Plus...a wine style generalization is too imprecise. BBQ with Zinfandel? Not all Zin is created equal...some of it is darn near undrinkable with or without food.

But...thats just my palate. Since I'm not a fan of big, fruity, high alcohol wines.

Richard

I think a "Perfect Pairing" is highly subjective to the person doing the pairing. Plus...a wine style generalization is too imprecise. BBQ with Zinfandel? Not all Zin is created equal...some of it is darn near undrinkable with or without food.

But...thats just my palate. Since I'm not a fan of big, fruity, high alcohol wines.

Richard

Yeah, and not all bbq is created equal either. I just had that experience last weekend. Horrible attempt by a relative who obviously never ate bbq before--or never cooked it. But then, while he was chewing he wasn't talking, and that was good.

Acidity and fruit are what make the Chianti - spaghetti

Howie! Better not let Thomas hear you.

Cheers,
Carl

Scrambled eggs w/ goat cheese & rosemary paired w/ a Cousino-Macul Dona Isadora 2005 Riesling.

Acidity and fruit are what make the Chianti - spaghetti

Howie! Better not let Thomas hear you.

Cheers,
Carl

Yeah, to those who think so...

Scrambled eggs w/ goat cheese & rosemary paired w/ a Cousino-Macul Dona Isadora 2005 Riesling.

Now, that's pinning it down, K!

And I've had that Riesling. It's pretty good, I agree.

Me and the Milton Twins.

Me and the Milton Twins.

Berle and who else???

He and I do have something in common...

[Robin Garr]

He and I do have something in common...

You and Miltie and Edgar and Clyde?

[Jenise]

He and I do have something in common...

Has this been verified? Put Linda on....

Every chance I get, yes.

[Jenise]

I like to learn/explore what are considered "perfect" pairings. A few to consider:

- Pinot Noir and grilled salmon
- Zinfandel and barbeque (or pepperoni pizza)
- Riesling and Thai (spicy) food (also Gewurztraminer)
- Sauvignon Blanc (or chablis) and oysters/shellfish
- Bold Meritage and lamb (some prefer Syrah here)
- Pinot Gris and sauted halibut (whitefish)
- Malbec and grilled steak & onions
- Cabernet Sauvignon and bone-in rib-eye steak
- Merlot and grilled foods/meat

Others? Suggestions??

James, welcome to the forum. You know what, I think if you took the word "perfect" out and substituted a word like 'classic' instead, guys like Hoke would have less to argue with. Perfection, to my mind, would be like the 95 Petit Villages Pomerol with the baked Miroton and baguette my husband and I enjoyed last week--it's very specific to the wine, it's age, and all the components in the dish.

But use the word 'classic', and we can deal in generalities. You've listed a number of the classic combos, though I'd say you're even being too specific by specifying a "bone in ribeye steak" for the cabernet, particularly of the New World variety. I would however refine the concept of 'steak' to say 'rare beef', which is where, for my palate anyway, the magic is. I would not want to exclude a great filet mignon or a thick slice of prime rib from consideration.

One other comment: that I think the success of a pairing often has less to do with the meat or main component than the general body of the dish with particular attention paid to acidity and sweetness/fruitiness. Which, in a different way, was what Hoke was saying.

But that said, some generalizations that aren't on your list but are pretty standard in my kitchen:

riesling and charcroute garni
artichokes and cheap, oaky chardonnay
chardonnay with cream sauces
gruner veltliner and Vietnamese food
gewurz and roses with Indian food
roast chicken with Southern Rhones
amarone and New World pinot with roast duck
Bordeaux with all braised and stewed meats
merlot and salmon (yes, pinot's great, but so is merlot)
unoaked chardonnay with chicken soup
sauvignon blanc with goat cheese
sauvignon blanc with lemonny foods
sauvignon blanc with asparagus
viognier with fruit (say, salad with raspberry vinaigrette and grilled peach half)
viognier with tomato bisque
chardonnay with crab, lobster or shrimp
champagne and salty food like popcorn or potato chips
chenin blanc with belgian endive
California chardonnay and corn on the cob

There are more, but you get the idea.