Match point

Sunset, Nov, 1998 by Karen MacNeil

Several years ago I listened to a famous food and wine writer elaborately describe why a steak should never be paired with Zinfandel unless the meat was cooked rare and liberally seasoned with black pepper. Medium steak minus black pepper, he said, married best with Cabernet. Furthermore, Champagne and caviar were an awful match. And so his talk went - acidity contrasts with salt; salt fights with fat. Or maybe it was salt suits sweetness. By the end of his presentation, I was dizzy from so many "rules."

Then, all of a sudden, I thought to myself, "Wait a minute. Did Italian grandmothers 100 years ago stop to consider the acidity level of their spaghetti sauce before choosing a wine for dinner?" I doubted it. In fact, I'd never seen anyone in Europe be so neurotic about putting food and wine together as that American writer. And I wasn't quite ready to swallow such intricate pairing regulations.

But in the next instant, I was hit by another realization: flavor affinities do exist. If I were given, say, a leg of lamb and a choice of rosemary or basil to season it with, I'd choose rosemary. Why? Because over time, lamb and rosemary have proved themselves a classic combination. Similarly, wouldn't it make sense that certain wines would naturally taste good with certain foods?

The answer is, they do. A particular wine combined with the right dish can be magic - a taste bud epiphany.

Alas, these "wow" moments are not the norm. Most food and wine matches are neither awesome nor awful. Which is as it should be. After all, what makes a great dinner great is not solely the synergy between the food and the wine. It's the whole gestalt - the food, the wine, the people, the atmosphere.

You can understand my dilemma, then, when a few months ago I got a call from Sunset senior food editor Jerry Di Vecchio. Would I suggest wines for Sunset's Thanksgiving menus (page 114), she wanted to know. I took a deep breath (Jerry can be very convincing). "I'll try," I said hesitantly.

There are, it seems to me, a few broad principles involved in creating a tasty match. These drove my choices.

1. RELAX AND BE PLAYFUL. Food and wine pairing is not a science. Any one of countless variables (a different herb, more lemon juice, less sugar) can change the whole equation. Perfection (when it happens) is usually a happy accident.

2. PAIR GREAT WITH GREAT, HUMBLE WITH HUMBLE. A leftover-turkey sandwich doesn't need an expensive, complex Merlot to set it off. Foods and wines of the same "status" seem to partner best.

3. MATCH INTENSITIES - delicate with delicate, robust with robust. My notes to Jerry for the Turkey Loco (page 129), for example, said, "Lots of bold, piquant, spicy, and hot flavors going on. Needs a real zinger of a wine - a spicy Gewurz-traminer or a massive Petite Syrah."

4. MIRROR A GIVEN FLAVOR. The light smokiness of the Hot-smoked Hickory Turkey (A Traditional Feast, page 116) called out for a wine with a rich, smoky meatiness of its own, like a Syrah. A good wine merchant can suggest a wine with flavors that echo those in your meal.

5. CREATE A CONTRAST. Instead of mirroring a flavor, it can be fun to go in the opposite direction. The Ginger-Caramel Macadamia Tart (An Almost-No-Recipe Thanksgiving, page 121) needed something contrapuntal. Bonny Doon's lush raspberry wine, Framboise, would challenge the chocolate and nuts.

6. OPT FOR FLEXIBILITY. Ironically, though Chardonnay is the most popular white varietal, it's the least versatile with food. The toasty oak and high alcohol of most Chardonnays make them very hard to pair. In countless matches they end up tasting like big, clumsy oafs. Instead, go with Sauvignon Blanc or a dry Riesling; both have a cleansing acidity. In reds, opt for wines with loads of fruit, such as Zinfandel and Rhone blends, or with light acidity, such as Pinot Noir.

To me, this is as close to science as food and wine pairing should get. The Europeans were right all along: the most important thing a wine needs to match is not the food - it's the mood.

OLD CLASSICS

For centuries in Europe, people have paired local wines with local foods. And though that isn't necessarily a prescription for success, some of these combinations have proved to be among the world's great matches. Here are several - plus a few long-standing cross-country marriages.

* Oysters and Chablis

* Lamb and Cabernet Sauvignon

* Shellfish and fino sherry

* Smoked fish and Riesling

* Stilton cheese and port

* Foie gras and sauterne

* Choucroute and Gewurztraminer

NEW DISCOVERIES

America, with its vast array of ethnic influences and wines from all over the world, is now the leading laboratory for food and wine experimentation. Some potential classics:

* Grilled salmon and Pinot Noir

* Salad and Sauvignon Blanc

* Hearty pastas and Zinfandel

* Risotto and Chardonnay

* Steak and Petite Syrah

* Asian dumplings and fruity Riesling