The Dynamics of Food and Wine
Every food dish is dynamic — it’s made up of several ingredients and flavors that interact to create a delicious whole. Every wine is dynamic in exactly the same way. When food and wine combine in your mouth, the dynamics of each change, and the result is completely individual to each dish-and-wine combination.
When wine meets food, several things can happen:
The food can exaggerate a characteristic of the wine. For example, if you eat walnuts (which are tannic) with a tannic red wine, such as a Bordeaux, the wine tastes so dry and astringent that most people would consider it undrinkable.
The food can diminish a characteristic of the wine. Protein diminishes the impression of tannin, for example, and an overly-tannic red wine — unpleasant on its own — could be delightful with rare steak or roast beef.
The flavor intensity of the food can obliterate the wine’s flavor or vice versa. If you’ve ever drunk a rich red wine with a delicate filet of sole, you’ve had this experience firsthand.
The wine can contribute new flavors to the dish. For example, a red Zinfandel that’s gushing with berry fruit can bring its berry flavors to the dish, as if another ingredient had been added.
The combination of wine and food can create a third-party flavor that wasn’t in either the wine or the food originally; for example, you may get a metallic flavor when you eat plain white-meat turkey with red Bordeaux.
The food and wine can interact perfectly, creating a sensational taste experience that is greater than the food or the wine alone. This scenario is ideal, but happens rarely.
Fortunately, what happens between food and wine is not haphazard. Certain elements of food react in predictable ways with certain elements of wine, giving wine drinkers a fighting chance at making successful matches.
The following sections describe some ways that food and wine interact, based on the components of the wine. Remember, each wine and each dish has more than one component, and the simple relationships between them can be complicated by other elements in the wine or the food. Whether a wine is considered tannic, sweet, acidic, or high in alcohol depends on its dominant component.
Tannic wines
Tannic wines include most wines based on the Cabernet Sauvignon grape (including red Bordeaux), northern Rhône reds, Barolo and Barbaresco, and any wine — white or red — that has become tannic from aging in new oak barrels. These wines can:
Diminish the perception of sweetness in a food
Taste softer and less tannic when served with protein-rich, fatty foods, such as steak or cheese
Taste less bitter when paired with salty foods
Taste astringent, or mouth-drying, when drunk with spicy-hot foods
Sweet wines
Some wines that often have some sweetness include most inexpensive California white wines, White Zinfandel, many Rieslings (unless they’re labeled “dry” or “trocken”), and medium-dry Vouvray. Sweet wines also include dessert wines such as Port, sweetened Sherries, and late-harvest wines. These wines can:
Taste less sweet, but fruitier, when matched with salty foods
Make salty foods more appealing
Go well with sweet foods
Acidic wines
Acidic wines include most Italian white wines; Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, and Chablis; traditionally-made red wines from Rioja; most dry Rieslings; and wines based on Sauvignon Blanc that are fully dry. These wines can:
Taste less acidic when served with salty or slightly sweet foods
Make foods taste slightly saltier
Counterbalance oily or fatty heaviness in food
High-alcohol wines
High alcohol wines include many California wines, both white and red; southern Rhône whites and reds; Barolo and Barbaresco; fortified wines such as Port and Sherry; and most wines produced from grapes grown in warm climates. These wines can:
Wine Glossary
American Viticultural Area; AVA
In the United States, a term that defines the geographical boundaries of a specific wine zone or region. For example, Napa Valley is the name of the AVA within Napa County.
Wine Glossary
AOC
An acronym for Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (the shortened form is Appellation Contrôlée, or AC). AOC is a classification relating to the quality of a wine produced in the European Union (EU).
Wine Glossary
AOQS
An acronym for Appellation d’Origine de Qualité Supérieure. AOQS is a classification relating to the quality of a wine produced in the European Union (EU); in this case, refers to a wine of superior quality.
Wine Glossary
appellation
In the European Union, a registered place name listed on a wine label that indicates the origin of the wine. Sometimes called appellation of origin.
Wine Glossary
aroma
A wine descriptor that refers to how a wine smells.
Wine Glossary
balance
A standard that wine experts use to judge wine quality; the relationship of four components (acidity, sweetness, tannin, and alcohol) to each other.
Wine Glossary
body
A wine descriptor that explains how heavy a wine feels in your mouth (often related to the alcohol content). Wines are often described as light-bodied, medium-bodied, or full-bodied.
Wine Glossary
bouquet
A wine descriptor that refers to how a (typically well-aged) wine smells.
Wine Glossary
complexity
A standard that wine experts use to judge wine quality; refers to a characteristic of a wine that has multiple flavors and aromas (usually a better quality wine).
Wine Glossary
crisp
A wine descriptor that refers to a wine with refreshing (typically high) acidity.
Wine Glossary
decanter
A glass container that can hold the contents of an entire bottle of wine; often used to aerate the wine (let it breathe before consuming).
Wine Glossary
depth
A standard that wine experts use to judge wine quality; indicates a wine that gives the impression of having many layers (rather than being "flat" tasting).
Wine Glossary
DO
An acronym for Denominação de Origen. DO is Portugal’s highest quality ranking for their wines.
Wine Glossary
DOC
An acronym for Denominazione di Origine Controllata. DOC is a classification referring to a quality wine produced in Italy.
Wine Glossary
DOCG
An acronym for Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita. DOCG is a classification relating to a small group of elite (high-quality) wines produced in Italy.
Wine Glossary
dry
A wine descriptor that refers to a wine that is not sweet. Wines can be classified as dry, off-dry (or semi-sweet), or sweet.
Wine Glossary
fermentation
The process (during winemaking) in which yeasts convert the sugars in a grape juice to alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Wine Glossary
finish
A wine descriptor that refers to the impression a wine leaves in your mouth after you taste and swallow it (the aftertaste). A standard used to judge wine quality.
Wine Glossary
flavor intensity
A wine descriptor that refers to how strong or weak a wine's flavors are.
Wine Glossary
fruity
A wine descriptor that refers to a wine that has aromas and flavors that suggest fruit.
Wine Glossary
IGT
An acronym for Indicazione di Geografica Tipica. IGT is a table wine classification for Italian wines that list a geographic location on the wine label.
Wine Glossary
length
A standard that wine experts use to judge wine quality; indicates a wine that you can taste on the full length of your tongue, rather than just the front of your tongue.
Wine Glossary
oaky
A wine descriptor that refers to a wine that has flavors of oak, usually due to storage in oak barrels.
Wine Glossary
palate
A term that wine tasters use synonymously for mouth.
Wine Glossary
QbA
An acronym for Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiet. QbA is a classification referring to a quality wine from a special region in Germany.
Wine Glossary
QmP
An acronym for Qualitätswein mit Prädikat. QmP is a classification referring to a quality wine with special attributes produced in Germany.
Wine Glossary
QWPSR
An acronym for Quality Wine Produced in a Specific Region. QWPSR is a classification referring to quality European wines that have official place names.
Wine Glossary
sediment
Refers to solids (tannin and other matter) that develop in some red wines over time.
Wine Glossary
soft
A wine descriptor that refers to a wine with a smooth feel in the palate; usually refers to wines with low acidity.
Wine Glossary
sommelier
An expert wine specialist who typically assembles a wine list and recommends wines that pair with specific foods.
Wine Glossary
tannic
A wine descriptor that refers to a firm, red wine that leaves a dry feel in the palate.
Wine Glossary
tannin
A substance in grape skins that contributes to how a red wine tastes.
Wine Glossary
terroir
A French word (pronounced ter wahr) that refers to the unique combination of topsoil, climate, altitude, and other natural factors that a particular vineyard or wine region has.
Wine Glossary
typicity
A standard that wine experts use to judge wine quality; refers to whether a particular wine is true to its type (for the specific grape variety).
Wine Glossary
varietal
A wine that is named after the principal (or sole) grape variety used to produce the wine.
Wine Glossary
vintage
The year in which the grapes for a specific wine were grown and harvested.
Wine Glossary
VR
An acronym for Vinho Regional. VR indicates a table wine classification for Portuguese wines.
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