One of the best pairings I’ve ever had was a young Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and popcorn. I didn’t think about, I was home on a Friday night and I wanted popcorn and I wanted wine. The saltiness of the popcorn made the wine feel more fruity, and softened those very strong tannins. I was having the time of my life, I call this soul pairing. Sometimes, I just go off of the wine I want and the food I want, and hope for the best. To me, that’s the best possible way to enjoy wine.
Let me be clear: I could not care less about pairing rules. If you don’t know by now, I don’t care for rules in general. But, some of what I’ve learned has been incredibly helpful and made for some unforgettable dining experiences. And, here’s the thing, once you understand a few core pairing principles, it’s very easy. You’ll be ordering like a sommelier in no time or you’ll just be having fun, up to you.
Regional Spotlight: Paso Robles, CA
Before we get into pairing, let’s discuss a California region you must know and possibly visit. After a trip to Italy and copious amounts of wine, one would think it could be a good time for a break. But, I am committed to the plot and I can never pass up a wine trip: I’m currently in Paso Robles. My dear friend from college and I were long overdue for a trip, and timing wise this made the most sense. Also, it had been bothering me for some time that I hadn’t been. So, what makes Paso so special?
First, the location - it’s central coast. It’s basically the mid-point between SF and LA, about a 3 hr drive from Los Angeles. It’s entirely inland, the entire drive is rolling hills and valleys. Also, the Paso Robles AVA is huge: about 612,000 acres in total, with more than 40,000 acres planted to wine grapes and more than 200 wineries. But, if you think you are getting one expression or one varietal from this region, you would be wrong - it has an incredible amount of micro-climates (especially when looking at west vs. east Paso) due to elevation, soil, and its climate.
Speaking of climate, it feels more like the Mediterranean than California. The days are very hot, but the second the sun goes down it’s a completely different story. I learned this the hard way on our first night. Los Angeles is similar, but this was shocking, it was bone chilling cold out of nowhere, I will be bringing a fur next time I visit. But dramatics aside, this is important because it allows the grapes to fully ripen, giving them a much needed break from the extreme heat (during the summer) every single night.
And finally, the soil, there are 30+ types here, we visited two vineyards and three tasting rooms during our short trip and while the wine had some similar characteristics, the overall taste and expression was varied in every way. That’s due to vineyard soils derived from granite, volcanic rock, marine sedimentary rock, sandstone, mudstone, and calcareous shale. We had the chance to see some of this bedrock at Booker’s estate in their stunning subterranen cellar room cave. We even went to a natural hot springs (it was very interesting…) where you could bathe in the natural minerals of the land.
Just like Napa, Paso is known for big, bold, rich, jammy Cabernets and of course Zinfandels. But, since the 1980s, this area has started to distinguish itself due to Rhône varieties entering the region. Everywhere we went, including lunches/dinners, there were offerings of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Viognier. I was trying varietals I had never tasted before, like Graciano at Austin Hope.
Overall, Paso is a quintessential wine destination, and so worth the visit. You can pop into tasting rooms while walking downtown, or you can hop into an uber and visit some of the vineyards in the surrounding area. My only regret was not staying longer - two days is NOT enough.
Here are some of my favorite pours from the trip:
Booker’s Pink and Red Blends (Vertigo & Ripper)
Indigene’s Cabernet (sold out at the moment, but it will be back!)
Wine in Culture: Pairing Made Easy
There is nothing better than pairing the perfect wine with the perfect food. They almost talk to each other and build a harmonious symphony in your mouth. It is the mountaintop of dining well. And to me, life is too short to not dine well. So, I can give you some great pairings like everyone else on the internet, but I believe in the philosophy of teaching a man (or woman) to fish instead of just feeding them fish. So, here’s the full breakdown, save this for the next time you are out to dinner:
Fatty foods: look for high acid and/or high tannic wine
Acidic foods: look for high acid wines
Spicy foods: look for off-dry or sweeter wines
Sweet foods: look for sweet wines
Salty foods: do what you want
Umami forward foods: look for low tannin wines
That’s it! That’s everything you need to know in a nutshell. But, for the sake of understanding, let’s take it a step further and break it down even more.
Fatty/Rich Foods
This one is always the most fun for me. Fatty foods are fun! They also represent the high/low experience of wine at times, which is a personal favorite of mine. With higher acid wines, you will cut through that fat and the wine’s high acid will soften allowing you to taste more of the flavor. And the tannin will counter the richness and texture of fatty foods. It’s a match made in heaven. Here are some common matches to give it a try:
Champagne & Fried Chicken
Albariño & Fried Fish
Cabernet Sauvignon & Steak
Chianti Classico & Ragu
Acidic Foods
If your food makes you pucker, get a wine to calm that sucker. That was my little trick to remember this when prepping for my level 2 exam. You combat acid with acid when it comes to pairing, otherwise the acidic food will overpower the wine. Also, they also have a tendency to cancel each other out and calm the acid of the wine. Here are some great pairings to showcase this:
Albariño & Ceviche
Tomato Pasta & Sangiovese
Vinaigrette Salad & Sauvignon Blanc
Anything with a lot of Lemon & Chablis
Spicy/Flavorful Foods
I know some people like to combat spice with acid, and I think that can work, but a chilled, off-dry wine is always best in my opinion. I think the biggest thing to avoid when eating spicy foods is high alcohol wines, spicy foods will increase the appearance of alcohol in wines, so best to keep it low and slow. Try these, and don’t forget to chill them first:
Indian Curry: Gewürtztraminer
Spicy BBQ: Gamay
Buffalo Wings: Off-Dry Riesling
Spicy Tacos: White Zinfandel
Sweet Foods
This one is probably the easiest, we all know dessert wine. Here’s the reason: when eating sweet foods, the sugar will make your sweet wine appear less sweet. Just like with acidic foods, they cancel each other out. But, it’s not just for dessert, if you are having BBQ sauce (ahem, Sweet Baby Ray’s), you will have the same effect. I recently tried this with sweet and savory noodles at an asian restaurant and it worked like a charm. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Fruit Tart or Pie: Moscato d’Asti
Charcuterie with Honey or Jam: Sauternes
Chocolate Cake: Ruby Port
Sweet BBQ: Late-Harvest Riesling
Salty Foods
This is probably the place where I do the most experimentation, and I encourage you to do the same. Olives, potato chips, fries, salty cheese…all of these things go great with wine. Salt does a great job of softening the feeling of tannin and acid in wine and it helps to bring out more of the fruit flavors. Therefore, you can look for higher acid wines (including bubbles) if you want to get particular, but I really encourage you to just try a few things. Here are a few favorites of mine:
Parmesan: Sangiovese
Potato Chips: Champagne (or Prosecco!)
Cured Meats: Lambrusco
Manchego: Garnacha
Umami Foods
When thinking about umami, think mushrooms, miso, broth, seaweed, soy sauce. When eating these foods, you want wines with fruity character, lower tannin, and bright acid. This is also one of those rare opportunities where a young wine could actually be preferable. Umami makes the tannin in wines feel more bitter in your mouth, so it’s important to steer clear. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Mushroom Risotto & Pinot Noir
Ramen & Gamay
Truffle anything & Nebbiolo
Miso & Dry Riesling
Another fun way to pair that has never steered me wrong: pair the food with a wine from the same region. In the case of Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, these places made wine to compliment their food. They did the hard work for you! But, also, just have fun with it. Rules are meant to be broken and taste is subjective. Let me know some of your favorite pairings and I’ll give them a shot!
What’s in My Glass: Indigené’s Blanc de Blanc
Whenever I go to a new wine region, the first thing I look up is whether there are any Black producers. In Paso Robles, we got very lucky. Indigene was our first stop on the trip, the tasting was supposed to last an hour, tops - we ended up staying for almost three. Our tasting was led by Raymond Smith, the vintner, winemaker, and founder of Indigené Cellars. As soon as we walked up, we were cracking jokes and having a good time. With his standard cellar tasting, we tried his syrah, chardonnay (very different than any CA chard I’ve ever had), red blends, and petite sirah. But, because we were having such a great time, Ray ended up opening several more bottles and we were formally introduced to his blanc de blanc.
I do not crave sparkling wine, nor is it ever on the top of my list - but this one may have changed that for me. Ray’s version is light and airy, with soft bubbles, just the right amount of creaminess, balanced acid, and a juicy citrus flavor. Here’s how Ray and team describe it:
Pale yellow hue with a diamond reflection. Bright aromas of lime and hazelnut over a platform of homemade biscuits. A brilliant array of ripe, yellow fruits, chalky citrus & brittle mousse texture. Designed to express elegance and complexity.
You know me, I never recommend an expensive bottle, well this one is $85…I’m making an exception due to the fact that this is a very labor intensive wine and takes almost 5 years to make, with the only vintage being 2021. It’s a fun experience for those that love Champagne, but want to try something more local with the same level of complexity.