StateWays is the only magazine exclusively covering the control state system within the beverage alcohol industry, with annual updates from liquor control commissions and alcohol control boards and yearly fiscal reporting from control jurisdictions
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more intense the wine can be, so you should be looking to cut the fat and intensity with mouth-watering fruit, acid and tannin. DRY VERSUS SWEET I Wente Cabernet Sauvignon paired with pastrami appetizers. ent in a dish. So, while chicken is the most popular American protein source, it can be a bland one, so prepa- ration matters the most. Poached or sautéed chicken breast is likely to welcome light-bodied whites, but when richly sauced will do well with New World and French chardonnays, and Austrian gruner veltliners. Roast chick- en, a stew with onions, mushrooms and carrots, will wel- come a heavier-bodied white like oakey Australian or California chardonnay, as well as Chianti Classico, Burgundies and other old world Pinots. Ramp up the intensity of seasoning, and with chicken, you can general- ly do the same with the reds, getting to the full-bodied reds like shiraz, cabernet and wines from the Rhone. Pork and game are probably the most versatile of the proteins, managing easy with light unoaked and fruity whites in the form of barbecued ribs and grilled sausages, good with richer whites in the form of pates, with light and medium reds in salamis, bacon and other cured varieties, and many sausage styles with medium to full-bodied reds. Roast pork and game dishes, or creamed or highly-seasoned recipes, follow the same rules as poultry – the most intense seasoning or trans- formative cooking style will dictate which aisle to shop. Most beef dishes, except for those highly spiced, especially Asian, normally call for the fuller bodied reds, though lightly seasoned low-fat cuts are fine with medi- um-bodied reds. The more caramelized the cooking style (high-heat grilling, long and slow cooking), the Rules to Remember If there is a rule about wine with food today, it's "Make sure you like the wine you're drinking." But there are certain sensory rules that anyone in the wine business needs to keep in mind – here are four: 1. The higher the alcohol in a wine, the more it will intensify the fiery sensation of spicy foods. Wines with some residual sugar and lower alcohol work best, which is why Riesling has often been the go-to wine in Thai and other Asian cuisines using plenty of chiles, fish sauces and other intense ingredients. 2. Fat loves astringency and tannin, and vice versa. Strong salty and fatty StateWays s www.stateways.com s January/February 2012 n the European-American dining tradition, sweet wines don't usually get much respect until the end of a meal, but some can provide a welcome surprise when offered with a before-meal cheese snack, with the idea that salty and sugary foods match well. But there's a reason why the lightly sweet wines like German spatlese and auslese, Rhine wines and others are frequently offered as matches with spicy foods, especial- ly Szechuan, Indian, Thai and other Asian countries and regions. With high levels of soy sauce and fish sauce, red and green chilis, or other intense and wine-challenging ingredients (cilantro, lemon grass, ginger, cumin, tamarind), these dishes can make many wines seem hot with alcohol, tart with acid or chewy with tannins. There are exceptions, of course; sparkling wines and light and lightly-chilled reds like Beaujolais, or other fruity, low alcohol reds can work great. But the best bets are low alcohol and fruity whites. Americans increasingly favor vegetarian dishes, but that doesn't change the easy new rules: judge what to pair based on the intensity of flavors in the dish. Like with other dishes, be aware of the level of sweetness and other potentially dominant ingredients like vinegars, chilis and pungency. There are always the vegetable wild cards, among them artichokes, asparagus and ramps, which mostly shine with the more delicate of white wines, though there are exceptions. Which is always the case in this New World of food and wine pairing, a situation that should be welcomed as wines from Greece, Eastern Europe and other regions become more widely available here. They call America the melting pot for a reason, and for retailers just like with consumers, the discovery of new wine and food matches that work should be a cause of celebration. SW cheeses work best with medium to full bodied reds – zinfandel, New World Cabernets, Riojas - while more fresh and sour cheeses, like unaged goat or sheep, want something tangy, like sauvignon blanc from New Zealand. 3. Like sometimes softens like. When a highly acidic dish – a lemony ceviche or summery gazpacho, for instance – is served with a similarly acidic wine, both will taste less tangy when in combination. Salty foods, too, will soften a high acid wine. 4. Most wines will taste sour and tannic when served with a sweet dessert, which is why ports, sauternes and Pedro Ximenez sherries are reliable suggestions for the end of the meal, or with extremely fatty and salty cheese, like Roquefort or other intense blue cheeses. 31