Matchmaker, matchmaker

Tasting and judging is everyday work to Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas. Photos supplied.
Tasting and judging is everyday work to Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas. Photos supplied.
Bacon twists, chicken kebabs and white wine.
Bacon twists, chicken kebabs and white wine.
Barbecued prawns and white wine.
Barbecued prawns and white wine.
Champagne and chips.
Champagne and chips.
Seared scallops and Champagne.
Seared scallops and Champagne.
Tasting and judging is everyday work to Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas. Photos supplied
Tasting and judging is everyday work to Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas. Photos supplied

New Zealand's first and only Master Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers will attend the inaugural Down to Earth celebration of wine in Central Otago. Rebecca Fox asks Cameron Douglas for his advice on wine and food pairing. 

Get Cameron Douglas talking about wine and food and he can go on forever.

Being a veritable gold mine of information about the dos and don'ts of wine and food pairing comes with his title of Master Sommelier.

A sommelier is a trained wine professional, who specialises in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food pairing.

Mr Douglas achieved master status in 2007 after sitting and passing exams in the Court of Master Sommeliers, making him one of the top in his profession.

He also teaches, writes and reviews wines, judges wine competitions and helps put together wine lists for restaurants.

There were all sorts of different drinkers, including some that just wanted an alcoholic beverage to go with their food, he said.

''But for people who are looking to go on adventure then they should take heed of well-practised combinations.''

The basic principles of wine and food pairing always apply: look at the plate and assess the weight, acidity and intensity of the food before matching it with the wine, he said.

''You can't have a heavy piece of steak and expect a white wine to go with it. If you have light, crisp, fresh crunchy food that is your guide to wine; a light, fresh crisp crunchy wine.''

The aim was to minimise the competition on the palate between the food and wine.

''If it's a winemakers dinner the wine has to win the competition on the palate so the food has to be simplified. Chefs sometime struggle with that.''

However, if there was any acid in the food whatsoever such as lemon juice, vinegar or raw vegetables like garlic or onion then the wine had to have an equal or slightly higher amount of acid because acid in food changes people's perception of acidity in wine.

The other principle to keep in mind was the more complex the food the less complex the wine should be, he said.

These days there were often multiple layers of foods and textures in meals such as fusion, foams and creams which added complexity to food.

''The wine won't necessarily compete with that so better to have simple wine. The reverse applies; if you have very simple food with very straightforward flavours the complexity in the wine can go as high as you want.''

The final component was intensity. So however intense food was, whether it was spicy or had raw energy of flavour, the wine must be equally intense, he said.

''Take something as simple as high percentage high cocoa chocolate that is pretty intense. It has a bitterness, plenty of texture and fills the palate with flavour then a wine must be as intense as that.''

Soy sauce was full of salt, full of flavour, full of umami (savoury taste) which was incredibly powerful in anything.

It was important to remember salt reduced acidity in wine so with fish and chips a high acid wine was needed otherwise the salt would kill the acid in the wine.

A common mistake many people made when matching food and wine was thinking any red or white wine would go with chicken.

That assumption was not helped by winemakers who put on their label ''goes with beef or chicken''.

''The mistake is people match wine to the protein when they should be matching wine to the seasoning or sauce first.''

People should be matching the strongest flavour on the dish to the wine.

For example, with a chicken breast with mushroom sauce, it would be the sauce that was the stronger flavour.

''Chicken takes on whatever seasoning you add to it, otherwise it is quite bland.''

Another assumption people made was that red wine was the best match for red meat and while it was, the type of red made a difference.

People needed to consider how rare they were serving the meat.

If there was still blood in the meat it was best suited to a tannin-filled wine such as a shiraz or cabernet savignon.

''People who serve pinot noir with a bloody rare piece of beef are making a mistake because the finesse, the refinement in wine like pinot noir when done well is lost so they may as well have a glass of water as they are not going to get what they are looking for.''

Diners should also look at the alcohol level when choosing their wine.

There were multiple drivers involved in a wine's weight, including its alcohol and sugar levels.

''The more rich the food the alcohol contrasts that.''

Wine and food pairing was about creating contrasts on the palate that ''almost morph into a synergy so that wine and food find a happy harmony; two interesting components together'', he said.

Foods such as pork had a naturally sweet taste so could tolerate a wine with little more sugar in it.

''It is a wonderful food for red or white wine as you are either working with the fattiness in the pork or the sweetness in pork. It can be good fun.''

While he did not see the point in the lower alcohol wines being marketed to those seeking lower calories, he did appreciate wine styles which were naturally lower in alcohol although correspondingly high in sugar for some food pairings.

''Such as pairing riesling or sauvignon with seafoods such as scallops or prawns or very flaky white fish because they have natural sweetness about them. The same with pumpkin or carrot as they're naturally sweet.

''A lot of Thai food has sugar in it so that makes sense.''

There were lots of ''tricks of the trade'' which could be applied, such as tomatoes and pine nuts being bridging ingredients to wine.

Those in the hospitality sector needed to realise people went out to dine because they wanted to be entertained by the food, wine and service, he said.

''They want something different and more exciting as it can be a bit boring at home sometimes.''

He lectured to third-year chefs about the relationship between food and beverages, emphasising the links between them.

''They have to appreciate the atmosphere and beverages served have impact on food. It all ties in together.''

To jazz things up at home, people either needed to play around with the food they were serving or keep the food really simple and spend a few more dollars on a bottle of wine, he said.

''It is also really important for people to find a critic or wine review they like.''

Also when people shopped for wine they should not always go for the ''gold star'' on a bottle as often they could get just as good value in a bronze or silver wine.

''When I put wine list together I tend to go for bronze and silver medal wines as ... those wines have lot merit.''

 


Cameron Douglas' favourite wine and food pairings

• There are many, this is one, anything with truffles and Champagne

• A more Kiwi down-to-earth choice: hot smoked salmon risotto with asparagus and lots of fresh parmesan with a chardonnay.

''I can eat that all day long.''


To see

Food and Wine Matching Workshop, Mt Difficulty Wines, Bannockburn, October 31 as part of the Down To Earth celebration, October 24 to November 4.


 

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