TYING THE VINE

Wine

New prenuptial contracts for marrying food and wine

JOEL L. FLEISHMAN

For as long as anyone can remember, the received wisdom has been that white wine goes with fish or fowl and red wine with meat or game. We have been taught, too, that wine simply doesn't go at all with some foods, such as salad and chocolate. But fish, for instance, sometimes tastes better with red wine than with white —depending on the type of fish and the way it is prepared. And it is not always even a question of better or worse. Red wine may simply make the fish taste different than if it is accompanied by white wine. In fact, different whites will make the same fish taste different. The choice of what to serve depends on the texture and flavor of both food and wine. Young reds with assertive fruit flavors (if and only if balanced with tannins) will almost always work well with heavier, chewier, more strongly flavored fish such as tuna, mahi-mahi, swordfish, red mullet, and grouper. Older reds, with weaker fruit flavors but tannins remaining, are good with broiled salmon, red snapper, or even tuna. Delicate, flaky flounder seems to demand a white Bordeaux, Sauvignon Blanc, or classically restrained Chardonnay.

It is true that some foods demand certain kinds of wines, but color is not the overriding consideration. If butter or oil is evident after cooking, as it will always be if fish is sauteed, fried, or served with a butter-based sauce, acid in the wine—red or white—is absolutely essential. A tart, crisp white is required, or a fresh young red with both acids and vigorous tannins, such as Chianti or Zinfandel. Wines with powerful, forward fruit essences, such as Beaujolais, the lighter red Rhônes, fruity Chardonnays, and fruity or grassy Sauvignon Blancs, or wines with any amount of sugar, such as Rieslings and Gewürztraminers, will overwhelm mild-tasting, unsauced, delicate-textured fish. But vigorous reds and

nonsweet whites can greatly enhance the enjoyment of bold-flavored fish, sauced or unsauced, and all will go well with sweet-tasting vegetables such as sweet com, carrots, acorn squash, sweet potatoes, and sweet peas. While young Chardonnays, which are usually loaded with fruit flavors, will blend beautifully with sweet vegetables and sweet preparations of fish, fowl, or meat, aged versions of these same wines will not. But an older Chardonnay is a sensational match for even a delicateflavored flounder.

In matching reds with beef, veal, lamb, or chicken, attention should be paid to comparative textures perhaps even more than flavors. The most important factor in a happy match is whether the fleshiness of the wine is up to the weightiness and chewiness of the meat. With beef, therefore, young and middleaged Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignons, Zinfandels, and older Châteauneuf-duPapes can enhance. Older Bordeaux and Cabernet Sauvignons seem perfectly weighted partners for lamb. Pinot Noirs, young or old, are always lighter-bodied and therefore seem better suited to tender veal and all kinds of fowl.

With salads, acid is the key to matching a wine. Any white or red wine served with salad needs to have acid commensurate with the oil in the dressing. Beyond that, the dominant flavors and textures of the salad ingredients will determine which wine to choose. Because of the high acidity in the earlypicked white and red grapes that go into champagne and other sparkling wines, they usually go well with all but the most exotic salads. Young, fruity, acidic reds meant for early drinking do well; tannic reds intended for laying down, even if they have sufficient acids, do not because the vinegar flavors clash vigorously with the astringency of the tannins.

What about chocolate? It does go well

with red wines, but only with the younger ones, and it is best if the chocolate is bittersweet. The sweeter the chocolate, the less easy the match. The most felicitous pairings involve complex wines with ample contrasting flavors of tannins and fruit—the tobacco and black cherry in Pinot Noirs; cassis, brier, and mint in Cabernet Sauvignons; cherry and brier in Zinfandels. Simple, uncomplicated young reds are no match at all.

In the end, of course, if you prefer either red or white wine you should feel free to choose it with any kind of food, as long as you keep in mind the flavors and textures that you are going to mix. Some of my favorite partnerships are these: champagne with caviar, smoked trout, or salmon; dry sherry and dry Gewiirztraminer with most nonsweet soups, especially those with rich meat stocks; Riesling with sweet soups and sweet vegetables; Gewiirztraminer with tangy, spicy, curry, or pumpkin soups; Sauvignon Blanc with hot or cold asparagus, sauced or unsauced; older Chardonnay or white Burgundy with smoked salmon, broiled red snapper, flounder, salmon, or roast chicken; Sauternes or Barsac with sauteed foie gras, or a pungent cheese such as Stilton or Gorgonzola; Late Harvest Riesling with apple or pear tarts; older Pinot Noir, red Burgundy, or Merlot with grilled salmon and roast chicken or duck; young Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, or older Barolo with sirloin steak, roast beef, or roast turkey; older Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Zinfandel with lamb, beef fillet, or soft cheese; Hermitage or Chateauneuf-duPape with roast game; young Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, or Gigondas with spicy tomato-sauced pasta, chili, or pizza; and port with walnuts, pistachios, or Stilton cheese.