I remember when I first started drinking wine – the art of pairing was completely lost on me. I naively assumed imbibing with food actually lessened the quality of the wine – not the other way around. No doubt I was eating the wrong foods with the wrong wines, making everything taste bitter, astringent and unpleasant. For that reason, I sought out big, bold, juicy fruit bombs that didn't need any food at all – they were a meal unto themselves.
As time passed, I continued to challenge myself to try new styles. I tapped into that realization all oenophiles inevitably face, discovered through those "aha" moments – life-changing, transcendent food and wine experiences that imprint on the brain and remain utterly unforgettable.
For that reason, my wine journey has morphed into a quest for finding that next unbelievable pairing.
While there are the tried and true classics – Sauterne and foie gras, Champagne and potato chips, Pinot Noir and mushrooms – it's those obscure, "not sure this is gonna work", kind of experiments that really move you.
Here are a few that were totally unexpected and have continued to linger in my brain, years later.
Baby potatoes with Vouvray
Years ago, I had seen a very unusual way of cooking baby potatoes – boiled dry in salty-as-the-sea water, allowing the flesh to absorb all that salinity, while transforming the skin into a delectably crispy exterior, doused in chimichurri.
I had no idea what wine would pair with this – what do you pair with acid, salt, herbs and crunch? There was a lot going on with this dish.
My friend Julie, who I'd be dining with, happened to have a bottle of Vouvray, an iconic region in the Loire Valley, made from the Chenin Blanc grape, produced in an off-dry style.
It was totally accidental but we decided since she had the bottle on hand, we'd enjoy it with dinner. I'll never forget that first bite, the oily sauce lackadaisically seeping through fingers and lips, macerating with brittle potato skin, washed down with a greedy swig of viscous nectar.
As I recount it now, my mouth waters, and all I remember is a total explosion of flavor. Everything was heightened and somehow tasted even better than they had on their own.
Mexican salad with Rousanne/Viognier/Marsanne
This was yet another serendipitous food and wine pairing that I was lucky enough to enjoy with my family.
I had been on a kick of making this particular salad, a recipe a friend had shared with me that was too delicious not to enjoy again and again.
The secret ingredient was the dressing, made with smoky chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, mixed with avocado, sweet corn, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, tortilla strips, queso fresco and cilantro crema.
Again, there were a lot of flavors happening here, so I was a little unsure if there would be a wine with enough complexity to stand up to everything that was happening. At the time, I'd been really into Torbreck, a premium producer based out of the Barossa Valley.
I'd recently tried their Woodcutter's RVM, a classic blend of three white varieties hailing from the Rhone Valley.
This was a big, unctuous wine that had seen extended oak, and required food with the similar body – it was perfect with all that was happening in the salad, with just enough residual sugar to cut through the spice effortlessly.
Squid ink spaghetti with skin contact Chenin Blanc
This was my most recent staggeringly good food and wine adventure while dining out with friends.
We ordered a number of plates to share, so choosing the appropriate wine to stand up to all the different flavors proved to be challenged.
Orange wine is inevitably a go-to for me, as I find it to be quite a chameleon that can withstand heat, sweet or salt in most cases.
There was an incredibly pungent squid ink spaghetti we'd ordered, that we weren't sure would work since the skin contact Chenin was particularly astringent and rather bitter on the finish.
The flavors married together so perfectly that we had to hold ourselves back from licking the plate.
What was your most memorable food and wine pairing as of late?
