Food and Wine Pairings…. Does it Matter?

I’ve been obsessed with food and wine pairings for more than a decade now. The Wine Wheel® has sold well over a half million units and is approaching its 12th birthday this year. As I reflect back, many things have changed since its inception with regard to the consumer. Their palate is more educated, there’s more information available now, and many restaurants (at all different price points) take the time to train their staff. Basically, everyone seems to have at least a basic understanding of food and wine pairings. So, I paused on this weekend to muse about the importance of pairings.

On Saturday afternoon, I went out in search for some salmon, but ended up buying the cheaper ling cod instead. I prepared a tomato & kalamata olive salsa to put atop the fish. Before I left for the store, I had pulled a beautiful Pinot Noir from my cellar to pair with the salmon and then didn’t think about it again until we sat down to eat. Our guests were very good friends, so we were immersed in cooking, chatting, sipping some white wine and enjoying the company. I just spaced on the wine for the main course. Highly unusual for me, I know, but it happens to the best of us.

As we sat down to dinner, my helpful husband had very nicely opened the Pinot Noir. I saw that it was already open and I said, “What the hell? The pairing is not going to work but who cares? It’s a beautiful wine.” Yes, those words did pass my lips. I was good for about… uuummmm …. mayyybe 5 minutes until I couldn’t stand it any longer. I got up and grabbed the closest bottle (happened to be a Zinfandel) and tasted it with the aggressive salsa. It was MUCH better.

I poured some for my girlfriend (a self-described cocktail girl) and asked her to try the two wines with the fish. She typically says she can’t ever notice the difference but I know she can, she’s a fabulous cook and has a great palate. So she tasted both and said, “Wow, what a huge difference!” In fact, she stopped drinking the much more expensive Pinot Noir and opted for a $12 Zinfandel because it tasted that much better with the fish.

I was happy and sad about the night’s wine events. I was thrilled that I took the chance to be casual about the pairing, only to jump back on the food/wine bandwagon. I was sad for the Pinot Noir, which was, well, wasted. I mean we drank it, but wasted in terms of not being able to fully appreciate its beauty. The food blew it out of the water. I wish I could re-do the night, much like when you are in an accident and in the moments after, you keep replaying the events in your head to undo it and change it. Thankfully, no one was hurt for this exercise in reestablishing the importance of food and wine pairings.