Planning Grammy Night Food & Wine

Basic Pairing

from

When pairing Jordan wines with food, the goal is synergy and balance. The wine shouldn't overpower the food, nor should the food overpower the wine.  Well balanced wines that have good acid are generally good food wines.  Wines of a region were vinified to pair with the regions cuisine.  Follow your instincts. 

Major wine components as they effect pairing; alcohol, sweetness, acid, tannin

Chardonnay

Our key selling point with our current Chardonnay is, as I see it, food friendliness, acidity, light oak and less ML; to showcase these traits: salinity and sweetness.  Salinity must be kept in check as it masks acidity.  Sweetness will also push the perception of a lack of acidity.

Ingredients and food that would mask the flavor of our wine: artichokes, olives, yogurt, asparagus, eggs (particularly the yolk) and strong cheese.  Also, avoid strongly flavored foods with loads of onion, garlic, hot spice, etc. as the wine can pick up these flavors.   Vinegar and pickles can rob a wine of its flavor and make it seem more astringent. 

Cabernet Sauvignon

"Tannin upon tannin."  Beware of pairing our younger wines with tannic ingredients, i.e. a cheese course with new walnut crop.  Tannin pulls sweetness forward; fruit based sauces must be understated or both dish and wine will suffer.

Tannin intensifies the perception of salinity.  Grilled steak will allow the proteins in the steak to actually soften the tannins in young Cabernet Sauvignon, thus drawing out the fruit and complex flavors.  Rich and fatty foods often work well with full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon.

Vintage Cabernet Sauvignon

Subdued, complex older wines deserve simple foods not heavy sauces.  Soft cheese like Camembert and Brie, if not over ripe, pair well with our wine.  Subtle, mature wines are often lost on the flavors of herbs, sauces, jellies and stuffings that accompany many dishes. Most herbs call for white wines, although, rosemary and thyme are an exception.