food-and-wine-pairing-a-sensory-experience-robert-harrington

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Chapter 9 The Impact of Spice
Table 9.1 Wines with Spice, Herbal, and Taming Characteristics
Wines with Spice Notes
Whites: Gewurztraminer,
Viognier, oaky Chardonnay,
Austrian Grüner-Veltliner, Mosel
Riesling (Germany),
Portuguese Vinho Verde
Reds: Shiraz, Syrah, Côtes du
Rhône, red Zinfandel (California
and Washington), Greek reds,
Petite Sirah (California),
Sangiovese
Wines with Herbal
Notes
Whites: Sauvignon Blanc,
Fumé Blanc, Sémillon, New
World Viognier, white
Bordeaux, Sancerre, Pouilly-
Fumé, Alsace Riesling
Reds: Merlot, Cabernet
Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc,
Shiraz, Syrah, red Rioja, Italian
Chianti
Wines that Tame
Hot-Spicy Foods
Whites: Italian Moscato d’Asti,
German Riesling Kabinett,
Gewürztraminer, Portuguese
Vinho Verde
Red: Reds with low tannins,
lower alcohol, and a fruity
nature (e.g., Beaujolais,
Gamay, Italian Dolcetto,
Lemberger, Valpolicella,
Spanish Tempranillo)
capable of producing some of the highest-quality white wines on the planet, with good aging
potential. Because the current fashion is to drink dry red wines (or big, oaky Chardonnays
if forced to drink whites), off-dry Rieslings are currently a great wine value. Riesling with
spicy foods can be a refreshing to good match due to the acidity, a slight sweetness in the
off-dry versions, and a great contrast of fruit and floral flavors with the food’s hot or peppery
spices.
For a red wine to go with hot and spicy foods, choose one with lower tannin, lower
alcohol, and a fruity character. Lemberger, Beaujolais and Dolcetto are good examples of
fruity, lower-tannin, higher-acid red wines. For both reds and whites, however, with hot,
spicy foods the best you can generally hope for is a refreshing match, one that doesn’t fan
the flame of the food’s heat.
Spices in food are more difficult to pair with wine than herbs. Depending on the level
of spice in a food dish, many spices can clash with oak and wine tannins. Excessive heat
from horseradish, hot mustards, and chiles can numb your palate prior to even tasting the
wine. Herbs are much more wine-friendly than most spices. Column 2 of Table 9.1 provides
examples of wines that have herbal notes in them—again, not from the herbs themselves,
but from growing conditions at the vineyard, the characteristics inherent to the varietal, or
the winemaking process. The key to matching herbal foods is to use a wine that echoes
herbal notes as well. Many of these wines also have spice characteristics.
FOOD TYPES AND STYLES
Spice and seasoning use in food has evolved dramatically over the past thirty years.
Overall consumption of spice has increased substantially over this period, with greater use
of herbs, fusion flavors, robust and bold flavors, chile varieties, and ethnic flavors. 8 Spices
with a sweet character include cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger, and tamarind. Savory spices
and seasonings are those such as pepper, cumin, cardamom, fish sauce, and so on. Hot spices
include mustard seed, hot peppers, and horseradish.
The first spice brought to Europe from the East was pepper. Peppers and other hot
spices (including black pepper, white pepper, red pepper, and mustard seed) account for 41
percent of total U.S. spice usage. Though chiles or hot peppers originated in the Americas,
they have become a basic ingredient in many cuisines around the globe. Many of the ethnic
cuisines we enjoy today, such as Indian, Asian, Mexican, African, and Caribbean, rely on hot