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

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Chapter 10 Flavor Intensity and Flavor Persistency
g. Finally, repeat steps a–e using the grilled fish topped with Hollandaise sauce as the food item with the wines.
9. Assess the flavor types.
a. Non-buttery Chardonnay. What is the flavor of this wine? What types of food would you serve with this wine? Why?
b. Buttery Chardonnay. The in-mouth buttery flavor is more subtle than the aroma. The acidity in the buttery wine sample is
less crisp and the body fuller than the non-buttery Chardonnay sample. What are the prominent flavors of this wine? How
does the fruit flavor in this wine differ from the non-buttery sample? Do you perceive other flavors in this wine such as
vanilla, smoke, spice, or herbs? What types of food would you serve with this wine? Why?
10. Rank the wine samples from least to most intense flavor.
Least intense 1. 2. Most intense
11. Rank the wine samples from least to most persistent flavor.
Least persistent 1. 2. Most persistent
12. Rank the food samples from least to most intense flavor.
Least intense 1. 2. 3. Most intense
13. Rank the food samples from least to most persistent flavor.
Least persistent 1. 2. 3. Most persistent
14. Write any other comments, thoughts, and observations that you identified during this evaluation process. How did you identify
flavor type? Was the identification primarily driven by the aroma or in-mouth smells? Was it difficult to assess flavor intensity?
Corn food items have a natural affinity with Chardonnay wines. The butter should beef up the body of the popcorn to more closely
match the Chardonnay. The fattiness of the butter should match the tannins in the Chardonnay with oak aging. Finally, the buttery
Chardonnay should create a flavor match with this dish.
Grilled fish creates a quandary with regard to the level of match with these two wines. The non-buttery Chardonnay has
higher acidity, creating a sour punch (like a squeeze of lemon) with the fish. But the cooking method is more robust and may
demand a more robust wine such as the Chardonnay with oak aging. You decide which match you think is better.
Finally, the Hollandaise sauce is perceived as a classic match with a buttery chardonnay, but research indicates that the
Hollandaise actually overpowers the Chardonnay by coating the tongue, making the wine taste weak and watery. 30 Here again, the
combination of grilled fish and Hollandaise creates an interesting sensory test for you. If you are tasting the items in this part of
the exercise at the same time as Part B, you could evaluate the impact of Hollandaise sauce on the asparagus. Does the Hollandaise
sauce make the asparagus more wine-friendly? What wine is best served with the grilled fish and Hollandaise, or with the asparagus
and Hollandaise?
After tasting the food and wine together, did these tests confirm any perceived ideas regarding wine and food pairing? Did
these tests create any surprises regarding wine and food pairing? Did the tests support the idea of matching by flavor type and
flavor intensity?
Food Item: Pasta al Pesto
Yield: 6 servings
The basic ingredients and preparation of pesto sauce are similar in all recipes. Standard ingredients
include fresh basil leaves, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil. Pesto
can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator or freezer. There are many uses for
pesto: as a pasta sauce, as an accompaniment for grilled or poached chicken or fish, as a
flavoring for salad dressings and soups, and as a condiment for sandwiches. Variations in the
preparation of pesto can be achieved by substituting other herbs instead—for instance, cilantro
or a combination of herbs such as thyme, sage, oregano, and rosemary. Further, a variety of
nuts can be substituted for pine nuts to create a different twist—walnuts, pecans, pistachios,
and so on.