food-and-wine-pairing-a-sensory-experience-robert-harrington
food-and-wine-pairing-a-sensory-experience-robert-harrington
food-and-wine-pairing-a-sensory-experience-robert-harrington
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Table 2.1 Recommended Temperatures for Serving Wines with<br />
Food or Drinking<br />
Wine Type Temperature<br />
Tannic red <strong>wine</strong>s: Australian Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Rhône <strong>wine</strong>s,<br />
vintage Port, Bordeaux, Châteauneuf-du-Pape<br />
Medium-bodied red <strong>wine</strong>s: southern French reds, southern Italian reds, Rioja,<br />
Toro, Pinot Noir, Valpolicella, young Chianti<br />
Red <strong>wine</strong>s with light tannin: young Beaujolais, red Sancerre, Bardolino,<br />
young Spanish <strong>and</strong> Portuguese reds<br />
Fuller-bodied <strong>and</strong> aromatic white <strong>wine</strong>s, sweet <strong>wine</strong>s, rosés, Sherry <strong>and</strong><br />
white Port: Chardonnay, Sauternes, Tokaji, white Rioja<br />
Light, crisp <strong>and</strong> sparkling white <strong>wine</strong>s: Alsace, Chablis, Riesling, good<br />
Champagne <strong>and</strong> sparkling <strong>wine</strong>, Sancerre, Sauvignon Blanc<br />
The Art <strong>and</strong> Science of Wine Evaluation 29<br />
63–65F/17–18C<br />
58–61F/14–16C<br />
54–55F/12–13C<br />
48–50F/9–10C<br />
45–46F/7–8C<br />
Cheap sparkling <strong>wine</strong>s 36–39F/2–4C<br />
istics. The approach throughout this book is one of combining the art <strong>and</strong> science of <strong>wine</strong><br />
<strong>and</strong> <strong>food</strong> evaluation.<br />
The <strong>wine</strong> literature is littered with a wide variety of evaluation sheets <strong>and</strong> processes<br />
based on profiles, mathematical formulas, ranking systems, <strong>and</strong> descriptions. One attempt<br />
at a universal classification of <strong>wine</strong> types is based on the work of Pierre Coste. 13 Coste<br />
suggested four general categories of <strong>wine</strong>, based on the purpose of drinking as observed in<br />
his home country of France. The first category is what he termed the ‘‘French national<br />
drink.’’ This style of drinking is where no real tasting takes place—<strong>wine</strong> is drunk as a matter<br />
of habit, used solely to moisten <strong>food</strong> <strong>and</strong> to quench one’s thirst. The <strong>wine</strong>s in this category<br />
are the simplest <strong>and</strong> most common in taste—generic table <strong>wine</strong>s. The second category he<br />
terms ‘‘false fine <strong>wine</strong>.’’ Drinkers in this category follow a blind faith in tradition <strong>and</strong> are<br />
considered ‘‘label drinkers’’—the <strong>wine</strong> they consume has a significant history of origin but<br />
the current quality is illusory. The third category up the ladder is termed ‘‘good <strong>wine</strong>s,’’ <strong>and</strong><br />
<strong>wine</strong>s in this group are well balanced, attractive, <strong>and</strong> easy to drink. Generally, these <strong>wine</strong>s<br />
are drunk young with a taste of fruit (in reds) <strong>and</strong> floral (in whites). The drinkers regard the<br />
enjoyment of <strong>wine</strong> as a real <strong>and</strong> uncomplicated pleasure. The top-level category is termed<br />
‘‘fine <strong>wine</strong>s,’’ which can be thought of as works of art—unique <strong>and</strong> flawless. The drinking<br />
of these <strong>wine</strong>s becomes almost a religious ritual event, <strong>and</strong> the process is reserved for the<br />
informed amateur <strong>and</strong> privileged gourmet.<br />
While Coste’s classification system provides an interesting point of differentiation for<br />
<strong>wine</strong>s <strong>and</strong> those who drink them, his explanations have a ring of elitism to them. A more<br />
down-to-earth approach might be Zraly’s classification of <strong>wine</strong>s as either everyday <strong>wine</strong>s,<br />
once-a-week <strong>wine</strong>s, once-a-month <strong>wine</strong>s, or once-a-year or special-occasion <strong>wine</strong>s. 14 In this<br />
case, it acknowledges that those who drink <strong>wine</strong> may drink it for different purposes at<br />
different times. Therefore, low-cost <strong>wine</strong>s of good relative quality <strong>and</strong> higher-cost <strong>wine</strong>s at<br />
the higher end of the quality spectrum both have their place in our daily lives <strong>and</strong> routines.<br />
In my view, good values in <strong>wine</strong> should not be looked down upon but instead provide nice<br />
‘‘lubrication’’ for daily enjoyment (in moderation, of course).<br />
Evaluation Sheets The <strong>wine</strong> evaluation process <strong>and</strong> systems that are used to evaluate<br />
<strong>wine</strong>s vary from relatively simple to complex. I have provided two examples of <strong>wine</strong><br />
evaluation sheets at the end of this chapter. One is based on the Italian process (Figure 2.3,