CanadaWestApril2019E-mag

FOOD | WINE & DINE 美 酒 美 食
香 氣 味 道
除 了 味 蕾 感 受 到 的 口 感 和 味 道 , 嗅
覺 上 的 香 氣 也 是 餐 飲 搭 配 中 需 要 考 慮 的
重 點 。 如 何 讓 葡 萄 酒 的 酒 香 與 菜 餚 的 香
氣 完 美 融 合 、 相 得 益 彰 , 頗 需 要 搭 配 者
的 功 力 。 這 裏 有 幾 種 常 見 的 經 典 搭 配 推
薦 給 大 家 。 香 濃 的 咖 哩 可 以 選 擇 同 樣
芳 香 濃 郁 的 葡 萄 酒 ,Gewürztraminer 或
Riesling; 牡 蠣 和 海 鮮 可 以 搭 配 更 溫 和 的
新 釀 Chardonnay 或 Muscadet; 帶 有 泥 土 芬
芳 的 葡 萄 酒 , 如 : 勃 艮 第 的 舊 世 界 黑 比 諾
葡 萄 酒 , 是 蘑 菇 類 菜 餚 的 絕 配 ; 柑 橘 味 濃
郁 的 Sauvignon Blanc 是 搭 配 柑 橘 醋 汁 山 羊
奶 酪 沙 拉 的 好 選 擇 。 總 之 , 尋 找 風 味 有 類
似 之 處 的 菜 餚 和 葡 萄 酒 進 行 搭 配 , 是 最 保
險 的 做 法 。
一 般 說 來 , 決 定 葡 萄 酒 風 味 的 因 素 貫
穿 在 整 個 釀 酒 過 程 中 。 尤 其 是 在 陳 釀 時 使
用 新 的 橡 木 桶 , 能 讓 葡 萄 酒 口 味 發 生 很 大
改 變 。 如 增 加 香 草 、 麵 包 、 煙 熏 、 焦 糖 、
椰 子 等 各 種 獨 特 香 氣 , 這 樣 經 過 釀 製 的 葡
萄 酒 , 因 自 身 口 味 太 過 豐 富 而 不 適 合 搭 配
海 鮮 等 需 要 享 用 食 材 原 汁 原 味 的 菜 餚 , 也
不 適 合 辛 辣 濃 重 的 食 物 , 通 常 作 為 燒 烤 配
酒 是 不 錯 的 選 擇 。
最 後 , 無 論 何 種 專 家 的 意 見 , 都 還 需
要 考 量 個 人 口 味 偏 好 的 因 素 。 美 食 與 美 酒
之 間 的 搭 配 , 並 不 存 在 所 謂 的 「 標 準 答
案 」, 更 無 須 過 份 擔 心 自 己 喜 歡 的 搭 配 不
夠 專 業 而 貽 笑 大 方 。 飲 食 的 重 點 是 享 受 美
酒 佳 餚 所 帶 來 的 美 好 享 受 , 也 唯 有 真 心 沉
醉 熱 愛 方 才 不 會 辜 負 它 們 吧 !
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Bitterness isn’t bad
Contained within grape skins, seeds, and stems, tannins
are responsible for the astringent, mouth-drying
sensation we experience when drinking red wine. White
grapes also possess these natural compounds, but because
of differences in the winemaking process between red and
white wine, tannins do not show up in white wines. This
is because juice destined for white wine is racked off the
seeds, stems, and skins (collectively called pomace) then
sent off to ferment. To make red wine, the fermenting
grape juice is left in contact with the pomace in order
to extract colour, flavour, and tannins. With tannic red
wines, you’ll want to select fatty, high-protein meats such
as beef, lamb, or duck. The reason for this is that tannins
bind to proteins, leaving your palate cleansed and priming
your taste buds for the next bite.
If you choose a tannic wine to go with your meal, such as
a Barolo or Barbaresco, be sure to avoid pairing it with spicy
foods as they can intensify tannins’ inherent bitterness.
Mind your percentages
Table wines fall between 8 and 14 percent alcohol, with
the majority hovering around the 12 to 14 percent mark.
Most of the time, you won’t need to worry about alcohol
percentages (unless you have an early morning), however,
there is one essential point to note: high-alcohol beverages
enhance spice, so steer away from pairing them with spicy
dishes.
Alcohol plays a major role in the body, or “weight,” of the
wine. Alcohol gives wine a lusher mouthfeel. A wine that
falls under 12 percent is considered light-bodied, while
anything over 13.5 is full-bodied.
Ryzhkov Photography / Shutterstock.com
Evgeny Karandaev / Shutterstock.com
對 頁 : 香 濃 稠 滑 的 意 大
利 蘑 菇 調 味 飯 , 適 合 搭
配 勃 艮 第 白 葡 萄 酒 , 能
令 蘑 菇 的 香 氣 更 加 濃
郁 。 上 圖 : 肉 類 中 含 有 的
蛋 白 質 會 與 紅 葡 萄 酒 中
的 單 寧 酸 發 生 反 應 , 減
輕 油 膩 感 , 更 可 體 現 出
菜 餚 的 深 層 次 味 道 。
Opposite: The
creaminess of
mushroom risotto is
beautifully suited to a
grand or premier cru
white Burgundy, which
has a similarly earthy
flavour. This page: The
proteins in meat will
bind with tannins in red
wine, refreshing your
palate and mellowing
the texture of the wine.
A match made in food
heaven.
Texture, both of the dish and of the wine
itself, is another important consideration.
Match a bottle of wine with a dish of similar
richness or body, and you usually won’t go
wrong. However, you can also use contrasting
textures to make delightful pairings. Fried
foods work beautifully with sparkling wine.
Scent and taste
As with texture, you’ll want to pair wines with
foods of similar aromatic and flavour intensity.
This way, you avoid having one overpower the
other. A fragrant curry demands an aromatic
wine such as Gewürztraminer or Riesling.
Freshly shucked raw oysters need something
milder, such as an unoaked Chardonnay or
Muscadet.
In terms of flavours, a good starting point is
to bring together like with like. Savoury, earthy
wines such as Old World Pinot Noir from
Burgundy, do well with mushroom dishes. A
zesty, citrus-forward Sauvignon Blanc makes
an excellent partner to a goat cheese salad with
citrus vinaigrette. If you want to get creative,
you can pick up on elements present in a dish
and choose a wine with similar components.
Certain decisions made throughout the
winemaking process can influence the aromas
and flavours found in a wine. The most obvious
is the use of oak. Ageing a wine in new oak will
dramatically change its flavour profile, adding
nuances of vanilla, toast, smoke, caramel,
coconut, and spice. Oaked wines would
overwhelm delicate seafood plates and outright
clash with spicy fare, so opt for grilled dishes if
you’re planning to open a wine that has spent
time in new oak.
Ultimately, pairings are about achieving
balance, whether it’s finding harmony between
contrasting flavours (spicy and sweet) or
marrying like with like (a savoury mushroom
tart with an earthy red).
That said, these are only guidelines. Taste
is subjective. You might discover delicious yet
unorthodox pairings that you love. Allow room
for exploration and bear in mind that matching
food and wine should primarily be about
pleasure rather than getting a pairing “right.”
Camille Berry is a wine and food writer based in the UK who is a
Certified Sommelier, Certified Specialist of Wine, and has passed the
WSET Advanced with Merit. She has helped create dynamic wine lists
and worked as a wine educator.