Make a meal of it

There are two basic rules when it comes to wine and food pairing: acidic wine with acidic food, and low acid wine with savoury food, Lorraine Kearney learns

- Lorraine Kearney

We all know the old rule: red with meat, white with fish. But time to throw out those constrictions. Pairing food and wine, in essence, is a balancing act, with sommeliers opening the portals to some truly exciting pairings.

Sommelier Duane Hendricks at the recently opened Luminary on 12th in Pretoria, for example, pairs a Ken Forrester Old Vine Reserve Chenin Blanc 2016 with beef: unexpected but delicious, the bold, rounded white mellowed with the seared beef.

And George Sakulias, a sommelier at The Grill Room in Durban, pairs a seafood chowder with a Delheim Gewürztraminer, and Asian steak with a Galpin Peak Pinot Noir.

‘The rule of white wine with fish and red wine with meat has evolved to an exciting dimension. Today, pairing is about making the dining experience complete – the food and the wine must complement each other,’ says George.

Erica Taylor, the general manager of the South African Sommeliers Association, says that if you’re after pairing wine with your meal at home, start with the basics. ‘Consider matching flavours,’ she explains. If you’ve cooked something like lemon chicken, it pairs nicely with a wine such as Sauvignon Blanc. ‘On the other hand, if you’re indulging in something spicy, a slightly sweet Riesling can be a fantastic choice.’ Remember this when next you whip up a curry or Mexican feast.