Wine Pairings -- Touring Italy, Glass by Glass

by Guy Kugel

Blueprint to Wine and Food Pairing

There are not necessarily set rules for wine and food pairing. Sometimes opposites accent each other: for instance, spicy foods almost always go great with sweet wines because the sweetness mitigates the spiciness and brings out the flavors. It's really on a case-by-case basis whether you go opposite or similar. 

One trick for pairing food with wine is to think of where the wine comes from and what ingredients and dishes are native to that area. So for instance, if a traditional Piedmontese lamb dish is on your menu and you're trying to think of a good wine to pair with it, you can look at what wines come from that area as well, such as Barolo, Barbaresco, or Barbera. These things are meant to go together because they come from the same soil, are subject to the same climates, and they've been together for centuries. 

You can also consider wine and food pairings seasonally. Rosés this time of year are light and refreshing and go with a huge variety of spring and early summer fare ranging from salads to unaged cheeses, and small vegetables to light meat dishes, like prosciutto di parma. 

Pairings -- Classic and not so classic

There are many classic pairings, such as coq au vin with a red burgundy, oysters and champagne, or steak and cabernet. However, one of my favorite simple pairings of all time is champagne with french fries. The acidity and the bubbles in the champagne are a thorough counterbalance to the greasy, salty french fries. If you beg, borrow, and steal from other pairing examples such as this, you will note that foie gras has some of the same properties as french fries and that lambrusco has some of the same qualities as champagne; therefore, although foie gras is traditionally paired with Sauternes, it can also be complementary to lambrusco. 

Altura's Wine Pairing Option

With Altura's wine pairing program, I go for wines with decent acidity and less alcohol, and I make sure I have a selection of light, medium, and full bodied wines in red, white, and rose. I like to represent different regions within that structure, and I also try to balance out some more familiar, user-friendly styles with esoteric, funky, and exclusive wines that are fun for me to talk about. 

Selecting the wine pairing option at Altura not only places the work in my hands, but it also gives you the opportunity to travel around Italy (and surrounding areas) to taste the offerings from different regions. The map below illustrates the wide variety of regions you will travel to with this week's wine pairings. Along with the dinner menu at Altura, the wine pairings will shift to complement Nathan's dishes, reflect the season, and provide an educational survey of Old World wine, especially Italian. 

Check out this week's wine pairings for the dinner menu and tasting menu at Altura Restaurant. They shift weekly, so your wine pairing travel will never be the same!