Barrels & Bottles product January 27, 2012

ISO Tasting Glass - 21.5cl £17.50

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Matching wine with food

It’s been a matter of conjecture since the Romans first made wine. Which ones should you drink with certain foods?

We have all been told that white goes with fish and that red is for meat and cheese. But we have been wrongly informed. It is not always the case - a widely recommended combination for instance is the sweet white wine Sauternes with foie gras. There are, of course, many people who don’t really care. If they like red or white they will drink it with anything. It does however seem a shame to spoil both good food and good wine by getting thinks wrong. Science, not art, decides which flavours suit each other best, and guesswork just will not do.

The matter has perplexed wine merchant Andrew Coghlan for years, and now, with the assistance of his wife Janet, a top chef, he has come up with a solution. Andrew has devised a flavour triangle that ensures a balance of flavours between food and wine. The Triangle method is a simple and effective way to illustrate the benefits of ‘matching’ wine and food. It simply breaks down the component parts of each dish and assesses them on the basis of fruit, acidity and tannin which are the three most important aspects of taste.

I always try to harmonise the flavours on the palate by using the wine as a contrast rather than a match. In fact, the term wine and food matching is a misnomer, as we are really trying to find a wine and food contrast, using the wine as an ingredient in the overall dish an finding a flavour balance. Andrew has put forward his theory in this new book "A Perfect Balance". It has already won the endorsement of the Duke of Devonshire who has written the foreword.

Using their extensive network of contacts they have persuaded four of the best hotel kitchens in England, Scotland, Ireland and Jersey to contribute superb menus which Andrew has paired with wines from his own extensive cellars at Barrels and Bottles. They are the Westin Turnberry Resort, The Sheraton Park Lane, The Longueville Manor and The Park Hotel, Kenmare. To round things off they have asked other friends and contacts to contribute to a chapter celebrating the best of regional food.