CHAPTER 1The Wine and Food

Pyramid: A Hierarchy of Taste

Chapter 1 Outline

• Aperitif: The Italian Wine and Food Perspective

• Food and Wine Pairing Mechanics: Matching Traditions

• Key Elements of Wine and Food: A Hierarchical Perspective– Wine Components,

Texture, and Flavor

– Food Components, Texture, and Flavor

Chapter 1 Key Concepts

• Motivations of wine and food pairing

• Food and wine sensory pyramid• Primary components• Texture elements• Flavor intensity, persistency,

and spiciness

The Italian Wine and Food Perspective

• Historically, wines and foods from one region were paired together.

• Today people strive for synergy between the marriage of two items.

• Prior to the 1960’s, the notion was reserved for connoisseurs, nobility, and the affluent.

• In 1963, the government issued the DOC laws.

Empirical Evaluation of Wine

• Visual Observation: color, clarity, hue, density

• Olfactory Qualities: nose, bouquet• Taste Qualities: sweetness,

fruitiness, acidity, bitterness, tannic, thin, heavy, finish, etc.

• Overall Impressions: general qualities, balance

Empirical Evaluation of Food

• Eye appeal and color combination• Aromatic character and perfumes• Sweetness, saltiness, acidity, lean,

fat, texture• Overall impressions

Key Motivations for Food and Wine Pairing

• For personal enjoyment and enhancing daily life.

• Restaurateurs use it to enhance the dining experience.

• Enjoy wine with daily meals and instinctively match appropriate wines with particular foods.

• Increase business and profitability through their wine sales.

• Increase customer gastronomic satisfaction with the overall dining experience.

Some Traditional Food and Wine Marriages

• Champagne and caviar (the effervescence of the champagne cuts through the salty brine of the caviar)

• Port and Stilton cheese (appeals to our contrasting senses much like chocolate candy and salty popcorn at the movies)

• California Chardonnay and lobster (big buttery wine with big buttery lobster)

• Cabernet Sauvignon and beef or lamb (the classic mellowing effect of rich and fat meat on full-bodied reds with tannin)

• Fumé Blanc and grilled fish or seafood (think fresh squeezed lemon)

Levels of Matching in Wine and Food Pairing

• No Match• Refreshment• Neutral• Good Match• Synergistic match

Food and Wine Sensory Pyramid

Components

Texture

Flavors

Key Components Associated with Wine and Food Pairing

Definition: Basic food and wine elements that correspond to basic sensations on the tongue.

• Typically are the key elements assessed in food and wine for pairing purposes.

• Are the foundation for pleasant feelings with complementary or contrasting characteristics.

• Sweet, salt, bitter, and sour are the dominant components.

Key Texture Elements Associated with Wine and

Food PairingDefinition: Refers to an inclusive category for

a number of terms used to describe these touch (tactile) or mouth-feel sensations.

• Relates to body, power, weight, structure.• Creates a certain tactile sensation in every

corner of the mouth.• Can be used to provide similarity or contrasts

in matching.• In wine, described as: velvety, thin, medium-

bodied, or viscous.• In food, described as: grainy, dry, oily, loose,

rough.

Key Flavor Elements Associated with Wine and Food

PairingDefinition: Occur during a retro-nasal

process. • Aromas are picked up through the back of the

mouth and flow into the nasal cavity.

• Are tied to our perceptions of specific characteristics inherent in the food or wine.

• Common flavor descriptors: fruity, nutty, smoky, herbal, spicy, cheesy, earthy, and meaty.

• The persistence and intensity of a specific flavor can have an effect.

• Can be used to describe a similar or contrasting flavor in a food and wine pair.

Food Sensory Pyramid

Components:Components: Sweet, Sour

(Acidity), Salt & Bitter

Texture:Texture: Fattiness,

Cooking Method, & Overall Body

Flavors:Flavors:Type, Intensity,

Persistency & Spice

The Primary Food Components, Texture, and

Flavor Elements• Primary Food Components:

sweetness (natural or added), sourness, saltiness, and bitterness.

• Texture: fat level (natural of added), the cooking method, and the overall feeling of body.

• Flavors: identifiable flavor type(s), persistency, intensity, and spicy characteristics.

Wine Sensory Pyramid

Components:Components: Dry to Sweet, Acidity, &

Effervescence (Bubbles)

Texture:Texture: Tannin, Alcohol, Oak & Overall Body

Flavors:Flavors:Type, Intensity,

Persistency & Spice

The Primary Wine Components, Texture, and

Flavor Elements• Primary Wine Components: level

of sweetness ( dry to sweet), level of crispness/acidity, presence and level of effervescence (bubbles).

• Texture: tannin level, level of alcohol, presence/level of oak, an overall feeling of body.

• Flavor: identifiable flavor descriptor(s) or type(s), intensity, persistency and spicy characteristics.

Chapter 1

Lagniappe“Something extra”

The Impact of Oak

Barrel AgingPurposes from a wine making

standpoint:• Slow oxidation• Adding oak phenolics

Purposes from and food and wine pairing standpoint:

• Impacts color and aroma• Impacts retro-nasal sensations• Impacts body• Impacts astringency

How do you know when wine has been aged in oak?

• Price – the use of oak barrels is not cheap!

• Most red wines are aged in oak• Common for Chardonnay and some

Sauvignon Blanc • Label description or winemaker’s

notes: Barrel aged, barrel select, barrel fermented, oak aging, “aromas of vanilla”, etc.

Wine storage in barrels

Overall red wine effects:• Slow oxidation softens wine tannin

and increases red color intensity• Expands the wine’s complexity• Water and alcohol evaporation

increases dry extract and flavor• Gradual development of an aged

bouquet

Barrel characteristics that impact effects

• Barrel size (50 and 60 gallon as well 80 to 135 gallon [300 to 500 liters]) – smaller barrels equals more wine surface contact with oak

• Barrel toasting – light, medium and heavy

• French or American oak• New or used barrels

Barrel Toasting

• Common to toast the inside surface of barrels with an open fire.

• Gives a very distinct aroma – fresh bread, butterscotch, toasted almond – particularly in white wine aged in toasted oak.

• Softens the phenol* extraction of new barrels

*Phenols are any class of aromatic organic compounds and are particularly strong in new oak barrels.

French vs American Oak

While new French oak has been shown to contribute more solid extracts and phenol, the concentration of vanillin was found to be higher in American oak.

• The compound that impacts vanillin levels has the highest impact on “oaky” impression.

• French oak is more expensive than American oak. But, is thought to create more complexity and softer tannins in wine.

New vs. Refilled Barrels

• Phenolic extraction drops substantially between first and second filling of barrels (particularly, with French oak).

• The expected barrel lifetime of a 60 gallon French oak barrel is about 600 bottles (about 300 bottles for two vintages).

• Using French oak instead of American oak adds a cost of about $.90 per finished bottle of wine.

Oak Components added to Wine

Nonvolatile phenolics • Contribute astringency (tannin) to the

wineVolatile oak phenolics:• Main one is vanillin and concentration is

determined by toasting level• Eugenol contributes a spicy clove-like

flavor (mainly in untoasted barrels)• Guaiacol contributes a smoky flavor (in

toasted barrels)

Oak Alternatives: Shortening the time and expense

• Experiments with oak chips and oak dust immersed in wine – this ‘fast-aging’ is not illegal.

• The replacement of oak barrels with oak chips seems to partially fulfill the oak extraction function but not the oxidative one.

• Other alternatives: oak barrel “innerstaves” installed in stainless steel tanks or 60 gallon stainless steel drums with replaceable interior oak staves.

Food and Wine Considerations:

• Oak aging adds body, retro-nasal flavor characteristics, flavor intensity and flavor persistency to the finished wine.

• Pairing oak aged wines with food requires food items that are generally fuller bodied and more intense in general.

Additional Reading on Oak and Wine Making

Boulton, R.B. (1996). Principles and Practices of Wine Making. NY: Chapman & Hall.

Margalit, Y. (2004). Concepts in Wine Technology. San Francisco, CA: The Wine Appreciation Guild, Ltd.

Zoecklein, B.W. (1999). Wine Analysis and Production. NY: Kluwer Academic Publishers.