Amen Brother Randy! Ever since my first wine trip to Germany in October 1972 and tasting with Manfred Prum, Egon Muller (the elder) et al, Riesling is the best, and my whole concept of what equals quality balance and complexity in a wine was established during that trip and afterwards doing harvest in Burgundy at Jadot. Riesling works across so many dimensions, even No-Alcohol wines are darn good and true to the variety. I would only question one thing you wrote: I have found the only hard and fast rule regarding food and wine complementarity is that the wine must be sweeter than the food; otherwise, the wine will just taste thinner and more bitter, relatively. I find this still the case if I am drinking a trocken German Riesling or very dry Austrian riesling for example, given their higher alcohol (12-14%) with a dish like some you mentioned (sweet/hot/sour). The chemesthethistic reaction between the alcohol, the spice etc produces a drying bitter sensation. perhaps you have a different reaction? Anyway- great article Joel
Thanks so much, Joel! The "wine must be sweeter than food" rule pertains strictly to dessert and wine matches. Very often pastry chefs prepare desserts that are so sweet they take the stuffing out of more delicate sweet wines such as Riesling. Elsewhere in the article I mention that trocken or halbtrocken work just fine with dishes balanced by ingredients with residual sugar, the key word being "balance." My observations are not so much personal as the result of countless dinner events and professional or staff tastings held for some 30 years in the hospitality industry. Best as always, RC.
Amen Brother Randy! Ever since my first wine trip to Germany in October 1972 and tasting with Manfred Prum, Egon Muller (the elder) et al, Riesling is the best, and my whole concept of what equals quality balance and complexity in a wine was established during that trip and afterwards doing harvest in Burgundy at Jadot. Riesling works across so many dimensions, even No-Alcohol wines are darn good and true to the variety. I would only question one thing you wrote: I have found the only hard and fast rule regarding food and wine complementarity is that the wine must be sweeter than the food; otherwise, the wine will just taste thinner and more bitter, relatively. I find this still the case if I am drinking a trocken German Riesling or very dry Austrian riesling for example, given their higher alcohol (12-14%) with a dish like some you mentioned (sweet/hot/sour). The chemesthethistic reaction between the alcohol, the spice etc produces a drying bitter sensation. perhaps you have a different reaction? Anyway- great article Joel
Thanks so much, Joel! The "wine must be sweeter than food" rule pertains strictly to dessert and wine matches. Very often pastry chefs prepare desserts that are so sweet they take the stuffing out of more delicate sweet wines such as Riesling. Elsewhere in the article I mention that trocken or halbtrocken work just fine with dishes balanced by ingredients with residual sugar, the key word being "balance." My observations are not so much personal as the result of countless dinner events and professional or staff tastings held for some 30 years in the hospitality industry. Best as always, RC.
Lovely!