A different way to pair food and wines
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CHEFS have a different perspective on food and wine pairings than sommeliers. Jeff Mosher has been a chef at Robert Mondavi Winery since 2008 and believes food and wine pairings are a fascinating challenge since new “discoveries” can be made all the time.
He says it’s not necessary to mechanically follow the so-called golden pairing rules because everyone has their own preferences. But he adds that his experiences can be used as a reference and some obvious mistakes can be avoided.
“I try to avoid using too much sugar, which destroys wine,” said Mosher, who was in Shanghai two weeks ago for a wine dinner about pairings. “Balance is the most important part for cooking wine friendly food.”
He likes to use ingredients like balsamic vinegar, which contains more acid, to complement the acidity in wine.
“Using wine to make sauce is also a good way to make food go well with wine,” he adds.
Although sommeliers are known for their professional wine pairing, Mosher believes a winery is the best place to pair food with wines.
Compared with a sommelier, a chef has more space to play with flavors. In a restaurant, food comes first and the sommelier simply recommends a few wines to accompany it. However in a winery, wine comes first and the chef can utilize diverse ingredients, sauces and cooking techniques to create textures and flavors to highlight subtle traits in a wine, according to Mosher.
Furthermore, most wineries are on a farm, meaning chefs can work with the freshest of ingredients.
Before working at the winery, Mosher says he was a chef at a restaurant owned by the Mondavi family. The Robert Mondavi Winery is one of the most influential in Napa Valley, California. It’s known for rewriting American wine history when it put grape varieties on its labels. It is also know for creating the wine vocabulary Fume Blanc, which is Sauvignon Blanc aged in French oak to give both a sharp acidity and roundness.
Winery founder Robert Mondavi died in 2008 and Mosher says the legendary wine innovator, above all else, wanted wine to be enjoyed.
“Robert was not a complicated man,” he said. “In terms of pairings, he was from Italy and loved simple food. I remember one of his favorite pairings was a pinot noir with his grandma’s poached chicken.”
Chef’s classic pairing:
Sole meuniere with Sauvignon Blanc
Sole meuniere is a French dish with sole dredged in milk and flour and fried in butter. Mosher serves it with fennel puree, lemon caper brown butter, toasted pine nuts and shaved fennel salad. He recommends it with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. The sharp acidity and fresh fruitiness of Sauvignon Blanc complements the creamy texture of the sole. The wine, after barrel aging, develops a round texture and notes of spices and nuts.
Fresh garden salad with Chardonnay
Mosher loves sourcing fresh greens from the garden and mixing it with goat cheese and finally topping it with crushed pistachios. A glass of not over-oaked Chardonnay with high acidity brings out maximum flavor in this dish.
Grilled beef tenderloin with Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is always a good friend of beef tenderloin. Its high tannin and acidity cut through the fatness in meat. Mosher serves it with a side dish of small potatoes flavored by pesto, baby carrots, spinach and crispy shallots. The hearty character of potatoes brings out the deep flavor of a bold and straightforward red wine. Mosher spreads bordelaise (a French sauce made from dry wine, bone marrow and butter) over the beef to enhance the aroma and taste.
Small tips for pairing wine and food
1. Pair rich food with full bodied wine, light food with light wine to avoid one overpowering the other.
2. Umami brings out earthy notes in a wine; bitterness in food enhances tannins in wine; acidity in wine makes food taste less savory.
3. Sweet food makes dry wine taste drier and easily overpowers a light wine that isn’t as sweet.
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