Nowadays, a wine guide may be less dogmatic than in those days when the gastronomic world still had clear boundaries: international fusion cuisine demands a new approach to the correct choice of wine.
Nowadays, a wine guide may be less dogmatic than in those days when the gastronomic world still had clear boundaries: international fusion cuisine demands a new approach to the correct choice of wine
When the map of the culinary world still had sharper contours, a few clear rules existed with regard to combining food and wine: Blanc de Blancs champagne was suggested as a suitable companion for oysters, Médoc for roast lamb; and of course one was supposed to drink white wine with fish and red wine with dark meats, while the best match for a local dish was a wine from the same region.
However, globalization has left its mark on both cuisine and winegrowing: modern cuisine is not afraid to prepare fish and chips with tempura batter, and vines and viticulture have spread throughout the world, anyway.
Thus, the nature of wine recommendations in a wine guide needs to change, too:
Obviously, some basic rules may still apply today and help to separate beneficial combinations from unsuitable ones.
Still, the route that sommeliers are taking today in making their choices is to learn about the physics of a wine as well as of a dish looking for a suitable partner first and then use this as the basis to work out their recommendations.
At the same time, the human factor is still the most important filter in this: tastes are different, recommendations subjective. There is, however, a broad consensus among consumers about certain preferences and mishaps in combining food and wine.
We will take a look at what is behind all that.