chapter 4 - food and wine

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CHAPTER 4 – FOOD AND WINE

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Contents

• Designing the wine list

• Pairing food and wine

• Wine service

• Champagne service

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Designing the wine list The wine list reflects the style and personality of the

establishment, its chef and its sommelier.

Study both the size and the depth of the offer (number of references, price range).

The organisation, layout and format are all elements which speak volumes about the desire to promote sales of wine.

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Designing the wine list Find the price entry points for the portfolio wines. Emphasise the complimentary nature of the portfolio

wines.

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Designing the wine list Adapt the offer according to the seasons and the

style of the establishment offer "solutions" rather than simply products

(wines best accompanying certain dishes)

involve the staff as much as possible (staff training)

the restaurant staff who serve the customers are thosewho have the most influence with them

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Designing the wine list

Marry the wines with themes, in order to make the offer more interesting (by geographical sector or by colour, for example).

Special wine promotions: wine by the glass, vertical tastings, meals dedicated to a specific wine

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Pairing food and wine

• Not the skill of both the chef de cuisine and winemakers combined, but rather a third skill which is to complement each other in a creative way.

• It is subjective - there is no “universal taste” but a multitude of “individual tastes” built by cultures, various physiologies, and diverse and varied experiences.

`There are only two occasions when I drink Champagne, and these are: when I have game for dinner and when I haven't`. Churchill, S.D.

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Pairing food and wine

• Pair wines and food of similar intensity eg, sushi and vintage port are not necessarily a good pairing.

• Spicy, chilli food is made hotter by high alcohol and tannic, dry red wines.

• Spicy, chilli food is neutralised by fruity and or sweet wine.

• If you are serving sweet wine with dessert make sure that the dessert is not sweeter than the wine, otherwise the wine will be flattened.

• If you have a low quality, slightly bitter red wine, serving it with tangy, bitter foods will bring out the fruitiness.

A few practical guidelines

Enjoy and experiment to find out your likes and dislikes is the best advice!

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Pairing food and wine – Intensity

Flavour intensity comparison

• Intensity of flavours in both food and wine must be compatible to avoid the overpowering effect

• Wasteful to pair a hefty, powerful vintage port with delicate salmon sashimi

• Dry Riesling with lightly cooked Japanese items particularly tempura is very compatible.

• Full bodied Aussie Shiraz with braised or stew meat dishes

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Pairing food and wine – Texture

Textural considerations• Some foods are more textural

than flavour driven (Offal such as tripe and brains)

• Strawberries for sweet, juicy succulence more so than the unmistakable strawberry flavour

• Sometimes food texture is used to disguise a lack of real flavours (cornflakes)

• Wine texture – tannins, bubbles.• Texture combination –

champagne and oysters.

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Pairing food and wine – Flavour notesFlavour notes and timing

• Perfume industry:– Top/High note = first series noticed– Base/Low note = most 'solid' and

long lasting• Food:

– Chilli and ginger – high notes– Richness of chocolate and salt – low

• Wine:– Riesling or NZ Sauvignon Blanc –

high – US Zinfandel – low

• Matching:– Contrast low against high, or– Match low-low and high-high (more

common)

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Serving wine – temperature

• Sparkling wines, dessert wines and light-bodied whitesChilled (34 to 50o F)

• Fuller-bodied whites such as Chardonnay and white RhônesSlightly warmer than light-bodied whites

• Light reds (most Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley)Slightly cooler than full-bodied reds

• Full-bodied reds such as Australian Cabernet and Shiraz, California Cabernet and blends, Bordeaux and RhôneCellar temperature (55 to 65o F)

Serving temperature

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Serving wine – opening

• Most wines are finished with a cork, covered by a capsule of either metal or plastic.

• To open, cut the capsule around the neck just below the lip of the bottle and remove the top of the capsule.

• Wipe the top of the bottle with a damp towel or cloth if necessary.

• Use a corkscrew to remove the cork.

Opening wine

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Serving wine – decanting

• Fine reds with bottle age produce a natural sediment as colour pigments and tannins bond together and fall out of solution.

• Decanting - the process of separating the clear wine from the sediment.

• Best results – leave bottle upright for 24 hours before decanting.

• Using a light source under the neck gently pour the wine until the sediment is reached.

Decanting wine

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Serving wine – carafing

• Different to decanting – goal is to introduce air into the wine.

• Never done on a mature wine – will rapidly accelerate oxidation (sometimes reducing the time the wine lasts to a few minutes!!)

• Occasionally used on very young wine that would benefit from more oxidation.

• Tip the open bottle upside down and quickly pour into the new container.

Carafing wine

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Serving Champagne

1. Prepare the champagne-bucket by filling it with water and ice-cubes

Tip: half water, half ice-cubes. That’s much better than crushed ice!

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Serving Champagne

2. Bring the bottle in its ice-bucket and put it on the table or a stand nearby

Tip: the more other patrons you have seeing the bottle, the more orders for Moët & Chandon you’ll get!

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Serving Champagne

3. Show the bottle to the guest who ordered

Tip: place it on a napkin (it drips!)

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Serving Champagne

4. Tear off the foil by pulling the black tab

Tip: place your thumb around the foil, just under the tab, in order not to damage the part on the neck of the bottle

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Serving Champagne

5. Untwist the cage and loosen it

Tip: don ’t take it off: you ’ll have a better grip on the cork, and less risk of the cork escaping your control

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Serving Champagne

6. Turn the bottle (not the cork) by holding it from the bottom

Tip: you have more strength since the bottom is broader than the cork

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Serving Champagne

7. Keep the bottle as flat as possible

Tip: you have less risk of a gushing bottle!

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Serving Champagne

8. Have a firm control of the cork by placing your thumb on top of it

Tip:don’t aim at anybody!

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Serving Champagne

9. Gently release the cork with a slight « pop! »

Tip: don’t make it too noisy (except for special circumstances…)

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Serving Champagne

10. Smell the cork to detect any bad taste

Tip: unless you notice a confirmed « corky » taste, wait for comments from the guest…

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Serving Champagne

11. Serve a small amount to the guest for approval

Tip: make the label fully visible: they pay for it!

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Serving Champagne

12. Hold the bottle with your thumb in the bottom and pour slowly

Tip: pouring slowly allows to limit the level of foam

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Serving Champagne

13. You may also hold the bottle making a claw with your fingers

Tip: this gives you a better grip, especially for magnums

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Serving Champagne

14. Fill the glasses no more than 2/3 full

Tip: better serve more often than fill glasses too high (more staging, more occasions for other patrons to fancy ordering the same!)

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Serving Champagne

15. Replace the bottle in its ice-bucket, with the label fully visible

Tip: no towel to cover the bottle! Maximum visibility increases your chance of making more sales!

chapter 4 - food and wine

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