A FEW THOUGHTS ABOUT WINE
As I sit writing this, I have before me a collection of restaurant bills from a recent gustatory trip to France. And as I reflect on the meals and the accompanying wine selections, I try to recall the reasons I selected each wine. The particulars of those decisions have become sketchy, but the memories of the occasions remain pristinely clear. This reinforces my belief that the satisfaction in properly paired wine and food is so special it is hard to imagine ever having one without the other; good wine and good food simply have a natural affinity for one another. Yet the choice between a Dry Chenin Blanc or a Vouvray Sec to accompany Norman's Pan-Cooked Whole Yellowtail with Key Lime Butter and Basil, or the selection of the Gigondas over a Chateauneuf de Pape for the Fricassee of Rabbit with Com Cakes, is not my decision, but yours. My only exhortation to you is to drink wine purely for the simple pleasure it brings. Whether the meal is grand or humble, wine has the capacity to enhance the occasion, and to make the simplest repast more enjoyable.
It is important to understand at the outset that there isn't one correct wine for any given meal, but rather a host of appropriate wines, depending on the circumstances. You should adjust the quality level of the wine to complement the importance of the meal as determined by the company, the food, or the occasion. My recommendations should serve only as points of departure or stimulus for your own selections. The object of my suggestions is to help you choose wines that are not only compatible with the various recipes, but are also readily available and reasonably priced. Furthermore, you will notice that most of the selections are for younger, lustier, more aggressive wines. This is not because I don't enjoy older vintages of a more complex, subtle nature, but rather because the recipes included in this anthology are generally quite full-flavored. I feel that assertive wines complement assertive foods; the level of intensity of the wine and food should be more symmetrical.
My only criterion when selecting a wine is that neither the wine nor the particular food overpower the other. In making this determination, I consider not only taste, but the weight and texture of both the wine and the accompanying dish. Beyond this, I believe there are no rules, no taboos, no absolute do's or don'ts. Surely, there are less than ideal pairings; but the appreciation of wine is a very subjective thing, and I encourage you to try many different wines. What becomes most important is that you will accumulate
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In most areas of the world, people grow up drinking the wines of their particular region, without knowing any more about the wines of the world than the average American. The abundance of wines available to us in America is mind-boggling and this has unfortunately contributed to Americans being intimidated by the sheer number of choices available to them. We should treat this as an opportunity, however, not as a threat. It is hard to imagine the pairing of any good quality wine with well-prepared food where one had the capacity to ruin the other; through experimentation you will increase your own palatal memory, so for a particular meal you will not only be able to choose a compatible wine, but you might feel that an Australian Cabernet from Coonwara is more appropriate than a Napa Cabernet from Howell Mountain because of a certain subtlety or nuance in the wine that stuck in your memory. So whether the occasion is a dinner party for friends, a recommendation to a patron in a restaurant, or a bottle shared by a couple on their anniversary, when the wine chosen fits the mood of the moment, you will succeed in winning praise and warming hearts-for wine is a potion that truly can perform magic.