11 Comments
Aug 31, 2022Liked by Jason Wilson

Great article Jason....brought lots of wry smiles.

One of my favourite takes on this subject is the idea of refusing the menu in a restaurant when you first sit down....( usually to much surprise!).

1) Ask for the wine list instead;

2) Choose a wine that you know that you like - OR, if feeling adventurous, choose one that you've never had;

3) Drink a glass (or two); THEN

4) Ask for the menu - and now choose something to eat that you think would go perfectly (for you) with the wine that you are already enjoying....

WHO says that it should always be done the other (traditional) way around??

Voilà

Expand full comment

Jason, obviously there is a lot of cods waffle written about this topic. I think that what many self -styled experts miss is that context and wine style are more important than variety and actual recipe, hence the power of your anecdotes in the article. Personally I think pairing notes should be suggestive and not prescriptive. Perhaps the best notes say something about the wine, eg instead of saying "big robust red wine" say "enjoy with charcoal grilled beef"

By the way have you read The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Signit? It deals more with food flavours but there is plenty about wine food pairings as well.

Expand full comment
Jun 29, 2022Liked by Jason Wilson

So true, but didn't you have a podcast episode about pairing fish filet sandwiches? JK, keep up the good writing

Expand full comment
Jun 28, 2022Liked by Jason Wilson

Ha ha! Are you having a side swipe at Wine Folly? I saw an email about Wine pairings with different flavours of crisps (chips). I didn't open it.

But don't forget that wine pairings are also about marketing. Eating foie gras in SW France? You've got to have a Pacherenc or Jurançon. It's the LAW apparently. They even sell the stuff in the tasting rooms.

And last year I persuaded someone to buy a difficult orange wine by going into the kitchen and coming out with a plate of local sheep's cheese to go with it. It worked a treat. They bought a case.

I know you've knocked the idea of terroir, but to a winemaker it's economics at the end of the day.

Take care and enjoy the rest of the day/evening!

Pam/The Art of Wine

Expand full comment