OnTap Magazine

Wine and food – they just go together don’t they? At least, that is what thousands of sommeliers and chefs have worked out over the last few centuries, creating mouth-watering combinations which frankly, can’t really be beaten by beer. The trick to food and wine matching is knowing the ‘danger combinations’ and working to neutralise them while at the same time capitalising on the wonderful effects of the hero tastes and the magic they can create. So what are the ‘danger combinations’? Humans actually only detect five basic tastes and it’s two of those which cause most of the headaches of food and wine matching. Sweetness in food can play havoc with wine unless the wine is at least as sweet as the food so be careful combining a dry Sauvignon Blanc with things like sweet ‘n’ sour or sticky-sweet braai sauces – the wine may end up tasting bitter and thin. Umami – that intensely-savoury taste, found in Marmite, seaweed, mushrooms – is another killer taste, making wines seem drier and more tannic so beware of matching Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz with many Asian dishes where the tannins will become accentuated and frankly, undrinkable. The chilli heat found in many Asian dishes won’t be helped by many wines either, making the spice super-obvious and leaving you crying out for a glass of milk instead (or beer. Damn it!). On the plus side, however, acidity and salt are a winemaker’s dream, making wines smoother, softer, rounder and even a little bit sweeter, adding up to delightful combos where the pairing is far better than eating or drinking the components on their own. Cheese, with its high acid and salt (and its high fat content – also a winner with wine), is the perfect partner for wines both white and red, balancing out high tannins in reds and high acids in whites into a delicious savoury/fruit combination. Acidic salad dressings or squeezes of lemon on seafood go down great with crisp, tangy white wines such as Sauvignon, unwooded Chardonnay and MCC (South African sparkling wines) while the salty seasoning added to any piece of meat before it goes on the braai will soften and round out even the driest tannins in big Bordeaux blends. The real beauty of wine is that there are so many different options available. With 100 grape varieties permitted in South Africa, produced in different areas, blended, barrelled (or not) and bottled by more than 600 different wineries, your choices are almost limitless and somewhere out there is the perfect wine for any food you care to name. Beat that, beer! Danger combinations you say? Ah, we have none of those in the beer pairing world, perhaps because beer is a superior beverage to pair with your dinner? (Or breakfast – we’re not here to judge.) Let me elaborate. Beer has a lot going for it when it comes to food pairing. First of all, it is more complex and varied than people tend to give it credit for. Malt gives flavours that can be biscuity, bready, chocolaty or coffee- like. Now bring hops into the equation with all their spice and citrus and tropical fruit notes. Yeast lends a whole different range of flavours to the glass, from subtle spice to fruitiness. And that’s before you take into account the wealth of herbs, spices, fruits and other goodies brewers can, and often do, add to their beer. While wine pairings tend to focus on contrasts, beer, with its flavours that are often echoed in food, has the ability to easily compliment or contrast the dish you’re devouring. The Maillard flavours from caramelised malts work wonderfully with the char on a piece of pork fat or a flame-grilled steak; the high bitterness of a dry stout contrasts with a big slab of chocolate cake, just as a cup of coffee would. Most beers can’t rely on acidity to cut through richness, but they can rely on carbonation. Beer’s beautiful bubbles also act as a scrubbing brush for the tongue, cleansing the palate for the next bite or sip. It is these bubbles that have in part held beer back as a pairing companion, since it is undeniably more filling that its grape-based cousin. But if you pour 100ml tasters rather than pints with each course, you won’t risk filling up on beer before you get to dessert. And speaking of dessert, this is one area where beer – perhaps surprisingly to some – outshines wine. Whether you try a like-with-like pairing such as a big, sweet stout with a big, sweet slice of malva pud, or something offering more of a contrast like a tart fruit beer with a rich, creamy dessert, beer’s versatility really comes to the fore at the end of dinner. And don’t even get me started on the cheese course. There’s not a wine around that can match the perfect symbiosis of a double IPA with a potent blue cheese, or a hunk of aged gruyere with a farmhouse ale or a Belgian tripel. I mean, you wouldn’t think twice about the marriage of bread and cheese would you? And beer is really just a delicious and versatile form of liquid bread. Just better, because it’s got hops. Acidity and salt are a winemaker’s dream Beer’s beautiful bubbles also act as a scrubbing brush for the tongue Cathy Marston Lucy Corne FEATURE 22 | Winter 2020 | ontapmag.co.za