Classic Pairings

Most food, if not an outright classic dish has an old-world origin. If you can identify that origin, it is beneficial to your pairing ability to look at the what beverages are consumed in that region.
You can then apply the idea of “what grows together, goes together.” That is, wines and foods from the same region often pair quite well.

For example, we often serve a ham hock terrine with pickled mustard seeds. Local ham hocks with mustard seeds that we pickle in house. A southern dish without a doubt but what to pair with it?

So, I look at the classics of the world and to me, I’ve found that this dish, while unquestionably Southern, actually mimics a dish you might encounter in Burgundy, France. In Burgundy they serve a dish called Jambon Persillé. This is a boiled ham terrine that is served at the beginning of a meal. When you travel to Burgundy, you will find that mustard is a condiment there much the way salt and pepper is here (a well-known town in Burgundy is named Dijon and the mustard from this region is renowned). Because it’s such an important condiment, one might add mustard to this ham terrine as they’re eating it which would make the whole dish very similar to the terrine we serve here.

So, an easy answer for pairing with this dish is a Burgundy Wine. Furthermore, knowing that white Burgundy is made from Chardonnay and red Burgundy is made from Pinot Noir mostly, I might also pair a Pinot Noir or a Chardonnay from somewhere else in the world.

Another good example is a simple game day dish of Bratwursts and Peppers. What to pair with this? Well, I ask myself, where in the world might you find a dish like this? Alsace and Germany both come to mind. Guess what? The wines from those areas of the world work beautifully with this dish as do similar wines from other places in the world (Sonoma Coast Riesling anybody?).

This is a great technique that almost always proves to work wonderfully and it makes your life much easier when trying to pick the right wine!

Andy Chabot, Food and Beverage Director