Mr. Flores

Food & Beverage

Pairings: Is It Better to Pair Wine with Food or Food with Wine?

By Juan Carlos Flores, Executive Sommelier, Pueblo Bonito Hotels Resorts & Spas

On a world map, if we divide the planet into north and south hemispheres, locate the latitudes between 25 degrees and 50 degrees in each hemisphere, and then shade in these areas from west to east all along the map, we will find most of the world's wine-producing countries. These imaginary lines were formerly a simple and generic way to define the areas of our planet that share similar weather conditions that are favorable to growing good quality grapes for producing wine.

Today these lines are less distinct. Countries outside of those latitudinal ranges are producing good wines, having discovered wonderful microclimates that provide the conditions necessary for production of fine grapes. It is important to understand this microclimate concept, because the combination of weather conditions, soil, mountains, rivers, lakes and oceans produce the flora and fauna that ultimately create what we are going to eat and drink. Even the style of the wine will be defined by nature itself-of course with some help from us-and this is exactly what gives each gastronomical region in the world its own unique personality. The better people understand their land, the better they will understand how to produce wonderful products that harmonize perfectly together. And this is what creates the tastes that we want to experience.

How does nature define the style of wines? This is an excellent question, and once we understand it, our parameters for qualifying a wine and making the correct selections for pairing become easier and more enjoyable. Clearly, all of us have different tastes and preferences, but certain basic facts help us achieve more discernment and encourage us to enjoy a wider range of experience, knowledge and confidence about wines. At the same time, we begin to understand that the possibilities are limitless. The more we learn, the more we realize how much more there is to know.

I would like to begin by inviting you to taste a famous white grape variety called Chardonnay from two different countries-one from Chablis in France and another from Napa Valley in California-imagining both as made in the same way and with almost no oak aging. The French wine will show more citrus and green apple aromas, and have a more tart and chalky taste. The Napa Valley Chardonnay will show more aromas of exotic fruits and golden apples, with a fuller bodied taste. How can this be when they are both Chardonnays? Simple. Because the regions and microclimates which have produced them are very different.

In Chablis we have cooler weather, which makes grapes ripen more slowly than they do in a warm region. So at harvest time they have more acidity and less sugar. Sugar will be transformed into alcohol, so the less sugar the grape has once it is harvested, the less alcoholic the wine will be, and more acidity will appear in the flavors. The chalk in the Chablis soil also influences the flavor.

The Napa Valley is a region richer in sunlight exposure and soil, so the Chardonnay grapes will ripen more fully. They can attain higher levels of sugar and more complex aromas, which yield a wine with exotic fruit aromas, golden apples and often a higher alcohol content, depending on the sugar level when the grapes are harvested.

This holds true with every grape variety, white or red. Each variety will show certain characteristics in cold weather and other characteristics in warm conditions. Ii is my personal opinion that when a winemaker respects the viticulture in the vineyards and knows how to utilize the value of these natural characteristics without modifying them much with winemaking techniques, the result will be a wonderful wine that will match the natural food offered in the same region. So we have to learn these grape characteristics to understand the wine and have a better idea of how a wine from a cold or warm region should be.

Throughout the world we are living in a period of experimentation, when many winemakers are breaking all the rules of wine-making. Though I agree that progress and finding new styles is important, we need to give our clients enough information to let them know that sometimes what they are tasting is completely different from the typical characteristics of the grape variety and/or the region it comes from, so they won't be confused.

I place so much emphasis on the products from any given region because while traveling I have found that in every place where we find good quality wine grapes, we also find wonderful local food that perfectly matches the wine. This regional approach is one of the classic ways for pairing wine and food, and I take great pleasure in discovering through the local people the way they eat and drink-and have done so for generations. For example, in Greece you find white wines with notorious acidity that match perfectly with the acidity in their salads and wonderful olives. Similarly, the white wines of Rias Baixas, Spain, match perfectly with their incredible seafood. And consider a Burgundy Pinot Noir pairing roasted poultry with some Dijon Mustard; a Mexican Cabernet Sauvignon with a Mexican dish made with different local dry chilies; an Italian Brunello with local meat and pasta with hints of truffle; an Australian Shiraz with some delicious local lamb in a reduced sauce; or a rich Zinfandel with grilled meat and barbecue in California. Isn't it wonderful to learn about another culture through wine and food? This classical way of pairing is the most common in the all world of wine. In Europe, for centuries every country has valued their own local products and created recipes for food that match perfectly with their wines, while winemakers continue improving the wines from their old vineyards. The end results are amazing.

In New World wine countries, we do much the same, but because we have fewer years of experience producing wine and because we like modifying our styles constantly, we do not yet have the distinct wine characteristics from a given place that show its terroir, as older countries do. Here, gastronomy is growing and changing so quickly with new styles and fusion of different cultures that wine production can't keep up with the changes in food. We produce wine once a year, while food styles may change many times in the space of a year. As a consequence, sommeliers need to look for wines from other countries that are not exactly perfect for our dish, so we then need to modify the recipe of our dish a little, if the chef agrees. Imagine, for example, that a wine area has the proper growing conditions and is trying to create a good Pinot Grigio, which takes time. However, the market needs a Gewurztraminer to complement the current "in food," which is prepared with Asiatic spices and curries. So then we find a winery that doesn't have the right weather and soil conditions for it trying to make Gewurztraminer, possibly ending with something called a "new style" that is perhaps not bad, but will not hold true to what it should be. This will confuse the public regarding the true nature of Gewurztraminer.

Consider Riesling, for example. Most people in new world think Riesling is always sweet. This is because Riesling originates from a cool climate, and if the grapes are grown in warm conditions they will have a high sugar content that can't be fermented into alcohol enough to produce a dry wine because it would be very alcoholic, with no balance at all. If all the alcohol is not fermented, you end with residual sugar. Riesling, when it is dry and produced in the proper conditions, is an amazing wine and is one of the most food-friendly wines.

Earlier, I mentioned modifying recipes to match the wine. Let me pose a question: Which would be easier-to change a dish with one or two ingredients, or to change a wine that is already very close to the perfect match? I know some chefs who, rather than changing anything in their recipe, think sommeliers should find the perfect wine for their dishes. This is fine when the chef's cuisine is more Mediterranean in style, with just a few ingredients, and the flavor is simple and not very strong. Then it is easier to pair this dish with different kinds of wine. The problem occurs when a chef creates a dish like grilled T-bone with a guava sauce and a client want us to match this dish with a red wine. Which would be easier, to change the dish or to find a red wine with a guava flavor?

There is a similar problem when we have a restaurant with tasting menus and clients expect to find each course perfectly matched with the wine. Then communication between chef and sommelier must be so solid that working together can produce a wonderful experience. These days, more and more new chefs are studying the basic things about wine. This is excellent because it helps them create unique dishes with great ingredients that go well with different wines, and sommeliers can find wines in various budgets that match perfectly.

A friend of mine works with me as head chef of a very upscale and innovative Mexican Restaurant, where we know that there is no dish that can't be paired with the wine we plan to drink.

Juan Carlos Flores, executive sommelier with Pueblo Bonito Oceanfront Resorts and Spas, was named Mexico’s champion sommelier in 2004, and in 2005 won the Five Star Diamond Award for best North American sommelier. Mr. Flores was educated in Mexico, France and the United States and speaks fluent English, Spanish and French. As executive sommelier, he oversees the extensive wine collections of Pueblo Bonito’s seven resort hotels and numerous restaurants, provides pairing recommendations, and serves as wine advisor and instructor. Mr. Flores can be contacted at jflores@pueblobonito.com.mx Extended Bio...

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