All Wines - Grape Varieties and Blends

Introduction

There are more than a thousand grape varieties used in commercial wine production. However, there may only be up to 50 varieties that consumers have ever heard of but usually they drink less of these regularly. In addition, there are multiple grape combinations or blends in varieties percentages that the label doesn’t even mention. This makes finding what consumers like and what food to match with them even harder.

Our approach is to identify the primary grape varieties and cluster them together with the main blending combinations to make it easier to identify wine styles and food matches. Within this approach we discriminate, where relevant between geographic and climatic differences. Not perfect but we hope this is an understandable and useful structure. It also helps the consumer identify options to compare similar varietals or their blends from different locations.

We group these varieties and blends within the categories of red, white, sweet white, sparkling and fortified so that wine (and food) matches are easier to identify. Within each grape “family” we identify general flavour profiles and ideas for food matching. The general flavour profiles are related specifically to the inherent primary grape aromatics, thus does not include flavours derived from for example winemaking, such as for example vanilla aromatics from new oak ageing.

Wine and food matching is a fascinating and never-ending experience. Enjoy the journey.

Wine and food matching

Matching food to wine and indeed wine to food is a complex discussion. We are not trying to be complete or definitive but to just provide some ideas and direction. That said, drinking fine wine and matching it with fine food is influenced by certain “rules” which are useful to appreciate. So where to start:

Madelaine Puckette and Justin Hammack in their excellent book, Wine Folly, note that when paring wine and food there are six primary tastes that affect most wine and food pairings – these are bitter, sweet, acid, salt, piquant (spicy) and fat. When wine and food are matched some of these taste pairings make a harmonious match (like sweet-salt and acid-fat) and others (like bitter-acid and piquant-bitter) are discordant.

Another way to approach pairing wine and food is, according to our very own Master Sommelier, Kathrine Larsen-Robert, by either matching aromas/flavours in the wine with aromas/flavours in the food, and or matching or counteracting textures. An example of the latter can be pairing a richly textured lobster bisque with a richly textured American Chardonnay.

We use these guidelines and also the opinions of a number of experts to collate summary recommendations. But, and this is a big but – there are many elements in a dish which can contribute to a more harmonious or discordant match. For example, the ingredients of a particular sauce served with say a meat, fish, pasta or vegetable dish will influence the match.

Also, keep in mind that the venue, mood, build-up, time, season, occasion and company may also impact the experience. For example, a delightful, chilled white enjoyed with great seafood with a loved one on a beach in Italy may not taste quite the same with fish and chops at the local (although it may work). Another example is that people might follow a main course with cheese, where the wine for the main might not suit the cheese. Either plan for it or don’t sweat it, people simply may be enjoying the moment without having to drink the “right” wine.    

You can have fun with matching. Like everything you can make it as complicated or simple as you like. Yes do some research if you want, or follow guidelines but learning and experience is important. Have fun, talk about it a little, enjoy and remember what works and what doesn’t. As Ted Lasso says, always be curious.

Let’s be curious.