6 Chef-Accredited Wine and Meals Pairing Ideas

Want an excellent wine suggestion? If a restaurant doesn’t have a sommelier, the chef could also be your subsequent finest wager. 

“Cooks and sommeliers are each very particular in the way in which they give thought to components,” says Justin Pichetrungsi. A 2022 Meals & Wine Greatest New Chef, he reimagined each the meals menu and wine record at his dad and mom’ long-running Los Angeles restaurant, Anajak Thai, in 2019. “I might say the perfect of each cooks and somms are nerdy, autodidactic individuals who dive deep into the origins or historical past of the merchandise that they use. And we discover a sense of pleasure in that data.” 

At this weekend’s Meals & Wine Basic in Aspen, Pichetrungsi and 2013 F&W Greatest New Chef Chris Shepherd will face off towards sommeliers to see who can craft the perfect meals and wine pairings. Forward of their seminar, we requested Pichetrungsi and Shepherd for chef-approved wine recommendation. 

Pair meals with wine — not the opposite manner round 

“Everybody says that you just pair wine with meals, however truly you may pair meals with wine,” says Pichetrungsi. “And that’s actually the place you may have a good time, as a result of typically you do wish to drink [a specific] wine.” Have your coronary heart set on a bottle of Bordeaux? Ask your sommelier for menu suggestions that can complement it. 

Suppose regionally 

“When desirous about wine pairings, don’t overcomplicate it,” says Shepherd, a self-proclaimed “wine man” who writes a month-to-month wine column for CultureMap Houston. “Suppose regionally. What is sensible primarily based on the place the meals is from? Historically, what grows collectively goes collectively.”

“All you want is a fundamental understanding of the producers and kinds you take pleasure in,” he provides. “Not each Sauvignon Blanc tastes the identical — and the identical goes for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and so forth. Discover areas and kinds that resonate with you.” 

Serve barbecue with bubbles

“Texas barbecue is a problem for lots of people on the subject of what to drink,” says Shepherd. “The smoke and large meaty flavors may make you attain for a bottle of Zinfandel or Syrah, and also you wouldn’t be fallacious. However that is the place I begin desirous about the Texas trinity: brisket, ribs, and sausage. All are wealthy in texture — meaty, fatty, and smoky.”

His resolution to these daring flavors?

“I lean towards an ice-cold bottle of Champagne,” says Shepherd. “It cuts by means of the richness, tones down the smoke, and does a improbable job of clearing the palate, getting you prepared for that subsequent chew. Unorthodox? Sure. Scrumptious? Hell sure.”

Seafood and purple wine? Go for it 

The concept seafood can’t pair with purple wine is simply too common, in response to the cooks. “It actually is dependent upon what sauces you’re utilizing, how [your dish] is seasoned, how fatty the fish or the seafood is, and the overall physique of the sauce,” says Pichetrungsi.

He suggests serving a flavorful crab curry, for instance, with a Beaujolais or dry Lambrusco. “What’s enjoyable, a minimum of for me, with Thai delicacies, is the flavors are so different all through the meal you could go in any path you need.” 

Take into account the ‘Champagne reset’

“The previous ‘Champagne reset’ is without doubt one of the most lovely issues in hospitality that actually I’ve solely ever seen right here at our restaurant,” says Pichetrungsi. The thought is to maintain your palate vigorous by ordering (or serving) some bubbles earlier than dessert. 

“While you end the meal and the desk will get reset, you simply wish to rinse your face off with Neutrogena,” says Pichetrungsi. “That’s what the Champagne reset is to me.” 

Don’t overlook dessert wine

“I actually want that folks spent slightly bit extra time with dessert wine,” says Pichetrungsi. “It’s a good way to increase the expertise [at a restaurant] and to have a dialog.”

Certainly one of his favourite pairings? Mango sticky rice and Madeira. “I like desserts with some savory, salty qualities. As a result of sticky rice has nearly none of those, it’s good to have them within the pairing,” he says. “[With] Madeira, there’s acid, there’s slightly sweetness, there’s slightly little bit of saltiness, and there’s slightly little bit of earthiness.”