Cross Drinking

White wine with steak? Red wine with fish?
Here are a few varietals that really swing.

By David Marglin

One of the great myths of this past century (wine writers tend to muse upon the grand span at its close) was that red wine goes only with red meat and white wine goes only with “white” meats (including fish and fowl). Like all myths, this one offered a simple and graspable way to get a handle on the extraordinary, like the myth of Helios and the sun (or, for that matter, Bacchus and the discovery of wine). Because whether you think about such things or not, pairing wine and food goes to the very essence of being a wine lover. And few are the rules. To be sure, wine is a food, yet it is also the perfect accompaniment to most foods. The quest is to find a wine that works well with the rest of the stuff you are putting in your mouth. And this is no small task.

It’s true that your red meats, for the most part, are always going to work best with red wines, especially big wines like Cabs, Merlots, Syrahs, and Zins. But yes, you can find white wines that make a steak taste better, or those with which to woo a succulent lamb chop: there are a few Semillon-Chardonnay blends and some straight Chards that can stand up to bloody meat, and even some Rieslings and Pinot Gris will rally if necessary. For the most part, though, the first part of the rule — red wine with red meat — works and makes sense (though we’ve all been shamed by our physicians into cutting back on red meat!). Big chewy reds go best with red meat, and vice-versa, period, end of story.

As for the rest, don’t believe the hype. So many red wines work so well with so many “white” meats and fishes, it isn’t even funny (or, it is). When you order chicken, think Zinfandel, like any of the 1998 Ridge’s (especially Pagani Ranch and Paso Robles from the Dusi Ranch), or those beauties from Mendocino like Mariah or Lolonis. With salmon, I love Pinot Noir, especially those from the Sonoma Coast like Wild Hog, Flowers, Littorai, as well as this new batch of 1998 Oregons, including Torii Mor, anything from Ken Wright, Hamacher, Adelsheim, Willamette Valley Vineyards, or Willakenzie Estate. The 1998 Oregons are pretty much all good, and they’re so fruity they work beautifully with Thai and Indian cuisines. Big Pinots are grown and made all over the world, and many of them work beautifully with less-delicate pieces of fish (sauce depending, of course). I love Coldstream Hills from Australia, and Martinborough’s New Zealand Pinots have wowed wine critics for years. South African Pinots are coming on strong, too. Beyond Pinot and Zin, other red wines swing.

I have been recently engaged in a love affair with Grenache, and I find a lot of 1998 Southern Rhônes are bold accompaniments to fried chicken, paellas, and fried seafood. The key is to think about the flavors of the wine, but the problem with this advice, alas, is that most folks do not know the flavors of most wines from memory. And you almost never know exactly how even the most well-prepared dish is going to taste. So to me, it is all about ballpark figures, and observance of these five simple rules.

*Some foods are wine-proof. Which means, if you get, say, a spicy lemony beef salad, don’t expect any red to like it. Red wines don’t care for citrus, nor do they like vinaigrettes. Or raw fruit. So you have to just forget about finding anything good to pair with certain dishes. Drink beer.

*There is a red wine for almost any food that goes well with white wine (though not vice-versa). The trick of course, is finding it, and here again, in most instances, with a little effort, there’s someone out there who can help. You can, for example, email us here at wine@phx.com, and we can make some recommendations. If you are at a restaurant, nowadays there is almost always someone who can suggest which reds cross over nicely. At your local fine wine merchant, and there are many, they will show you a few options.

*Softer, fruitier reds will generally work better with foods that traditionally pair well with whites. Common sense, but don’t serve a big Merlot with Dover sole, or a massive Shiraz with some delicately spiced chicken dish.

*Plonk won’t work. Plonk are your basic under-$10 wines, very approachable, with names like Turning Leaf or Ecco Domani. They are decent enough, but they are so clean-cut that, in my experience, they don’t excite the palate in an experimental cross-over moment. If you wanna swing, spend money or choose very wisely, with the help of a professional.

*Learn from mistakes. If you try to match a red with something where white might seem more appropriate, chances are, if you have any help or know what you are doing in the least, you will be pretty successful. But sometimes, the combo won’t work, the match will be off. Assuming you like the wine, I am inclined to think that if something doesn’t click, it’s the varietal that isn’t working. Assuming the dish is not wine-proof, remember what was off, and go back to your wine professional for another match.

The trick, as always when pairing red wine with not-red meats and fishes and vegetables, is to keep an open mind with your open wine. It may feel a little kinky to drink a red in a white-situation, but to each his or her own, right? The magic of wine is that it gives you so many choices, and such staggering variety. Enjoy yours!!