6 Chef-Authorised Wine and Meals Pairing Ideas

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

“Cooks and sommeliers are each very particular in the way in which they consider components,” says Justin Pichetrungsi. A 2022 Meals & Wine Greatest New Chef, he reimagined each the meals menu and wine checklist at his mother and father’ long-running Los Angeles restaurant, Anajak Thai, in 2019. “I’d 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 satisfaction in that data.” 

At this weekend’s Meals & Wine Traditional in Aspen, Pichetrungsi and 2013 F&W Greatest New Chef Chris Shepherd will face off in opposition to 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 really you possibly can pair meals with wine,” says Pichetrungsi. “And that’s actually the place you possibly can 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. 

Assume regionally 

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

“All you want is a primary understanding of the producers and kinds you get pleasure from,” 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 unsuitable. However that is the place I begin fascinated with 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 chunk. Unorthodox? Sure. Scrumptious? Hell sure.”

Seafood and crimson wine? Go for it 

The concept seafood can’t pair with crimson wine is simply too normal, in keeping with the cooks. “It actually relies on what sauces you’re utilizing, how [your dish] is seasoned, how fatty the fish or the seafood is, and the final physique of the sauce,” says Pichetrungsi.

He suggests serving a flavorful crab curry, for instance, with a Beaujolais or dry Lambrusco. “What’s enjoyable, not less than for me, with Thai delicacies, is the flavors are so various all through the meal that you would be able to go in any route you need.” 

Take into account the ‘Champagne reset’

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

“If 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 virtually 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.”