Heard It Through The Grapevine: Part 2 of 2
By Angela Brown | The Pizza Wine Co.

As discussed in in the last edition of PMQ’s Pizza Australia, matching food and wine can be a very daunting issue for restauranters, employees and consumers. As discussed previously, there are no strict rules for matching wine and food, just a few guidelines that can make the whole process fun and interesting.

When matching food, individual tastes certainly play a big role, but remember to keep in mind the three basic tastes; sweet, bitter and sour. In addition, the weight, intensity and texture of the wine is also important as it is all about striking harmony. Either match like with like or create balance through contrast, but remember a non-traditional pairing can also often bring about interesting results.

One of the most widely known ‘guidelines’ is white wine with white-fleshed meat (chicken and fish) and red wine with red-fleshed meat (beef and lamb). However this can be considered a generalisation as many dishes such as pork, turkey and salmon can be matched with white or red wine. In the end, it’s the preparation of the dish that guides the match. For example, a pork dish accompanied by a red wine sauce may be better suited to a lighter style red wine accompaniment.

In the last article I presented a number of white wines that would work well with Italian food, I would now like to discuss some interesting red wine varieties that are an alternative to the ‘usual’ varieties such as Shiraz or Cabernet and will match well to Italian style dishes such as pizza, pasta and hearty meat dishes.

Sangiovese is a very versatile food wine and can be paired with anything Italian (of course!) such as pasta or pizza or even hearty meat dishes. A bright cherry red colour with medium intensity, the name, Sangiovese, derives from Sanguis Jovis or ‘Jupiter’s Blood.’ The nose displays aromas of cherries, red berry and dried herbs, while the cherry and red berry flavours follow through to the medium bodied palate of fresh fruit and fine tannins with a lingering finish. Gaining increasing popularity in Australia, Sangiovese is the most widely planted grape in Italy and has its origins in Tuscany, where it is the main variety of the Chianti blend.

Barbera is a medium crimson colour with aromas of ripe blood plums and dried herbs. Although little known or planted in Australia, Barbera is one of the most widely planted grape varieties in Italy. A native of the Piedmont region in the hilly north-west of the country, it is regarded with great fondness by local vignerons, as it is a generous bearer and produces elegant wines full of natural spicy fruit, crisp balancing acidity and relatively low tannin. These factors make it the perfect partner to the wide range of foods such as a rack of lamb infused with rosemary and served with crisp roasted vegetables or even a tomato based white meat dish such as Chicken Cacciatore. In Australia, Barbera it is gaining increasing recognition as a premium grape variety of enormous potential.

This article includes more...

Click here to get your paid subscription to read the whole story.