Pairings

Ideal matches: wine+vegetables
«Gastronom» №7(30) July 2004

Whilst big volumes have long been dedicated to pairing meat and wine, vegetables had a humble role of hardly being mentioned in authoritative food and wine reviews.

It is understandable though as mankind has always given priority to meat on the table. The latest culinary trends and fashion for healthy foods start to put new accents in favour of vegetables. So grabbing the opportunity, we will happily try to find wine companions to veggies.

Someone in the West cleverly applied the known axiom about fish and meat to vegetables. Fish was replaced with green veg, meat — the rest of assortment and a universal formula for serving wines with vegetarian dishes was born. Naturally, there is no need to limit oneself to the rule, but is does work as a general reference.

Perhaps, we will also start with green vegetables and then talk about their cousins. Light salads from fresh vegetables seem rather straightforward. Sliced cucumbers and salad leaves will hardly complain if you put a wrong bottle of white wine on the table. The problems arise when you highlight the taste with dressings. A bit of olive oil and lemon juice will probably not affect the wine partner too much, especially if it is made of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio or Riesling grapes. A strong-flavoured dressing containing garlic, mustard or vinegar, though, will demand a more scrupulous choice of wine. Take aromatic rose wine or a white Gewurztraminer. The latter is an unpronounceable Alsatian grape variety with an exotic bouquet of roses and litchis which always comes to aid when a specific food taste can be in conflict with wine. The other option is to drink sweet cider, lager or water with your strongly flavoured salad.

Refined asparagus, the favourite of aristocrats and gods, unfortunately, has a certain dislike of a wine society and can easily destroy the taste of fine wines. So keep you expensive white Burgundies for fish and serve Sauvignon Blanc or Muscat with asparagus. Sancerre from the Loire is a classical choice for this delicacy, but fruity New World Sauvignons will also be a good match especially if asparagus is served with hollandaise sauce.

For other dishes where green vegetables get the central place, like quiche with spinach, vegetarian risotto or buttered green beans do not hesitate to take not only still white, but also sparkling wines and enjoy a lovely taste of vegetables highlighted by a glass of chilled off-dry sparkling wine.

Now we will move to a certain vegetable the wine accompaniment for which depends not only on the cooking method, but on the level of ripeness. Unripe tomatoes, like you often find in our supermarkets, have a high level of acidity which makes them incompatible with many wines, especially red. In this case it is better to take simple undemanding white wines with enough acidity like Chenin Blanc or Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc or Pinot Grigio, Trebbiano or Colombard. If you have ripe, juicy tomatoes grown under the southern sun, them a good Italian Soave or an unoaked Chardonnay, as well as light fruity reds like Chianti or Beaujolais will be a good addition. When tomatoes are treated with heat, be it stewing or grilling, they miraculously become sweetish and acquire rich taste. Here the best matches are red wines, including any Merlot, Italian Barbera or Spanish Tempranillo.

Not only tomatoes, but aubergines, zuccinis, onions and others have certain sweetness when grilled. Being classical Italian antipasti, they will be ideally suited by local wines. In order not to overpower the delicate taste of vegetables, we recommend to try fresh whites from Verdicchio and Pinot Bianco, or originating from Vernaccia di San Giminiano and Lugana. Baked red peppers, squashes, carrots, turnips and sweet potatoes will be nicely accepted in a company with soft French red Cotes-du-Rhone wines.

Moving to more substantial dishes, it is time to talk about beans which not only nicely fill a stomach, but have a few wine partners. Thick bean soups in France are traditionally served with thick red wines from Cahors and Madiran. Already mentioned Cotes-du-Rhone will be great with any baked vegetarian dishes based on lentils and beans. Enchillada with cheese and beans — if it is not the hottest version which can be managed with beer only — will be balanced with light fruity red wines from French Gamay or German Domina grapes.

Stewed ‘roots’ — carrots, potatoes, turnips and the likes — ask for the same type of wines, however bubble-and-squeek, stewed peppered cabbage and onions mixed with mashed potatoes which is common in Europe is ideal with Alsatian Riesling or Gewurztraminer.

There is another vegetable capable of producing filling dishes thanks to its thick texture, an aubergine. Baked with garlic and rosemary or cheese, it will nicely go with creamy Italian Soave or a full-bodied oaked Chardonnay. For ratatouille or moussaka with the dominance or aubergine you may serve soft Sangiovese or universal Cotes-du-Rhone.

Finally, mushrooms formally not part of vegetables, but usually being taken in the same camp. Mushrooms and red Pinot Noir — this is a match made in heaven. Best Pinots, especially from Burgundy, have a complex earthy taste, and their combination with mushroom can undoubtedly reach the peak of eno-gastronomic enjoyment of any vegetarian meal.