WINE TERMINOLOGY

Winemakers and wine writers use a variety of descriptions to communicate the aromas, flavors and characteristics of wines. Many of the terms seem familiar and natural, yet others are less clear. Use this glossary of common wine terminology to help you better understand and describe the wines you enjoy.

Acidity The presence of natural fruit acids that lend a tart, crisp taste to wine

Aroma Smells in wine that originate from the grape

Astringent Bitter; gives a drying sensation in the mouth

Balanced All components of the wine are in harmony

Barrel Fermented White wine that is fermented in an oak barrel instead of a stainless steel tank

Body The weight and tactile impression of the wine on the palate that ranges from light to heavy/full

Bouquet Smells from winemaking, aging and bottle age

Buttery Rich, creamy flavor associated with barrel fermentation

Character Describes distinct attributes of a wine

Chewy Wine that has a very deep, textured and mouth-filling sensation

Clean Wine without disagreeable aromas or tastes

Closed Wine that needs to open up; aging and/or decanting can help

Complex Layered aromas, flavors and textures

Cooked Wine that has been exposed to excessively high temperatures; spoiled

Corked Wine that has been tainted with moldy smells or other obvious flaws from a bad cork

Delicate Light, soft and fresh wine

Dry No sugar or sweetness remaining; a fruity wine can be dry

Earthy Flavors and aromas of mushroom, soil and mineral

Elegance A well balanced, full wine with pleasant, distinct character

Finish The final impression of a wine on the palate; ranges from short to long

Firm Texture and structure of a young, tannic red

Flabby/Flat Lacking in acidity, mouth-feel, structure and/or texture

Fleshy A soft textured wine

Flinty A mineral tone, aroma or flavor

Floral Flower aromas such as rose petals, violets, gardenia or honeysuckle

Fruity Obvious fruit aromas and flavors; not to be confused with sweet flavors such as berries, cherries and citrus

Full-Bodied Rich, mouth filling, weighty-textured wine

Grassy Aromas and flavors of fresh cut grass or fresh herbs

Green Unripe, tart flavors

Hard Texture and structure that hinders flavor

Herbaceous Grassy, vegetable tones and aromas

Lean Wine is thin and tastes more acidic than fruity

Legs Teardrop impressions of alcohol weightiness that are visible on the inside edges of a wine glass

Light-Bodied A wine with delicate flavors, texture and aromas

Lively Young, fruity and vivacious flavor

Malolactic Conversion of hard, malic acid (green apple flavors) in wine to soft, lactic acid (rich, butter flavors)

Medium-Bodied A wine with solid, but not rich weight and texture

Nose The smell of a wine; aroma

Oak Aromas and flavors contributed during barrel fermentation and/or aging such as vanilla, caramel, chocolate, smoke, spice or toast

Off-Dry (Semi-dry) Very low levels of residual sugar remaining in the wine

Rich Weighty flavors and texture

Round Smooth flavors and texture; well-balanced

Smoky/Toasty Aromas of smoke and toast imparted by fired barrels

Sweet Wines that have a higher concentration of sugar after fermentation

Tannin A drying, astringent sensation on the palate that is generally associated with heavier red wines

Terroir French word reflecting the expression of soil, topography and climate in a wine

Thin Wine is unpleasantly watery and lacks flavor and texture

Vegetal Herbal, weedy aromas and flavors

Velvety Smooth-textured with deep, rich aromas and flavors

Vintage Year that grapes were harvested and fermented to make a wine

FOOD AND ACCOMPANIMENTS

Food & Accompaniments from HEMANT SINGH

Food & Accompaniments Presentation Transcript Food & Accompaniments Accompaniments are highly flavoured seasonings of various kinds offered with certain dishes. The object of offering accompaniments with dishes is to improve the flavour of the food or to counteract its richness or texture. HORSD’OEUVRES HOR SD’OEUVRES HORSD’OEUVR’ES HOR SD’OEUVRES GRAPEFRUIT COCKTAIL: SERVED WITH: CASTOR SUGAR HORSD’OEUVR’ES HOR SD’OEUVRES TOMATO JUICE: SERVED WITH: WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE HORSD’OEUVR’ES HOR SD’OEUVRES OYSTERS : SERVED WITH: CAYENNE PEPPER PEPPER MILL CHILLI VINEGAR TABASCO SAUCE LEMON WEDGE BROWN BREAD & BUTTER SNAILS : SERVED WITH: BROWN BREAD & BUTTER HORSD’OEUVRES HOR SD’OEUVRES SHRIMPS: SERVED WITH: CAYENNE PEPPER PEPPER MILL LEMON WEDGES HOT BREAKFAST TOAST HORSD’OEUVRES HOR SD’OEUVRES HAM MOUSSE: SERVED WITH: HOT BREAKFAST TOAST HORSD’OEUVRES HOR SD’OEUVRES GULL’S EGG SERVED WITH: BROWN BREAD & BUTTER ORIENTAL SALT HORSD’OEUVRES HOR SD’OEUVRES SMOKED SALMON SERVED WITH: CAYENNE PEPPER PEPPER MILL LEMON WEDGE BROWN BREAD & BUTTER HORSD’OEUVRES HOR SD’OEUVRES ASPARAGUS: SERVED WITH: HOLLANDAISE SAUCE (IF HOT) VINAIGRETTE (IF COLD) HORSD’OEUVRES HOR SD’OEUVRES GLOBE ARTICHOKE HOLLANDAISE SAUCE (IF HOT) VINAIGRETTE (IF COLD) HORSD’OEUVRES HOR SD’OEUVRES CORN ON THE COB SERVED WITH: BEURRE FONDUE HORSD’OEUVRES HOR SD’OEUVRES FRESH PRAWNS SERVED WITH: BROWN BREAD & BUTTER MAYONNAISE SAUCE HORSD’OEUVRES HOR SD’OEUVRES CHILLED MELON SERVED WITH: GROUND GINGER CASTOR SUGAR HORSD’OEUVRES HOR SD’OEUVRES AVACADO SERVED WITH: BROWN BREAD & BUTTER HORSD’OEUVRES HOR SD’OEUVRES SHELLFISH COCKTAIL SERVED WITH: BROWN BREAD & BUTTER HORSD’OEUVRES HOR SD’OEUVRES SOUP CRÈME DE TOMATE SERVED WITH: CROUTONS CONSOMME SERVED WITH: DEPENDING ON GARNISH FRENCH ONION SOUP SERVED WITH: GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE GRILLED FLUTES PETITE MARMITE SERVED WITH: GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE GRILLED FLUTES POACHED BONE MARROW POTAGE GERMINY SERVED WITH: CHEESE STRAWS BOUILLABASSE SERVED WITH: THIN SLICES OF FRENCH BREAD DIPPED IN OIL AND GRILLED BORTSCH SERVED WITH: SOUR CREAM BEETROOT JUICE BOUCHEES FILLED WITH DUCK PASTE TURTLE SOUP SERVED WITH: BROWN BREAD & BUTTER SEGMENTS OF LEMON CHEESE STRAWS MEASURE OF SHERRY FISH & SEA FOOD FRIED FISH SERVED WITH: SEGMENTS OF LEMON, SAUCES: TARTARE, REMOULADE, GRIBICHE GRILLED FISH SERVED WITH: SEGMENTS OF LEMON, COLD SAUCES: TARTARE, REMOULADE, GRIBICHE HOT SAUCES: BEARNAISE, TYROLIENNE POACHED FISH SERVED WITH: SEGMENTS OF LEMON, COLD SAUCES: TARTARE, REMOULADE, GRIBICHE HOT SAUCES: HOLLANDAISE, MOUSSELINE GRILLED HERRING SERVED WITH: MUSTARD SAUCE POACHED SALMON SERVED WITH: HOLLANDAISE SAUCE MOUSSELINE SAUCE MUSSELS SERVED WITH: BROWN BREAD & BUTTER, CAYENNE PEPPER CRAWFISH SERVED WITH: MAYONNAISE SAUCE COLD LOBSTER SERVED WITH: MAYONNAISE SAUCE FARINACEOUS SPAGHETTI SERVED WITH: GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE MEAT CURRY SERVED WITH: POPPADAMS, PAN CAKES ROAST BEEF SERVED WITH: ENGLISH/FRENCH MUSTARD, HORSERADISH SAUCE, YORKSHIRE PUDDING, ROAST GRAVY ROAST LAMB SERVED WITH: MINT SAUCE. ROAST GRAVY ROAST PORK SERVED WITH: SAGE & ONION STUFFING, APPLE SAUCE, ROAST GRAVY BOILED MUTTON SERVED WITH: CAPER SAUCE SALTED BEEF SERVED WITH: TURNED ROOT VEGETABLES, DUMPLINGS, NATURAL COOKING LIQUOR BOILED FRESH BEEF SERVED WITH: TURNED ROOT VEGETABLES, NATURAL COOKING LIQUOR, ROCK SALT, GHERKINS CALF’S HEAD SERVED WITH: BOILED BACON, PARSLEY SAUCE, BRAIN SAUCE, SAUCE VINAIGRETTE GRILLED STEAKS SERVED WITH: FRENCH/ENGLISH MUSTARD, BEURRE MAITRE D’HOTEL, POMMES PAILLE (STRAW POTATOES), WATERCRESS IRISH STEW SERVED WITH: WORCESTER SAUCE, PICKLED RED CABBAGE POULTRY CHICKEN SERVED WITH: BREAD SAUCE, ROAST GRAVY, PARSLEY & THYME STUFING, BACON ROLLS, GAME CHIPS, WATERCRESS ROAST TURKEY SERVED WITH: CRANBERRY SAUCE, BREAD SAUCE, CHESTNUT STUFFING, CHIPOLATA, GAME CHIPS, WATERCRESS, ROAST GRAVY GOOSE SERVED WITH: SAGE & ONION STUFFING, APPLE SAUCE, ROAST GRAVY WILD DUCK SERVED WITH: ORANGE SALAD, ACIDULATED CREAM DRESSING DUCK SERVED WITH: ONION & SAGE STUFFING, APPLE SAUCE, WATERCRESS, ROAST GRAVY GAME HARE SERVED WITH: HEART SHAPED CROUTES FORCEMEAT BALLS RED CURRANT JELLY VENISON SERVED WITH: CUCUMBERLAND SAUCE, REDCURRANT JELLY PARTRIDGE SERVED WITH : FRIED BREAD CRUMBS GROUSE SERVED WITH: HOT LIVER PASTE SPREAD ON A CROUTE PHEASANT SERVED WITH: BREAD SAUCE, GAME CHIPS, WATERCRESS, ROAST GRAVY

FOOD & WINE PAIRING

There is also one important factor that one should always remember when matching wine with food - Cuisine from a particular country or region will inevitably pair best with the wines native in that country or region. This is largely due to the fact that wine and cuisine grow up together in a country. Where this is changing somewhat is in those areas where old wine making traditions are being replaced with more globally acceptable practices and styles. Generally, though, when all else fails - look to the native wines of a particular country to make the best dining partner.

SOME IDEAL PAIRINGS

BEEF BOURGOGNE WITH

 RED BURGUNDY

Much of the synergy in this match is due to the fact that the stew is prepared with the wine being served with it. This is really true of any dish cooked with wine - the match will be best if the dish is prepared with the same wine being served. It is a fallacy that one should cook with inferior wines. When one does so, one produces inferior food

 

SOME IDEAL PAIRINGS

GRILLED BEEF WITH CLARET 

Claret, or more formally, red wine from Bordeaux is often tough, tannic and highly earthy and complex. These elements pair wonderfully with the gamey, robust intensity of the grilled beef. This is especially true in the case of dry aged beef and older Claret. The rich complexity of the beef blends beautifully with the subtle, unfolding complexity in the wine. If you can't find Claret, per se, then look for similarly bodied wines based on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Cabernet Franc. 

SOME IDEAL PAIRINGS

Oysters with Chablis

Chablis hails from Burgundy, France in a region where prehistoric, fossilized seashells make up most of the lower soil strata. Here the grapes are infused with the taste of chalk and the sea. What could be better to pair with the briny, chalky flavors found in fresh, raw oysters? Nothing, I think. If you can't find Chablis, then try to find a similarly weighted white wine that has seen little time in oak and comes from a region with plenty of mineral and limestone in the soil 

SOME IDEAL PAIRINGS

Foie Gras with Sauternes

Like a marriage made in Heaven, foie gras finds its perfect complement in the company of the famed white dessert wine from Bordeaux. What probably makes this pair work best is the sweet, honeyed character of the wine combined with its naturally high acidity that cuts through the rich, fattiness of the duck liver. The often-gamey quality of the liver finds a welcome cushion in the nectar like quality of the wine. If you can't find true Sauternes, then you can often substitute a similar botrytis-affected, dessert wine. 

TROUBLESOME PAIRINGS

There are a number of foods that always pose the greatest challenge when paired with wine. Here are a few:

Vinegar or vinegar-based sauces

Vinegar is wine that has been acted on by a bacteria called acetobacter, which turns the alcohol in the wine into acetic acid and water. Another term for the process is called "souring". Because of this, most wines tend to taste spoiled in the presence of vinegar. Look for clean, bright, high acid wines to pair the best, whites being most favorable.

Tomato or other similarly high acid foods

Especially high acid levels in food make it tough to maintain balance. For this reason, look for high acid wines, like those made with Barbera or Vernaccia grapes to provide the greatest balance. Less acidic wines will be overpowered by highly acidic foods.

Artichoke and asparagus

The complexity and often-weedy flavors in both these vegetables make for tough wine pairing. Look for high acid, grassy wines, like Old World Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire to blend most favorably.

Egg and egg-based dishes

The sulfurous quality of the egg has a similar as vinegar, imparting an unpleasant flavor to softer wines. Look for clean, bright high acid wines to pair best, almost always white.

Cranberry sauce and other similar relishes

The cacophony of flavors that abound in cranberry sauce and pickle relish make them near impossible to pair with wine. As with vinegar and eggs, look for clean, bright and high acid wines.

Chocolate

The variability of chocolate in sweetness and texture can be difficult to pair well with wine. For sweeter chocolate, look for sweeter wines to make an effective pair, making sure to maintain balance in the weight and body of each. For semi-sweet or even bittersweet chocolate, look for drier wines to make an effective pair, again making sure to maintain balance in the weight and body of each.

The Five Rules for Matching Wine with Food

Look for compatible weights and bodies. The essence of this rule embodies the age old 'red wine with red meat, white wine with fish and white meat". In its simplest form, make sure the weight and body of the dish is consistent with the weight and body of the wine.

Look for compatible acidity levels. When pairing food with wine make sure that the acidity level in both are about the same. A good example is a dish like lemon chicken paired with a high acid Vernaccia from Italy.

Look for complementary flavors and complexities. Food and wine shouldn't fight one another for your attention. Instead they should help one another achieve synergy, complimenting each other's best traits. NOTE - There is a corollary to this rule that suggests looking for contradictory, but balancing flavors and complexity. If done correctly, the wine and food match will work, but this approach is much more complex and demands that the chef really knows the dish and the wine very well. Approach the corollary with caution.

When matching wine to a food with a pronounced sauce, pair to the flavors in the sauce. When pairing wine with food, make sure you match according to the strongest traits of each. In a fruit glacé-type sauce one would look for a wine with forward and overt fruitiness to pair best.

When matching wine to a food without a pronounced sauce, pair to the flavors in the main ingredient. This is really a re-statement of rule four, except emphasizing that in the absence of a strong sauce, look to the flavor characteristics of the main ingredient instead

PRINCIPLES OF MATCHING FOOD & WINE

2nd Principle: The Five Basic Taste Sensations

Sweetness: Related to amount of residual sugar in both foods and wines; sensed by taste buds located towards at the tip of the tongue

Sour/tartness: Degree of acidity in both foods and wines (more so in whites than in reds); tasted at the center and sides of the tongue

Saltiness: Not a significant component in wine, but important in how a wine relates to it in foods; tasted somewhere in the center of the tongue

Bitterness: Tasted in many foods, and in the tannin content of red wines (to a lesser degree in whites); tasted towards the rear of the tongue

Umami: The flattering, amino acid related sense of "deliciousness" found in many foods, and to a limited extent in wines (location of "umami taste buds" on palate indeterminate)

3rd Principle: Key Tactile Sensations

Density, body or weight: The sense of light vs. heavy contributed by proteins, fats and/or carbs in foods, and primarily related to degree of alcohol content in wines (bolstered by tannin in reds)

Soft/crisp textures: Tactile contrasts in foods; and in wines, smooth or easy vs. hard, sharp or angular

Spicy/hot: Feel of heat when chiles, peppers or horseradishes are used in foods; not felt as a tactile sensation in wines, but suggested in aromas and flavors ("spice" notes)

4th Principle: Flavor Is Aroma Related

Without the sense of smell, neither foods nor wines have "flavor." Example: the taste and tactile sensations in an apple, a pineapple, and an onion are similar in that they are all sweet, crisp yet juicy, with some degree of acidity, but they all give a distinctly different flavor perceived through the sense of smell.

By the same token, both Cabernet Sauvignon and a Petite Sirah are two types of red wine that tend to be dark, full bodied, dry, and fairly hard in tannin; but the Cabernet gives aromas and flavors of herbal, minty, berry/cassis aromas and flavors, whereas the Petite Sirah gives ripe berry/blueberry and black peppercorn-like aromas and flavors.

5th Principle: The Two Ways Foods and Wines Are Successfully Matched

Similarities
When there are similar taste sensations in both a dish and a wine (example: the buttery sauce in a fish dish enhanced by the creamy or buttery texture of an oak barrel fermented white wine)

Contrasts
When sensations in a wine contrast with sensations in a dish to positive effect (example: the sweetness of a white wine balancing the saltiness of a dish like ham or cured sausage, and vice-versa)

6th Principle: Intrinsically Balanced Foods & Wines Make the Best Matches

No matter what your personal taste, invariably you discover this natural occurrence: the easiest foods and the easiest wines to find a match for are the ones with their own intrinsic sense of harmony and balance. This is because taste buds and sensations of tactile qualities work for you collectively.

 

PRINCIPLES OF MATCHING FOOD & WINE

1st Principle: Wine Is a Food

All food and wine matching is more easily understood when the taste components of wines are thought of in the same way as ingredients in a dish. Just like good cooking involves a balancing of ingredients and technique, good wine/food matching involves focusing on how specific components in wines interact and achieve a sense of balance and harmony with specific components in dishes.

FOOD & WINE PAIRING

FOOD & WINE PAIRING

Wine and food matching is the process of pairing food dishes with wine to enhance the dining experience. In many cultures, wine has had a long history of being a staple at the dinner table and in some ways both the winemaking and culinary traditions of a region will have evolved together over the years. Rather than following a set of rules, local cuisines were paired simply with local wines. The modern "art" of food pairings is a relatively recent phenomenon, fostering an industry of books and media with guidelines for pairings of particular foods and wine. In the restaurant industry, sommeliers are often present to make food pairing recommendations for the guest. The main concept behind pairings is that certain elements (such as texture and flavor) in both food and wine react differently to each other and finding the right combination of these elements will make the entire dining experience more enjoyable. However, taste and enjoyment are very subjective and what may be a "textbook perfect" pairing for one taster could be less enjoyable to another.

Foods and wines are matched in the exact same way as the way they are tasted: on the palate, where it comes together. In other words, you match wine the same way that you match anything that tastes good together.

Take, for instance, a large scoop of icy cold, creamy sweet vanilla ice cream, which is made all the better with a generous scoop of hot chocolate syrup. The match works because both are soft and sweet, and the chocolate adds its own unique flavor ("chocolate!") plus a fun, contrasting sensation (hot vs. cold)