lemon-flavoured dishes

[Randy Caparoso]

Gewurztraminer would be a disaster because it has relative low acid and a slight bitterness. When you use lemon or vinegar, you are introducing an acidic component to the dish. This is why Rieslings (dry or half-dry), Sauvignon Blancs, Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigios would do better. These are all wines which have a moderate to high acidity (i.e. tart sensations). When you drink lower acid white wines (Chardonnay, Marsanne or Viognier), lemony or vinegary dishes tends to make the wine taste flatter while the wine makes the dish taste, well, lemony.

Salads, however, cannot just be thought of in terms of vinaigrette. You are also talking about slightly bitter greens, and any type of component ranging from sweet/tart tomatoes to smoky, oily bacon, buttery croutons, salty/lactic blue cheese, etc., etc. So this is where you can become adventurous. In spite of their relatively lower acidity, most dry pink wines, for instance, are a great match for certain salads because they give a slightly denser feel than white wines on the palate, particularly when you are using a good mesclun mix. If you throw slivers of meat on your salad, soft red wines (like Beaujolais and Pinot Noir) can be delightful. I think Foodie mentioned enjoying a light Port when the salad is loaded with blue cheese. Why not? Dense, sweet, dark colored Port matches up royally with salty/rich blue cheeses -- a combination that can be reinforced by introducing slightly sweet balsamics into the mix.

It's always a matter of matching up components. Of course, the trouble is getting to know wines as much as foods. But when you think of it, there is far more variety of foodstuffs than wines. So it's not a difficult thing to learn if you put your mind to it, beginning by tasting and remembering as much variety as possible.


[This message has been edited by Randy Caparoso (edited 05-11-2002).]