I remember when I first developed an interest in wine and food pairing . . . my husband at the time (he’s my ex now), said to me one day, “Jodi, every meal doesn’t need to be an event.” I must have stared at him as if he had sprouted antennae on top of his head, because he never made that observation again.

In life, you have to live for the little moments and therefore, every meal has the potential to be an event. Every wine and food pairing can be special in some way.

Even though I love to cook, I do occasionally drift to the dark side of the grocery store . . . the frozen food aisle. Conveniently close to the grocery store wine aisle. I have found that the PF Chang Orange Peel Chicken is an almost perfect pairing with Cupcake Vineyards Riesling. This is tasty, affordable and more satisfying than any drive-thru disaster. This dish takes approximately 10 minutes to prepare and plate with very little intervention. Enough time to open the wine and get comfortable. Turn on some music. Light some candles. Do not turn on the television. Take the time to discover how this lively Riesling brings out all of the wonderful citrus flavors of the orange peel chicken and cuts through the sweet and spicy sauce. See, every meal can be an event.

Do you have a favorite and convenient food and wine pairing for those busy busy days? Leave a comment!

One thing I’ve learned about drinking wine is to ultimately trust your own taste buds, no matter what any Wine Pro attempts to tell you otherwise.

I’m famous for being in a setting where we’re all drinking a vintage that is supposed to be of exceptional taste and quality and I’m the one thinking, “Hm, this wine sucks…” whereas the others around me are seemingly orgasmic while drinking. Then I have to think, what’s MY problem anyway? “Did I just brush my teeth or something?” Is that why this glass doesn’t appeal to me?

Whatever the case, there is no WRONG in wine tasting, just differences of opinions. So with that in mind, I offer this general advice when it comes to Pairing your wine with a meal. Though many will agree with these generalities (even some Pros), it matters not to me as it’s my formula that I’ve found works for my tastes so far. Maybe it appeals to yours as well?

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Starters

If you are considering fresh salads of somekind, the appropriate wine may be a Sauvignon Blanc.

However, if you are serving cheese, the best company could be a Merlot. Works great with a cheese fondue as well. Been there, done that!

For pizzas, cold cuts or snacks in general, a great choice is a Rosé since they tend to be on the lighter side of the Winosphere.

Main Course

A general good choice for a main course, particularly when it is an important dish, a great wine would be a Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s an awesome ‘all around’, pair-able and certainly drinkable wine to have in the house at any time and for just about any occasion.

But, if the main course includes sour dishes such as seafood, then put your money where the Sauvignon Blanc is and I’ll bet you’ll have a perfect match!

Nonetheless, if you’re serving a red meat dish, you could stretch a bit from the norm and

surprise your guests with a nice Malbec wine. I recently went for an Argentinean vintage from a winemaker I met while producing their Ad spot for Wine Time TV. They gave me a few bottles as payment and I certainly couldn’t complain. Pretty sweet deal!

As any Wino would agree, there’s sort of a standard rule when it comes to fish as a main dish. White wines are the ticket in that department and I definitely agree. So far in my limited Wino-ramma lifestyle, I have to say there’s nothing better than a nice buttery Chardonnay. Then again, if it’s a greasy fish dish (say that 10 times fast…I dare you!) try a dry one on for size. Hm, that whole paragraph seems like it belongs in a Rap song. See what I mean?

Alternately, If you don’t like white wine at all, besides being weird you can also pair fish with a nice Pinot Noir. No worries, no one will think any less of you. If they do, their snobs and you shouldn’t be hanging out with them in the first place; Let alone cooking them dinner!

Lastly, spicy dishes can sometimes be tricky. I’m going to suggest a Syrah simply because I can’t think of anything better. I’ve had the experience and was quite pleased with the result. The only problem I found is, Syrah vintages aren’t often available in your basic shopping location. Maybe you’ll have to go to a real wine seller. Maybe not.

Desserts

Taking into account that desserts themselves are sweet, it’s a logical pairing point to go for a sweet wine as well. Any other choice of wine can and will likely be succumbed by the desserts sweetness. Does that make sense? Admittedly, I’m totally NOT a dessert dude so I have little to offer on this point. However, my friend the Internet suggests a Chenin Blanc, which is a white wine grape variety from the Loire valley of France and as we all know those Frenchies sure can make pretty happening desserts! If I’m wrong, blame the Internet.

Happy pairing and thanks for reading.

Ah, thank Goddess for Spanish wines! This one was a steal at only €2.69! This 2008 had a wonderful, rich fruity taste. Though young, this BIO wine was quite smooth with no ‘tangy’ aftertaste which might otherwise suggest needing to lay down another year. We were totally satisfied with it. More than normally, I noticed a real similarity to California wine with this particular bottle. Good call Susy!

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Wine Time TV continues with my ongoing video series. In this show we wrap up the interview featuring Sommelier James King from www.KingGroupEvents.com from San Diego California. In this episode we learn about James King’s most memorable wine experiences at home and abroad (Italy) and I share a glance hinting at my own tragic experiences while in Florence.

Since the last few webisodes of Wine Time TV have covered Sommelier James King, I thought it appropriate to share a little information I originally found (by accident) at SFSommelier.com. Good stuff and should give everyone yet another understanding of the role a Sommelier might play on the ‘wine stage’.

What is a sommelier, let alone a Master Sommelier, and how do you become one? The dictionary’s definition of a sommelier is a bit lame. However the the job of a sommelier is no secret within the industry; To manage the wine selection, purchasing, receiving, storage, sales and service for a restaurant, club, hotel or other institution. Did you know there is no legal requirement in the U.S. to be certified for this position? However, there is one internationally recognized organization for certification; The Court of Master Sommeliers which was founded in London in 1977. The organization conducts general education and testing for restaurant wine professionals. There are at least 3 levels of certification within the organization: introductory, advanced and Master Sommelier Diploma (MS).

The Introductory Course is a two day educational seminar. It covers wine regions of the world, viticulture, viniculture, appellation rules for various countries and regions, production methods for beers and spirits, cigars, food and wine pairing, service and blind tasting techniques. At the end of the seminar is a multiple choice exam for which a score of 60% is required.

The Advanced Course is a big step up from the Introductory. It covers all of the same material but with far greater detail. The pace is also faster as it is expected that you are prepared for the exam before you get there. The seminar is also one day longer than the Introductory Course. The biggest difference is the test itself. It is a two day test split in to three sections.

The first section is theory. It is an 82 question test with 20 multiple choice and 62 short answer questions. One hour is allowed for completion.

The second section is blind tasting. Which personally I would suck at beyond differentiating between a Chard and a Merlot! The candidate enters a room with a table with six glasses of wine on it and two Master Sommeliers sitting on the opposite side of the table. They listen as you swirl, sniff, taste and comment about each wine. You have 25 minutes total to identify all the varieties set before you. These wines may be from anywhere in the world thogh sticking to classic examples. Points are given for your analysis and deductive reasoning as well as your identification of the wines.

The final section is the toughest of all; Restaurant service. Master Sommeliers judge your skills at opening still and sparkling wines, decanting, cigar service, freehand pouring, wine and food pairing, proof reading of wine lists, setting tables for a variety of menus, conversing with the guests and even complaint resolution. You can also expect test questions which need to be answered correctly during all of this. A passing score of 60% is required on all three sections.

The final test is by invitation only. You are also required to wait at least one year between passing the Advanced and your first attempt at the Master. The test is the same as the advanced but the theory portion is verbal instead of written, with far more detailed answers needed as well as a 75% passing score. An example of the difference between an Advanced question and a Master question might be: name six of the Anbaugebiet (high quality wine regions) in Germany for the Advanced versus name all 13 Anbaugebiet for the Master.

Though very few people pass it on their first attempt the pass rate for this exam is approximately 4%. As of the first 29 years of testing, only 142 people in the world had completed the Master Sommelier (MS) level. It’s likely safe to assume that 2 years later (now) there are still less than 150 Master Sommeliers on the planet.

Thanks for reading!
Cheers,
Kamary

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