WINE AND FOOD

 As I booked a brief stay in Margaret River for later in the month, I got to thinking about the perfect match that is Wine and Food. The reknowned scientist and doctor Louis Pasteur once said "A meal without wine is like a day without sunshine", and truer words have never been spoken.

There is, however, much confusion and mis-education about the best ways to serve wine, just as there will always be 'wine snobs' who think they know it all. Truth is, if it's going into your mouth, and you enjoy it, why should anyone else care? Having said that, here are a few guidelines that the novice might find helpful to enhance your enjoyment of both food and wine.

Many people still believe that red wines must only ever be served at room temperature. This is fine if you're living in Europe, but on a hot Perth summer's day I don't want to be sipping 35°C wine! Standard 'room temperature' according to most wine textbooks is 18°C, so don't be shy of chilling a Cabernet Sauvignon for a half hour before drinking!

Even the traditional practice of serving white wine with fish and red wine with red meats has become more flexible with the advent of creative wine making. Try a chilled pinot noir or a smooth and mellow merlot with a robust flavoured fish such as grilled barramundi, and keep the softer whites for a more delicate fish such as salmon or rainbow trout. Likewise, a heavily oaked aged chardonnay can be a delight with a medium fillet steak, or roasted veal.

Dessert wines - or 'stickies' as they are sometimes called - are fantastically rich and sweet and specifically tailored to a lot of desserts. As an alternative, try a strawberry fool with a glass of champagne (after all, this is very similar to bubbles, strawberries and cream at Wimbledon!), or a rich warm chocolate pudding with a glass of port, pedro ximinez sherry, or Morris of Rutherglen tokay.

I've always taught that the bottom line with anything food or drink is personal taste - if you like a burnt steak, who am I to stop you? If you want a fruity lexia with a beef bourgignone - well, I'll stick to the shiraz thanks, but if you enjoy it then more power to you! The primary concern is making sure that your taste buds are happy!

Be excellent to each other

Shane Pinnegar

June 2005