Food and Wine Pairing – Classic and Bizarre – A Sensory Experience

I want to propose some extravagant food and wine pairing. Just some easy-to-realize combinations while having fun with the dishes.

Oyster. Let us start with a not-so-easy pairing. It unbalances, deconstructs, and varies the perception of an endless list of wines. All the blame for the strong umami flavour. Even Champagne in many cases. The classic combination is Muscadet, a white wine from the Loire, made with the Melon de Bourgogne grapes, which, unfortunately, is so difficult to find on the menus in combination with oysters. Where possible, choose the version Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine or Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine sur lie.

Alternatively, I propose a sprinkle of peated Whisky, or Whiskey, directly on the oyster. I tried different types of oysters with various peated Whisky. Despite peated Whisky’s intense and persistent taste, the oyster cleans the palate and closes the combination in perfect balance. Exciting!

Panforte. We are in Tuscany. One of our classic and well-known pairings is Cantucci and Vinsanto, a typical Tuscan sweet wine. Please do not soak the Cantucci in a fine Vinsanto or, worse, in an Occhio di Pernice, a precious sweet wine: instead, accompany them. In this case, more than in the others, choose artisanal high-quality Cantucci biscuits.

Let us return to Panforte, another typical but very different from other sweets, intense, spicy, and incredibly complex. I would combine it with a bitter orange liqueur, Vermouth, or something like that for its citrus notes. However, the true must-try pairing is with blue cheeses: an explosion and an alternation of incredible flavours.

Lard. There is no doubt that we need bubbles of sparkling wines. Champagne, Franciacorta, Trento Doc, Alta Langa… But for the Lardo di Colonnata IGP, the precious Tuscan salami, the choice falls on a Traditional Method, Cru or Vintage. We need structure.

The Lardo di Colonnata spends several months completing the seasoning in the marble tanks and is massaged from time to time with a rich mix of spices. As a result, it has elegance and complexity: you need wine at its height.

Perfection? Try the slice of Lardo di Colonnata without bread, it melts in the mouth, releasing its flavours. The wine is just at the end, so play with the flavours, clean up, and prepare yourself for another slice.

White truffle. His Majesty. The best expression is with the fried egg. I recommend the first salt in a hot pan, and then egg without breaking the yolk, and, when ready, remove it from the fire with, to follow, a little freshly grounded black pepper (high-quality one!) only on the yolk.

The White Truffle requires perfection and use it exclusively raw, categorically. Raw and sliced. The egg cools immediately, so serve it on a hot plate.

Alternative pairing: the latest trend is to use it on raw fish. Not bad, but in this case, I prefer the classic one because it releases at best all flavours. The wine? From Nebbiolo grapes: Langhe, Barolo, Barbaresco, Valtellina. But also try it with some whites with prolonged maceration on the skins, such as from Trebbiano grapes or others.

Florentine steak. First, what is the difference with other steaks?

Bistecca alla Fiorentina (Florentine style beefsteak) is made of veal (vitellone) or heifer (scottona). It is a high cut, including the bone, cooked on the embers, with a degree of “blood” cooking – “al sangue”.

The combination of the Florentine steak by tradition is with Chianti Classico wine. It is made mainly from Sangiovese grapes, which has its maximum expression in the Chianti Classico area. The main characteristic of Sangiovese is its high acidity, which also ensures wine longevity. That is why sometimes it is hard to drink without food.

Chianti Classico goes well with cold cuts, fresh cheese, semi-matured cheese, and rare steak. It degreases well, blends in the flavours, and completes it. Please beware of the butcher who tells you: I give you an excellent lean steak … The steak must be fat.

The quality of fat and meat makes a difference. Have you ever seen such fine meats as Wagyu or, rather, Kobe Wagyu? Poetry for your palate! Returning to the steak, try it with beer but choose a craft and complex beer as I suppose you will cook your steak on the embers or grill.

Chocolate. We close with a slightly sweet and bitter note. As you can imagine, I am referring to dark chocolate. Spirits like Bas Armagnac or Rum (Rhum) are perfect. Porto wine as well. I love dark chocolate cake with a warm heart combined with aged Porto or some interesting fortified wines, and there are infinite combinations to try. And for sure, with Barolo Chinato wine.