Lifting the Weight, Tasting the Intensity:

The concept of weight of a dish takes into account several elements.  While the physical weight of the dish may play a part (compare the weight of a dish of beef stew versus the weight of a dish of vegetables), cooking style and sauces play a large role as well.  Compare the steaming of vegetables accented with a light citrus based dressing with grilling lamb in a meat stock.   It’s not hard to imagine the former as light whereas the latter is heavy.  Or how about steaming fish versus a baked maple glazed fish wrapped in bread crumbs?  Again, the comparison in weight is fairly evident.  Often, subtle differences in weight will be determined by accents.  A roasted chicken with a little salt and pepper “tastes” light that one accompanied by a mushroom sauce.

The intensity of the dish (or volume in some circles) is how my mouth perceives the flavors and accents.  If the dish is accompanied by jalapeno peppers or accented with a chili or Cajun spice rub, my taste buds will sit up and take notice!  On the other hand, if the dish has been steamed or poached without any additional dressings or spices, my taste buds will be snooze control.  The concept of intensity does not have to translate into burning your mouth.  A thick and tasty sauce accompanying a dish can easily qualify as high intensity, the flavors making your taste buds jump with glee!  Have you ever enjoyed the experience of a filet mignon with Bernaise or a blue cheese sauce?  Now there’s a high intensity dish that speaks volumes!

So far, we have touched upon the concept of regionality, food weight, intensity and method of cooking, all of which factor into the personality of the dish.  That being said, let’s now focus upon identifying wine(s) that will accommodate the weight AND intensity of the dish?

Searching For the Wine

Food weight and intensity can be subjective in nature.  While most of us would probably agree that lamb stew is a heavy dish and a dish accented with chile peppers might be intense, there are many categories of cuisine and styles of preparation that are open to personal interpretation.  Likewise, “interpreting” the weight and intensity of wine is a very subjective process.  While I may enjoy a Port every so often, my wife finds it too heavy and rich for her taste.  That’s what makes tasting wine so much fun.  Three people sipping a wine may come away with three different and yet valid opinions.  That being said, there are some characteristics of a wine that seem to portray a feeling of weight and intensity.

I think of weight as the wine’s feeling on the middle part of my tongue.  Does it coat my tongue with a rich sensation that lingers or is it thin and very transient in flavors?  In general, the higher alcohol content of the wine, the more “heavy” the wine feels.  A few months back I purchased a bottle of an Australian Muscat that contained less than 9% alcohol.  It was light and went down easily, almost mimicking a spritzer with a little extra zing.  Alternative example of whites with a little higher alcohol content are Riesling (dry), Pinot Gris(Grigio), Pinot Bianco(Blanc) and Sauvignon Blanc.  All of these would be considered to be light weight wines; crisp and refreshing with alcohol levels in the 13% range.

While it is tempting to think of all reds as deep, dark and brooding with big tannins, dark fruits and higher alcohol content, there are, in fact, a few lighter reds that will not stain the palate; amongst these “light weight” wines would be Beaujolais, Rose and even some of lighter Pinot Noirs.  Example of heavier wines would be the Australian Shiraz, Northern Rhone, Barolos and Super Tuscans, Riojas, California and Washington Cabernets and some of the Bordeaux.  In fact, the Australian Shiraz alcohol content, at times, approaches 17%.

Happily Ever After

Having now carved out some useful terms to describe the personality of cuisine and the wine, let’s turn our attention to the match.  To follow with our line of pairing strategy, let’s maintain a regional theme.  Let’s take a Spanish seafood stew stocked with halibut, clams and potatoes, covered with fish stock or clam broth and with onions and garlic cloves as the “support actors.”  Accent the dish with white wine, Kosher salt, red pepper and bay leaves.  Actually, this is something you might find in the northeast section of Spain in the Rias Baixas region.  This is a dish that would qualify as light in weight and mild on the intensity scale.  As such, it makes sense to search for a light weight wine, a white wine with crispness, good acidity and pleasant citrusy fruit.  A wine that satisfies this criteria would be a Spanish Albarino, a crisp, lighty fruity wine with nice acidity and some minerality.  It complements the dish perfectly, neither the dish nor the wine overpowering the other.

For a red wine pairing, look no further than my favorite food group, pizza.  For simplicity sake, let’s dine on a pepperoni and mushroom pizza.  The tomato sauce adds acidity, the cheese can either be mild or spicy (let’s go with mild), pepperoni adds some spicy notes and the mushrooms adds an earthy quality.  Going with an Italian wine, it’s hard not to think either Barbera or Chianti.  The wines offer deep fruit, have great acidity and balanced tannins.  As an aside, stay away from the big, brooding, tannic reds.  Number one, the red sauce can kill the wine and number two, there is just no need to sacrifice one of your treasured reds on the dish when there are so many affordable and quality Barberas and Chiantis available. 
Stay tuned for Part III, the final in the series.