WSET® Level 3 Wine > Wine with Food > Flashcards

Wine with Food Flashcards

Learn how to pair wine with food. (19 cards)

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1
Q

What are the two factors in food that can increase the perception of bitterness, astringency, and the warming effect of alcohol in a wine?

A

Umami and sweetness

Think shellfish with Nebbiolo or apple pie with Chablis. Nebbiolo will seem overly astringent and bitter with lobster, and Chablis will taste acrid and highly acidic with sweet desserts.

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2
Q

What are the two factors in food that can make a wine taste generally more fruity and sweet, and less astringent and bitter?

A

Saltiness and acidity

Think bacon with Syrah or tomato sauce with Chianti. The saltiness of the bacon softens the tannins of Syrah, and the acid from the tomatoes will negate the nerve of Sangiovese.

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3
Q

Fill in the blank:

When consumed with a dry wine, sweet foods or sweetness in foods can increase the awareness of ______ in wine.

A

Bitterness, astringency, acidity, and alcohol

Think raspberry tart with Left Bank Bordeaux.

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4
Q

Fill in the blank:

When consumed with a dry wine, sweet foods or sweetness in foods can decrease the awareness of ___, ___, ___ in wine.

A

Body, weight, and fruitiness

Think chocolate cake with Zinfandel.

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5
Q

Fill in the blank:

Generally, sweet foods should be paired with ______ wines.

A

Sweet - or wines that are at least as sweet as the food (but preferably sweeter than the food) otherwise the wine can taste acrid.

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6
Q

When consumed with a dry wine, umami in food can increase the awareness of what 4 things in wine.

A
  1. Bitterness
  2. Tannins/astringnecy
  3. Acidity
  4. Alcohol

Think raw oysters with Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

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7
Q

Fill in the blank:

Umami in food can decrease the perception of ___, ___ and ___ in wine.

A

Body, sweetness and fruitiness

Think raw oysters with Albariño.

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8
Q

Fill in the blank

When consumed with a dry wine, acidic foods can increase the awareness of ______ in wine.

A

Body, fruitiness or ripeness, and residual sugar

Think salad vinaigrette with Italian Pinot Grigio.

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9
Q

Fill in the blank:

When consumed with a dry wine, acidic foods can decrease the awareness of ______ in wine.

A

Acidity

Think sour cream with Chablis.

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10
Q

Fill in the blank:

Generally speaking, if the level of acidity in a wine is low, high levels of acidity in foods can make the wine seem ___, ___, and ___.

A

Flat, flabby, and unfocused

Think Viognier with tomato sauce.

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11
Q

Fill in the blank:

When consumed with a dry wine, salty foods can increase the awareness of ______ in wine.

A

body

Think smoked meats with Côtes du Rhône.

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12
Q

Fill in the blank:

When consumed with a dry wine, salty foods can decrease the awareness of ___, ___, and ___ in wine.

A

Bitterness, acidity, and astringency

Think aged Parmigiano Reggiano with Barolo.

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13
Q

When consumed with a dry wine, capsaicin (the heat in chili peppers) can increase the awareness of ________ in wine.

A

Alcohol, bitterness, tannins/astringency, and acidity

Think spicy Szechuan with an oaky, full-bodied Chilean Carmenère.

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14
Q

Chili heat in food decreases the perception of ___, ___, ___, and ___ in wine.

A

Body, richness, sweetness, and fruitniness

Think spicy Szechuan with off-dry Riesling.

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15
Q

What are the six components in wine that can make a wine challenging, or problematic, to pair with food?

A
  1. lots of oak
  2. high alcohol
  3. high tannin
  4. high bitterness
  5. high in flavor/complexity/extraction
  6. excessively high acidity
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16
Q

What are the components in wine that will make a wine easier to pair with food?

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A
  • no oak
  • wines with a touch of residual sugar
  • low intensity/complexity/extraction/flavor
  • medium acidity
17
Q

What are some problematic components in food to consider when pairing with wine?

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A
  • Foods with lots of sugar (i.e. desserts)
  • Foods with umami (e.g. shellfish)
  • Foods with bitterness (e.g. radicchio)
  • Foods high in capsaicin (e.g. jalapeños)
18
Q

What are some components in food that make wine pairing easier?

Study These Flashcards
A
  • Saltiness
  • Acidity
19
Q

Name three food and wine pairing principles.

Study These Flashcards
A

Terroir-driven (“if it grows together, it goes together”)

  • e.g. Sancerre with Valençay (goat cheese from the Loire Valley)

Like with Like

  • e.g. Tomato sauce (high acid food) with Chianti (high acid wine)

Contrasting Flavors

  • e.g. Port (sweet wine) with Stilton blue cheese (salty and piquant)
WSET® Level 3 Wine
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