You may recall that I told you a few weeks ago that I’m trying to learn more about wine, especially how to pair wine with food. Many of you gave me some great resources – Thank You! I also recently received an invitation to attend a Macy’s Culinary Council event featuring Andrea Robinson, renowned Master Sommelier, author and chef. Just what I needed. (I also got to meet Melissa!)
I can say, without a doubt, that I loved Andrea Robinson. She was engaging and warm without an inkling of being haughty.
I really appreciated her “rules,” the first being that there are no “rules” when it comes to pairing food and wine.
- it’s not the protein, it’s the prep that you are matching
- body with body – to acheive balance
- pair intense herbs with intense, big reds
- the fermentation element in foods (vinegar, cured meat, etc.) pairs well with the fermentation process that wine undergoes
- everything goes with bubbles
In addition to being one of 16 female Master Sommeliers, she is the author of a number of books on wine and food, (I purchased Great Wine Made Simple), chef and most recently, the developer of a new set of wine glasses, The One. She prepared some delicious food to go along with some delicious wines for us to sample!
First was an edamame pesto that I will be making soon, it was delicious and fresh-tasting. The St. Supéry Sauvingon Blanc that was paired along with it was excellent as well. It was delightfully citrusy and refreshing on a 90 degree day. This pairing was an example of the similar fermentation elements between food and wine (ie. the toasted sesame oil and wine both being aged in a barrel)
While the proscuitto & sage crusted pork was very good, it was the last dish she made that I’m still thinking about. Skeptics of the world, the chocolate & chorizo toasts were my favorite of the evening. Salty & Sweet is a combination I’m sure I’ll never grow tired of, but the creamy chocolate with salty chorizo was the ultimate of sweet & salty. I can’t wait to make this again…I’ve just got to find a crowd with an open mind. 
Any takers?
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It was such a fun event!
I would have loved that class! Thanks for sharing some of the tips you picked up. I need to learn more about pairings.
PS-The French press coffee maker I use is just a regular one, not a special one for iced coffee.
What a great class! I love all those flavors.
I too need to learn more about wine pairings
What an awesome class to take! I’m just starting to get into wine and right now I’m still learning what my palette likes, but I can’t wait to learn about pairings! (Through experience and trial and error…of course…)
i got the little invite for this event too but was unable to go due to a previous commitment ;( it looks like it was fun! i like the rule about it not being about the protein but how it was prepared.
Chocolate and chorizo? Now that sounds just interesting enough that I’d likely love it! Definitely a taker on that one. Looks like such a fun event. Lots of opportunity for learning!
Sounds like a blast!
If I can eat bacon and chocolate, I’m sure I’m up for chorizo and chocolate
found your site on del.icio.us today and really liked it.. i bookmarked it and will be back to check it out some more later
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