Pair the wine with the region!
Pair foods from a specific region with wines of a specific region. Wines from specific regions have been tailored over the last two thousand years to be wines that go well with the foods of the region in which the wines were grown; it’s only in the last fifty years or so that wine has traveled outside of the region in which it was made.
That’s why, when I went to Pomme de Terre (a tiny, seasonal French bistro in my neighborhood), and had no idea what we were going to order from the menu, I brought a bottle of southern French white. It was the correct answer to the question, “what would we drink if we were in a cafe in Lyon in the dead of summer?”
Specifically I chose Jean-Marc Lafarge 2008 Catalan Blanc Côte Est. It was a blend of Marsanne, Chardonnay, and Grenache that produced a refreshing wine that hung aromas of white tropical fruits on a skeleton of lemon piths and limestone.
It paired wonderfully with crispy squid, sauteed frog legs, cucumber/watermelon salad, and even the rabbit pappardelle covered in a heavy red wine sauce.
If we were at an Aussie grill house, I would have brought a brawny Shiraz. If were eating marinara, I would have brought something from Campagna. If we had paella, (now that’s a complicated pairing if you don’t follow this regional rule!), I would have brought a wine from Valencia.
So if you’re ever stuck at a restaurant and the waiter doesn’t seem to know what he’s talking about, then just order a wine from the same place that inspired your food.
