Perfect Pairings

Articulating the ineffable

Evan Goldstein's Perfect Pairings has greatly assisted local chef Philippe Wagenfuhrer to understand food and wine pairings better.

Born in Alsace, Strasbourg, in 1968, I grew up in French-speaking West Africa where I would sit in my grandmother's kitchen savouring the tastes and aromas as she cooked meals for the family. During school holidays, I travelled back to Strasbourg and worked in my Uncle Ernst's restaurant.

It was inevitable that I would turn out to be a professional chef, allowing me the luxury of practising the marriage of food and wine every day, gradually expanding my knowledge.

However passionate I am about my craft, though, I still sometimes falter when it comes to finding the right words to articulate fully the brilliance of a particular pairing.

Thankfully, there is a sommelier and wine educator from the USA by the name of Evan Goldstein. After reading some of his work, I suddenly realised that he and I were kindred souls because he explained, in plain English, thoughts that I'd struggled to express for so long: I'd finally found the intelligent brain to process my feelings and senses into words.

Goldstein's most important work is a book called Perfect Pairings: A Master Sommelier's Practical Advice for Partnering Wine with Food (University of California Press: 2006).

As we now have access to thousands of wines from around the globe, as well as foods from a vast range of cultures, the task of pairing wine and food has become increasingly complicated It is a bit of a Catch 22 situation: the more you know, the more you know nothing.

I find myself turning to Perfect Pairings again and again, however, as it provides straightforward and practical advice for choosing the right bottle for each meal. Almost a set of first principles, it is the quintessential resource for matching wine and food.

Goldstein takes the reader through the common wine varieties and styles, explaining key flavours to look for as well as providing ideas for food pairings. His mother, Joyce, a noted chef and cookbook author, provides recipes for simple yet flavourful dishes.

One suggestion that Goldstein makes is crab salad in endive leaves with a dry sparkling wine. I've tried a few bubblies with this recipe, and they worked reasonably well, but it was only when I matched the dish with the zero-dosage Pol Roger Pure that I experienced perfection.

Another pairing Goldstein puts forward is Korean short ribs with Syrah, the wine picking up on the spicy character of the dish. He references the wines of France's Rhône Valley whereas I'm quite happy to work with South African wines. Tulbagh winery Saronsberg makes a blend of Shiraz, Mourvèdre and Viognier called Full Circle, which works particularly well with this dish.

For coffee- and pepper-rubbed rib roast, Goldstein recommends a Cabernet Sauvignon-driven blend, such as that from Médoc second-growth Château Ducru-Beaucaillou.

Again working with South African wines, I have found a pretty great match to serve with this dish in the form of the Guardian Peak Lapa Cabernet Sauvignon. This plush, rich wine which spent 18 months in new French oak easily stands up to the dramatic flavours of the dish.

Throughout the book, Goldstein encourages experimentation and offers hints on how to taste with discernment. Finish reading it and you'll want to go all-out for your next dinner party. What I enjoy so much about it is that it makes you thirsty and hungry simultaneously!

Wagenfuhrer is chef patron at Roots restaurant at boutique hotel Forum Homini near Krugersdorp. Each course on the menu is matched with a particular wine that he believes elevates the experience.