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I'm fascinated by the ideas on matching food and wine that François Chartier put forward in his book, Tastebuds and Molecules ("Papilles et Molécules" is the original version written in French). It's easily the most innovative book that I've read in the past 20 years on the subject of matching wine with food.
Last June, Chartier's published his newest book, Les Recettes de Papilles et Molécules. Somehow, I missed that but, hey, it's tough to stay on top of everything! I must have been out golfing that day.
But, thanks to Michèle, I came across an episode of a show on Télé-Québec (Curieux Bégin) that devotes most of an hour-long episode to Chartier and a few of his recipes. Chartier explains some of his concepts and illustrates why the foods and wines are a great match.
Worth watching if you're interested in wine and food matching and Chartier's ideas. Télé-Québec is repeating the show Sunday, 9 January at 5pm, Monday, 10 January at 1:30pm and Tuesday, 11 January at midnight. In French.
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In yesterday's post, I wrote about François Chartier's excellent new book, "Papilles et Molécules". M. Chartier uses molecular chemistry as a new route to match food and wine. He analyses their volatile aromatic compounds to find commonalities and innovative possibilities for better matching. I touched on a couple of examples from the book yesterday.
What other interesting aromatic commonalities has M. Chartier come up with? He argues that Sherries (Fino & Manzanilla in some cases, Oloroso in others) match an amazingly broad array of food ingredients. Could it be that, like many Old World wines, Sherries are better with food than on their own?
For beef, what the rancher fed the cow (grass or grain) makes a big difference. Cooking method – grilled, roasted, boiled, braised, or raw – is key to wine matching, and he even shows us that some white wines can be the successful match with beef!
Pork? It has aromatic compounds in common with apricot, peach, and coconut, so no need to shy away from Viognier-based whites, or reds that have seen some barrel-aging instead of light-bodied, fruity reds.
And he shows us that the volatile compounds in rosemary, an herb associated with the south of France, shows up frequently in the white wines of…Alsace in the north of France, such as Muscat, Riesling, and Gewürztraminer.
One of the most interesting chapters is on the similarities between pineapple and strawberry. Aside from opening the door to strawberry upside down cake (or pineapple shortcake), he shows us that wines that match one of these fruits will also match the other.
Every chapter is a revelation. M. Chartier chooses a “parent ingredient”, analyses its volatile compounds, defines a family of other ingredients with that same compound or similar compounds, and then shows us the wines that also have those compounds. Although M. Chartier presents much of his analysis in the text, he summarizes his findings of complementary ingredients and complementary wines in charts, which makes it valuable as a quick reference book. The result is a tool that opens up synergistic matches between wine and food, matches that make both food and wine better. I’ve already referred to it myself on a frequent basis, finding food and wine matches that I don’t think I would have come up with before. I suspect that M. Chartier has just begun his work and I can’t wait for future volumes!
M. Chartier’s book reinforces the point that, for sommeliers, understanding how food is prepared and what ingredients are used is essential to matching food and wine.
M. Chartier could improve this book by using a consistent approach to presenting the summary charts in each chapter. And it can be a bit slow going at times, particularly if you’re not keen on chemistry. At this time, the book is only available in French but McClelland and Stewart plan to publish an English language edition this autumn with the title, Scents and Sensibility: The Art and Science of Perfect Wine Pairings. [UPDATE: The English language version, entitled Tastebuds and Molecules: The Art of Science of Food with Wine was published on September 28, 2010.] Last month, the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards cited M. Chartier for "Best Innovative Culinary Book in the World". You can listen to an interview done then with the CBC’s As It Happens here (The interview starts at 13:06.) And there’s more on M. Chartier’s website (again, en français).
Papilles et Molécules takes us down a new road in understanding aromas and flavours. In its field, it’s as groundbreaking as Red Wine with Fish was 20 years ago. Any sommelier or amateur wine lover will find it invaluable.
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What’s the question people ask a sommelier more often than any other? Easy: “What wine should I drink with this food?” (Very occasionally, it’s “What food should I eat with this wine?”)
Finding “that perfect wine” is complex. At school, we learn to consider a variety of factors in matching food and wine: aromas and flavours; acidity and tannins; sweet, spicy, salt, and umami; weight and texture. There’s the fattiness in the food and the oakyness of the wine. There’s the intensity and persistency of the flavours. Then, even with all that, there’s the choice between a match of similarities or of contrasts between the food and the wine. With practice and experience, finding better matches becomes instinctive.
Now, along comes François Chartier who brings a new and fascinating dimension to food and wine matching. Less well-known in the rest of Canada, M. Chartier is a household name in Québec, ever since being named “world’s best sommelier” at the Grand Prix Sopexa in 1994.
In his new book, Papilles et Molécules: La science aromatique des aliments et des vins [Tastebuds & Molecules: The Aromatic Science of Food and Wine], M. Chartier takes a page from the book of “molecular gastronomy”. He’s analysed the volatile compounds, those elements that give us aromas, in various foods and wines at the molecular level. The result is a new way to find commonalities between food and wine, and opens up innovative possibilities for better matching. What he offers us is nothing short of stunning, and sometimes very surprising.
M. Chartier presents his initial findings in 21 chapters, 16 of which are devoted to specific aromas and flavours such as anise and mint, pineapples and strawberries, clove, rosemary, saffron, ginger, cinnamon, and others. He’s loyal to his home: the wonderful cheeses of Québec are there…as is maple syrup! There’s the heat of peppers and the “taste of cold”. He shows us the effect of oak-aging on aromas. With each ingredient, he takes us through the volatile aromatic compounds that give it its distinctiveness, and then matches it to wines that have those same compounds.
What does he come up with?
Take spicy foods, such as Thai, Sichuan, or Indian curry. M. Chartier shows us that one of the most common pairings, beer, is exactly the wrong choice. Carbonation augments the spiciness, rather than calming it. So unless you’re a masochist, forget the beer. What does work? M. Chartier recommends many full-bodied wines, whites and low-tannin reds. Many sommeliers will tell you to avoid high alcohol with spices. But M. Chartier argues that alcohol actually calms the spiciness, but only up to a point (14% ABV). And I can attest to that. Some years ago, I had lunch in an Indian restaurant in London. On the wine list was a Zinfandel and the waiter strongly recommended it to us. Yes, it was perfect with the spicy curry. It’s been my preferred match ever since. (Mind you, finding a Zin at less than 14% ABV gets harder every day.)
M. Chartier moves us away from another “classic” of long standing: lamb with Bordeaux reds. His analysis shows that lamb’s flavour comes from an aromatic compound that we also find in the red wines of Languedoc. That’s the match to go for.
I'll have more in my next post on this revolutionary book.
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