|
|||
 |
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||
|
Pairing the correct food with wine can be the key to a
successful event for any banquet facility. During
Progressive Gourmet's 5th Annual Chef's Forum,
wine expert Paul Westerkamp offered helpful tips for
food and wine pairings that will increase banquet
revenues for your establishment while keeping your
guests coming back for more.
Westerkamp strongly suggests using high quality
glassware as this will allow the wine to express its full
quality. Though cut glassware can be expensive and
very fragile, it will be to your benefit as your guests can
fully enjoy their wine experience. Using appropriate
plating for the dish is also worthwhile, as it can make
high-end dining worth the cost.
By using the Culinary Institute of America's Wine
Guide, you can increase profits by serving certain
wines that will entice people to eat and drink more at
your event. Westerkamp also suggests the Windows
on the World Complete Wine Course by Kevin Zraly as
another helpful resource.
In order to pair wine and food together successfully,
you must experiment with tasting different wines,
learning which ones work well with the food's
ingredients. There are five steps to a successful
tasting; first, you must check the appearance of the
wine both at the edge and center of the glass. Next,
you should move the wine around in the glass, putting
your nose inside the glass, receiving the full amount
of aromas, such as any citrus or spicy notes. Third,
you should sip the wine, making note of the feel of the
wine in your mouth and its taste, such as any earthy or
underlying fruit tastes that may be present. Fourth,
breathe out and smell the aromas again and take
note of the length of the finish. This is important to
note because the longer the finish, the more value you
get out of the bottle, as your guests will savor a glass
longer if it has a longer finish. And finally, what are
your impressions as to whether or not you enjoy the
wine. The key is not to overanalyze - if you like a
certain wine on first taste, make note of it and move on.
An important thing to remember when pairing food
with wines is that they should work together. The wine
is not the focus point of the meal. The wine should
enhance your food, not take away from the guest's
dining experience. Food and wine do not have to
come from the same country, though wine from a
particular region naturally goes well with food from
that region. However, you should keep the weight of
the food and the wine similar so one does not
overpower the other. Contrasting textures and flavors
are acceptable as long as they are balanced.
Westerkamp made suggestions based on a range of
hors d'oeuvres that will give you a variety of options for
your menus.
If you are serving a beef satay, or anything with a
Teriyaki marinade, a good choice is a 2003 Greg
Norman "Estates -Shiraz" Syrah, which will balance
the saltiness of the dish. Two other options are a
2005 Rudolf Muller "Kabinett" Riesling, which is a very
versatile wine, or a 2005 Jekel Gewurztraminer.
If you are serving a sweet hors d'oeuvre, like a bleu
cheese and pear filo star, then you want a sweeter
wine to compliment the flavors. Some options include
a 2005 Folie A Deux "Ménage A Trois - Blanc" which
offsets the bleu cheese and allows the pear flavor to
come through. Other options for an hors d'oeuvre of
this type would be a 2003 Benziger Merlot, which is
not as aggressive as the 2002 Kenwood "Reserve"
Zinfandel, which has a very high alcohol content but
still works well with a sweet hors d'oeuvre such as
this.
Lobster pot pie is a New England favorite, but it pairs
well with a few offerings from California wine country.
A 2005 Kendall Jackson "Grand Reserve" Chardonnay
is very acidic and compliments the strong flavors of
the pot pie well. A 2005 Rodney Strong "Estate" Pinot
Noir adds power to the richness of the sherry flavor in
the lobster dish. A 2005 Bonterra Chardonnay is a
third option for a dish with these types of flavors.
Sweet potato flavors are becoming very popular, and if
you are serving a sweet potato and coconut chicken
tender, you should consider a wine that is making a
comeback in popularity. A 2006 Marques de
Caceres "Rose" is one such wine and it has the
added benefit of being a wine that people will drink a
lot of, thus making more money for your facility. Two
other options that pair well with dishes containing
sweet potato are a sparkling wine, such as NV
Korbel "Brut - Sparkle" or a sweeter offering, such as
a 2005 Renwood "Select Series" Viognier.
When serving a dish with a smoky barbeque flavor,
such as a BBQ Chicken Cheddar Biscuit, a good wine
to pair it with is a 2004 Torres "Celeste - Crianza"
which is a very smoky wine and holds up well against
the barbeque flavors. Another option is to contrast the
smoky flavor and bring out the cheddar flavor with a
2005 Hedges "CMS - White". Another option for this
type of dish is a 2005 Bonny Doon "Cardinal"
Zinfandel.
The essential thing to remember when pairing food
with wine for your events is that there are no specific
rules, just suggestions for what works well together.
The most important aspect to pairings is ensuring that
the food and wine is balanced. As long one doesn't
overpower the other, you can have fun pairing
complementary or contrasting flavors and textures for
your guests. All of the above suggestions will help you
serve wines that will enhance your food and your event.
|
||||
|
||||
|
||
|
Progressive Gourmet exhibited at the recent ACF
National show in Orlando, FL with much success.
The mini New England Lobster Pot Pies were a big hit
with booth visitors. Liquor-infused cakes were
introduced to rave reviews with many people coming
back for extra helpings. There were over 2,000 chefs
from around the country in attendance and many
stopped by Progressive's booth. Even the show
organizers agreed that this year's show was much
more successful than last years. Everyone is looking
forward to next year's show in Las Vegas.
Progressive Gourmet will be exhibiting at the Florida
Restaurant and Lodging Show September 7-9 and
also the Mid-Atlantic Food, Beverage and Lodging
Expo September 19-20. We look forward to seeing
you there!
|
||
|
|
|
|
Please visit our website to place orders for our new items and receive a 10% discount per item with the code PL0707.
Erin Flaherty
Progressive Gourmet
|
|
