A Culinary Quest

Pairing Artichokes & Wine: A Devilish Duo or a Match Made in Heaven?

It’s funny how a seemingly simple query coming at one from out of the blue can quickly metamorphose into a quest. Robertson Wine Valley manager, Elizma Spangenberg knows this all too well. Recently she received a request from Jonty Sacks, a partner in Sacks’ Artichokes – one of the largest artichoke producers in South Africa, for a list of wines from the Robertson Wine Valley that would pair well with his artichokes. Realizing the difficult food and wine pairing dilemma presented to her, Elizma decided to enlist the help of food and wine writer and accredited sommelier Susan M. Cashin. Never ones to back down from a challenge both realized the necessity to bring new insights on food and wine pairing to the table. Let’s join them on their quest.

What makes artichokes and wine a potentially devilish duo?

When served with wine, artichokes have long been branded as a sensory sociopath by food and wine critics, sommeliers and chefs alike - a degustation from hell. One renowned chef went so far as to ban the perniciously perceived flower head from his restaurant’s menu! How can a food be such a malignant match with wine?

The main culprit is cynarin, an organic acid which inhibits taste receptors on the tongue. After eating an artichoke some individuals will experience the next food or drink that is tasted as sweet. Others will experience a bitter taste. Take into consideration other existing compounds, acids and umami (one of the primary tastes along with salty, sour, bitter, sweet) and as a result artichokes are armed to the teeth to wreak havoc with the compounds and flavor components found in wine. Lovely, dry refreshing wines can turn sweet; fruit forward wines can become insipid and fall flat; tannins can turn viciously bitter – a veritable whirling dervish of unpleasant tastes.

But wait…there’s hope for this seemingly doomed pair! Science trumps assumptions and myths!

Study into the problems facing this wine and food challenge led Susan to the innovative work in taste and sensory physiology being conducted by Tim Hanni, MW (Master of Wine) and his collaborator Dr. Virginia Utermohlen, an associate professor at Cornell University’s Division of Nutritional Sciences. Based on ground-breaking research, Hanni and Utermohlen have determined that each individual is endowed with a unique sensory physiology that effects taste experiences and guides taste preferences in foods and beverages (wine being the focus of their studies). Their findings have led to the formation of four distinct taste phenotypes or “vinotypes”, a term coined by Hanni. The four vinotypes are – SWEET – HYPERSENSITIVE – SENSITIVE – TOLERANT. See illustration below:

Their research is shattering long held views and pronouncements in the areas of wine judging, the marketing of wines and especially in the area of food and wine pairing. So much so, that recently the Wine and Spirits Education Trust has completely done away with the old curriculum on food and wine pairing. And Hanni was appointed to revise the entire text based on his and Utermohlen’s research and findings.

Here’s a quick summary of the new thoughts on food and wine pairing.

• Our physiology directs our sensory discernments. Our perceptions of a shared food and wine combination can vary dramatically. And there is no such thing as having a “good” or “bad” palate. We simply experience sensations such as taste differently.
• Old rules such as “red wine with red meat”, “light wines with light dishes” are obsolete and not set in stone. They should never stand in the way of one’s personal enjoyment of their particular food and wine pairing preferences. If the pairing pleases you it is a good match. If it disagrees with you, it is not.
• Remember, wine is less likely to be the instigator in altering the perception of food flavor. Generally, it is the composition of the food that can have considerable effect on the perception of the intensity of a wine’s flavors.

By utilizing the concept of Flavor Balancing in the preparation of your choice of food, it is possible to mitigate if not do away with unpleasant interactions between food and wine. Find a wine you like and practice flavor balancing as many chefs now do. Follow traditional as well as modern applications of ingredients that will enhance as well as create harmony between the food and wine. It’s easy! Most of the condiments found in the traditional foods of France and Italy will serve you well – salt and acidity (lemon, vinegar, mustard) being the keys to unlock a whole new world of food and wine enjoyment. A dash of salt and a squeeze of lemon can tame and reform a “wine killer” such as artichokes. See chart below: