When it comes to matching wine with food, Jonathan Landeen, chef and owner of Jonathan's Cork, takes a "food first" approach. He believes that wines should "push the food flavor forward," leaving the wines to play a supporting role. His is a menu of bold flavors, built around ostrich, buffalo, other meats and fish. Therefore, his wine list includes a healthy selection of big zins and spicy syrahs, which hold up well but do not overwhelm the entree.
He looks for wines that have a strong varietal character, asking the question: "Are they true to their grape?" He also adapts his menu and wine list to the season.
Like most wine-knowledgeable chefs, Landeen is innovative and is always willing to experiment, and he encourages guests to do the same. He works with the wine preferences of his patrons and recommends that they dine out in groups, sharing more than one type of wine, in order to "share the tastes." Landeen then uses feedback from his regular customers to craft his wine list. He also likes to follow up on the suggestions from his distributors and try out new wines for his menu, usually priced at $30 or less.
Listening to another chef, Albert Hall of Acacia, talk about wine and food is like listening to an artist talk about paint.
"Think of the Pantone color spectrum, with all of the color variations," he says.
"Winemakers and chefs use varying shades of colors and spices, along with other variables, to create great wine and great food. The variations are infinite."
This is especially true now, Hall says, because there are more styles of wines available today than there were 15 years ago.
Hall believes that the palate is shaped by the different elements of the food. The traditional categories - meat, fish, fowl, etc. - apply, but they have to be adapted to the wine. For example, duck breast is a red meat, but it has entirely different flavors and textures from beefsteak, so the same wine won't necessarily work with both.
At Acacia, Hall features small production wines, including some not often seen in Arizona in large quantities.
"We look for wines that will fit within the spectrum of our cuisine and bring out the best in both," he says.
And because the variety of ingredients used in Tucson food is as complete and varied as anywhere in the world, that leaves room for artistic creation.
Chefs agree on this: Experiment and always fall back on what you prefer; let your imagination run freely when pairing.
Cheers!
The Wine Column by Jon Rogers appears in the Wednesday Food section. It alternates with the Farm Fresh column. Rogers, of Wines Without the Mystery, is a wine educator and consultant who teaches a wide variety of classes. He can be reached at 325-0566 and jonlrogers@aol.com
