The Art of Intentional Wine Pairing: Exploring Flavors at Every Price Point
As showcased in the insightful video above, the world of **wine pairing** is far more diverse and accessible than often perceived. Gone are the days of rigid rules and intimidating jargon; instead, a new era of intentional, personal, and exciting **food and wine pairing** experiences has emerged. This journey explores three vastly different culinary settings, demonstrating how thoughtful choices can elevate any meal, from a casual sandwich to a high-end bistro dish.
Embracing the Journey: Deconstructing Wine Pairings
The hosts embark on an adventure, challenging conventional wisdom and discovering that great food and great wine truly belong together. Their approach emphasizes breaking traditional “rules,” like avoiding red wine with fish, in favor of seeking out establishments that masterfully marry their offerings. This philosophy encourages diners to explore what truly resonates with their palate, fostering a more personal and less prescriptive **wine pairing** experience.
Canned Wine & Casual Cheese Pairings at Milkfarm
The first stop on this culinary exploration brings us to Milkfarm, a cut-to-order cheese store in Los Angeles known for its unique selections and delicious sandwiches. Here, the focus is on approachable yet high-quality **wine pairing**, featuring the increasingly popular canned wine format.
The Allure of Canned Wines
Canned wines, once overlooked, have seen a significant surge in popularity over the last two to three years. This shift is largely due to vast improvements in canning technology, which now prevents the high acidity and alcohol content from compromising the wine’s integrity, a problem faced by early attempts in the 1930s. Moreover, canned wines offer convenience and often contain the equivalent of two glasses, or half a bottle, making them a cost-effective and portable option for casual enjoyment. Their quality has become fantastic, challenging previous perceptions.
Perfecting Cheese Sandwich Pairings
Milkfarm masterfully pairs its artisanal sandwiches with these modern libations. The classic Ham, Brie, and Butter sandwich, a riff on a popular French staple, features French ham, Fromage de Meaux Brie, and an herbed butter. This rich combination finds its ideal match in a blend of Grüner, Chardonnay, and Chenin Blanc, such as the Waves White from Las Hadas Wines. The wine’s bright acidity effectively cuts through the luxurious fattiness of the Brie and butter, creating a harmonious **food and wine pairing**.
Their famous grilled cheese, inspired by London’s Borough Market, also receives careful attention. This isn’t your average grilled cheese; it’s a meticulously crafted sandwich using multiple American artisanal cheeses for dimension – one for meltability, one for sharpness, and another for an earthy “advanced flavor.” Each sandwich is weighed to the gram for perfect cheese proportion. A vibrant Carbonic Carignan from Coquelicot, a certified organic wine from Los Olivos, is selected for this rich dish. Its bright acidity and juicy, chill red characteristics brilliantly cut through the richness of the cheese, offering a refreshing contrast that enhances the overall experience.
Natural Wines & Modern Thai Flavors at Otis
The second destination introduces a completely different, yet equally intentional, **wine pairing** philosophy at Otis, a restaurant specializing in modern Thai comfort food. Here, the emphasis is on natural wines, curated with the help of experts like Jill from Domaine LA.
Decoding Natural Wine
For those new to the concept, natural wine is essentially wine made with organically farmed grapes as a minimum standard. It relies on native yeast for fermentation, meaning no commercial yeast is added. Critically, nothing is added or taken away during the winemaking process. This approach is more about the integrity of its production than a specific taste profile, though natural wines often exhibit unique characteristics. This philosophy aligns perfectly with the fresh, authentic flavors of Thai cuisine.
Savory Thai Omelet & Skin Contact Wine
Otis’s Thai omelet, or Khao Khai Jeow, is a revelation—crispy on the outside, soft in the middle, fried in a small pot, and seasoned with ground chicken, Thai spices, and white pepper. It’s a savory, slightly sweet, crispy cake that transforms breakfast. This distinctive dish is expertly paired with a skin contact wine. While many assume skin contact wines are orange, this isn’t always the case, as “orange” merely describes the color. These wines often present intriguing notes, such as lemon peel, adding complexity that perfectly complements the rich, savory flavors of the omelet.
Sparkling Wine with Crispy Fried Chicken
Another staple of Thai breakfast, the Southern Thai-style “happy chicken,” is a fried chicken thigh marinated overnight with a blend of herbs, garlic, cilantro root, coriander seed, and cumin, then fried and topped with shallots. To balance the richness of this fried delight, a sparkling wine is chosen. The wine’s fizziness acts as a palate cleanser, cutting through the fat and making each bite feel more refreshing. This is a classic **food and wine pairing** technique, where effervescence invigorates the senses against rich textures.
French Toast & The Mimosa Twist
Even French toast receives a special **wine pairing** treatment at Otis. This thick brioche bread, with its crispy exterior and soft interior, is served with fresh fruit and homemade whipped cream. It’s paired with the Otis Mimosa, featuring strawberry syrup, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and sparkling wine. This inventive mimosa offers a sweet, celebratory complement to the comforting French toast, highlighting how even breakfast items can be part of an intentional **wine pairing** strategy.
Fine Dining & Regional Excellence at Bells
The final, most luxurious stop is Bells, a traditional French bistro located in Los Alamos, a burgeoning region within California’s wine country. Here, the **wine pairing** is elevated, featuring a locally sourced, higher-priced bottle.
Embracing Personal Preference in Wine Pairing
At Bells, owners Daisy and Greg emphasize that while scientific pairings exist, the most crucial factor is drinking what you enjoy. They encourage guests to ask for recommendations and challenge the notion that certain wines are off-limits for specific dishes. The idea that red wine cannot accompany fish, for instance, is debunked, promoting a more fluid and enjoyable approach to **wine pairing**. This perspective reduces the “fear of messing up” a costly meal by simply choosing what you like. The journey of wine from grape to barrel, known as terroir, can even be traced to specific trees used for aging, proving that every element contributes to the wine’s unique character.
Santa Barbara Uni & Caviar with Pinot Noir
The meal begins with Bells’ signature Santa Barbara sea urchin and caviar crepe, layered with crème fraîche and chives. This dish is designed not for contrast but for harmony, where the textures and flavors of the uni, caviar, and crepe elevate each other. This decadent appetizer is paired with a Tyler Winery 2020 Pinot Noir from La Rinconada Vineyard in Santa Rita Hills, just seven miles from the restaurant. This local Pinot Noir is chosen for its balanced dark fruit notes and good acidity, which allows it to complement both the elegant flavors of the uni and the robust qualities of a steak.
The Classic Steak au Poivre Match
For the main course, the restaurant serves a traditional French bistro dish: Steak au Poivre. Made with a flavorful culotte of beef (cap of the ribeye), seasoned, seared, and finished in a broiler, it’s accompanied by a rich au poivre sauce and surprisingly, frozen French fries—a technique many chefs prefer for consistency. The same Tyler Winery Pinot Noir proves its versatility here. Its soft pepperiness resonates with the steak’s peppercorn crust, while its fruitiness and the sauce’s sweetness create a complex and satisfying interplay. The wine’s robust backbone ensures it stands up to the rich meat and bold sauce, demonstrating a perfect **food and wine pairing** for a classic dish.
The Evolving Philosophy of Food and Wine Pairing
This culinary exploration highlights that the concept of **wine pairing** is dynamic and deeply personal. Whether enjoying an $11 canned wine with a gourmet grilled cheese, a refreshing natural wine with innovative Thai cuisine, or a premium Pinot Noir with a sophisticated French bistro meal, the underlying principle remains constant: intention and personal preference are paramount. The “terroir of your mouth” is ultimately the most important factor in determining the perfect **wine pairing**.
