Perfect wines to match your dining menus
Perfect wines to match your dining menus
Sudibyo M. Wiradji, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
When food is served with wine, the authentic taste of dishes can
be more tantalizing. This might explain why wine is always a part
of fine dining.
In Indonesia, wine as a social drink is popular in executive
circles. The alcoholic beverage included on fine dining menus
serves as a prestigious way of providing business entertainment.
"Many Indonesian business people keep up with business
entertainment trends due to their interactions with their
overseas business partners, such as those from Singapore or Hong
Kong, " said William Wongso, an Indonesian culinary expert.
However, choosing the wine to match your dining menus is a
difficult task due to the wide selection of wines available.
Therefore, some knowledge about the rules for combining food and
wine is necessary.
There are some classical rules about what kinds of wines go
with a particular cuisine.
One common rule for agreeable food-wine combination is that
red wines go with red meats, while white wines go with seafood.
However, such rules are often broken.
One should avoid any possible dissonance between the food and
wine. For example, an exceptional wine stands out much better
when accompanied by a not so sophisticated dish that will bring
out the wine's superb qualities.
To find the right wines for food, one should try to balance
the weight of both, the article said. For example, heavy dishes
and those with a strong taste, such as red meat should be enjoyed
with an equally heavy wine. "In most cases, this means red wines
but some full-bodied whites could equally be a suitable
alternative."
Dry wines can cause unpleasant sour or even bitter tastes if
served with desserts. Generally, desserts are best served with
wines that are at least comparably sweet, if not sweeter.
Wines with high acidity go best with heavy, fatty dishes. This
is because the high fat content negates the impact of the acid.
Wines made from grape varieties that contain a lot of tannins,
such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, are excellent matches for
red meats and other protein-rich foods. On the other hand, high-
tannin wines acquire an unpleasant metallic taste if combined
with fish and other seafood. Or they could leave a very bitter
taste when combined with salty dishes.
However, one should not be blinded by the rules, but rather
keep an open mind and be ready to experiment.
Customarily, combining wines with foods for fine dining refers
to the cuisines from countries where wines are produced, such as
France, Italy and other European countries. However, there are
particular kinds of wines that can be matched with cuisines of
non-wine producing countries.
"For example, champagne or red wines that are not full-bodied
complement Chinese food well. And Indonesian hot and spicy foods
go best with a glass of white wine that is not too dry, and
rather sweet and fruity," William Wongso said.
If you wish to entertain your guests with fine food but are
afraid you do not have an adequate knowledge of food and wine,
you should not worry, as chefs in restaurants in almost all star-
rated hotels in town, such as Shangri-La Hotel Jakarta, Grand
Hyatt Hotel Jakarta, InterContinental MidPlaza and Borobudur
Hotel Jakarta, will be ready to assist you.
The kinds of wine and food served for a fine dining experience
will depend on your budget. But the cost of a bottle of wine
depends on the brand, year, and quality. The price range at most
star hotels is from Rp 300,000 (about US$32) to Rp 6.5 million
(about US$700) per bottle.
Fine dining restaurants at most star-rated hotels provide
lists of wines by the glass or by bottle. Customarily, when wines
are served along with food, a special glass is used.
"You don't need a lot of wine to enjoy a fine meal," said
Shangri-La Hotel Jakarta's director of communication Ratna
Sjamsiar. "Just a sip with the right food is all it takes."
To encourage customers to appreciate wines and learn more
about them, several star-rated hotels have launched programs
dedicated to wines, including wine tastings and free samples of
new products.
The programs allow customers to learn about different aspects
of wine, such as color, flavor, aroma, texture, taste and
background in terms of history, vintage, and the geographical
condition of the area where the grapes were grown.
"Knowledge about wine will help them find the perfect wine to
go with their food," said Shangri-La Hotel Jakarta's Ratna
Sjamsiar.
At Bacchus, a wine bar at the InterContinental MidPlaza Hotel
Jakarta on Jl. Sudirman, runs a wine tasting program called Wine
Tray. Held regularly, five different wines are offered for
tasting.
The Bacchus also allows female customers to try new wines
before the product is included on the bar's wine list. This
program is held once every three months.
The Bacchus provides a vast selection of red and white wines
from over 150 regions. High quality French wines include Chateau
Margaux 1982, 1997 and 1999, Chateau Cheval Blanc 1982 and
Chateau Mouton d'Rothchild 1982 and 1997.
Like InterContinental Mid Plaza Hotel Jakarta, Shangri-La
Hotel Jakarta and Grand Hyatt also provide a vast selection of
wines.
"We have an extensive selection, from most wine producing
regions of the world. Our focus is on French and Australian
wines, ranging from the reasonably priced every day drinking
brands, to premium Chateaus from France," said Shangri-La Hotel
Jakarta's assistant F&B director Andrew Jansson.