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complement and contrast, and how important the “The bubbles can certainly help to add a cream-
textural aspect can be in making food and wine iness to the texture of the wine. However, often
matches work. the production method, for example, barrel fer-
mented and aged, along with the dosage level and
Get yourself a brisk, zesty Sauvignon Blanc (Loire the type of grapes used tend to have the largest
Valley, Niagara, California, New Zealand, etc.). Hit impact on the weight and texture of a Champagne.
up the cheese monger for a creamy/crumbly young An Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs will often feel leaner
goat cheese, and the fish monger for a few fresh on the palate than a Blanc de Noirs, or a Vintage
East Coast oysters. Don’t mess with the purity of Champagne, which with age will show more rich-
the oyster by adding gloopy condiments; knock it ness.”
back au naturel on the half-shell and follow it with
a gulp of the wine. The bracing acidity of the wine Favourite matches? “A pairing I’ve always loved
marries nicely with the briny bivalve creating a sen- is Champagne with fried chicken,” she admits.
sation of textural lightness. Now try the same rou- “Champagne is great with fried foods because of
tine with the cheese instead of the oyster. The tang its high acidity. The acidity and the bubbles help
of the young cheese matches the zippy grapefruit to cleanse the palate and cut through the fattiness
zing of the wine, but its palate coating creaminess and oiliness of the dish.” Which also confirmed
welcomes the wine’s cleansing quality. A great tex- another wine and food rule: simple wine with com-
tual match, but on an entirely different level. plex food; complex wine with simple food.

I recently (finally) got out of the house to cele- In the end, writing about wine textures can be a
brate the reopening of Chef Daniel Boulud’s Café bit difficult, mostly because it’s writing about some-
Boulud in the swanky Four Seasons Hotel Toronto. thing we feel. And what we feel, as we all know,
Not only was I treated to a rather spectacular lunch often goes beyond words.
(with some to-die-for duck), I also had the extreme
pleasure of matching the various dishes with
wines from one of my favourite Champagne hous-
es: Ruinart. I asked the hotel’s Wine Director and
Sommelier, Julie Garton, what her views were on
the importance of textural elements in wines.

“Texture in wine can be very important for pair-
ing,” she informed me, “especially with red wine
as it tends to have higher tannin levels. Many fac-
tors contribute to the texture/tannin level of wine,
including the thickness of the grape skins, ripeness
of the grapes, length of maceration and the vessels
used to age the wine. Together, these factors can
create different textures which can be described as
silky, firm, plush, or grippy. As a result of the tex-
ture, the wine can pair better with different foods
and cooking methods. White wines aren’t without
textures either. Certain wines are known for having
a creamier or oily texture despite having tannins.”

She also mentioned that texture helps to balance
the respective weights of both the wine and the
food matches. Champagne, she assured, made for
a fantastic food-pairing partner, notably due to
its textural elements. I nodded in agreement (as
it is rather bad manners to talk with your mouth
stuffed).

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