Match made in a vineyard

Did you know when you pair sushi with red wine the small amounts of iron in red wine can bond with the fish oils and stick to your palate leaving you with a fishy but metallic aftertaste And that not all chocolates pair with all winesFratelli cheeses are crafted to reflect the terroir of the vineyardsldquoSince both chocolate and wine could be rich in tannins it is important to select chocolate and wine which are both not too high in tannins We should select a wine that is juicy to balance the tannins in chocolate Also the flavour notes in chocolate and wine should be similar so a chocolate with raisin notes or chocolatecoated raisins should be paired with a wine with raisin or berry notesrdquo explains Vikas Temani business head Paul And Mike who collaborated with Sula Vineyards to create a limitededition Dindori Reserve Shiraz dark vegan chocolate The lightbodied red paired with the fine and delicate bite creates a unified burst of bitter cacao and a fruity smokiness ldquoShiraz is a fullbodied fruity wine and goes well with the intense and fruity Paul And Mike 72 per cent dark chocolaterdquo says TemaniSmart pairingsThere are no strict rules when it comes to wine pairings Gregoire Verdin general manager brand ambassador and head of tastings and international business Sula Vineyards explains ldquoPairings are subjective Remember saltiness in food offers great contrast with wine acidity Saltiness and sweetness work well together take a port with blue cheese and fat loves tannins Itrsquos all about elevating the flavour for a fantastic gourmet experiencerdquoNamrata Sundaresan Puja Sekhri Vikas TemaniThere are two types of pairings mirror pairings that involve choosing a wine with the same characteristics of the dish and unconventional pairings for a clash of flavours shares Verdin ldquoYou can pair a wine with your main dish but therersquos no harm in pairing it with the side dish or even the sauce For instance a high alcohol content will tend to make a dish even hotter I enjoy the intensity of red curry nalli nihari or tandoori paneerchicken tikka with our Rasa Syrah A samosa chaat grilled fish or falafel platter will pair well with our Grenache Roseacuterdquo he addsThe acidity and fruity character of wine make for a good match If yoursquore tucking into butter garlic prawns butter chicken or mustard fish pair it with a Chardonnay ldquoOur lemony buttery and rich style of chardonnay pairs well with such foodsrdquo suggests VerdinCheese saves the dayFor pairing cheese and wine ldquomatch them by the intensity of flavours Intense wines generally match well with cheeses that have strong flavour characteristics and light fruitier wines generally match well with creamier mellow cheeses Pair hard cheese varieties with red wine Pair soft creamy cheeses with white winerdquo says Namrata Sundaresan cofounder of Chennaibased artisanal cheeses called Kaumlse They collaborated with Fratelli to create a line of three cheeses all priced at R465 inspired by the wines in order to showcase the terroir of the vineyardGregoire VerdinFor example the Sangiovese leaf aged cheddar is a combination of cheddar and Cornish yarg which is wrapped in homegrown Sangiovese leaves and aged for up to five months The process of ageing this cheese is by wrapping it in leaf is a traditional technique ensuring a consistently moist environment for the product The leaves lend smoky and woody notes to the cheese creating a characteristically scrumptious flavour Itrsquos best sipped with a redldquoOn the other hand Chenin Sunburst has a rich taste achieved by daily rinsing with a Chenin laced brine for five to seven weeks and designed to be paired with a white The third is a Syrah Gusto It is steeped in a saturated brine of red wine for about four to five hours before it is aged for five months in our chambers As it ages it develops a slightly metallic tone on the rind This is best with a roserdquo reveals Puja Sekhri director Fratelli WinesSimple cheat sheetgtgt For chocolate and wine match similar intensities mdash pair milk chocolate with light to medium bodied wines and dark chocolate with full bodied winesgtgt Pick a wine which is sweeter than the dessert mdash this combination workslike magicLog on to wwwpaulandmikeco Dindori Reserve Shiraz dark vegan chocolate wwwfratelliwinesin Fratelli signature line of cheeses