09/27/05 Ethnic wines with ethnic foods

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran and today we are going to take a look at pairing ethnic wines with ethnic foods. I know that when I am dining in Burgundy I would not dream of drinking anything but the wines of Burgundy with my meal. It seems so romantic, so right to have the food of the region with the wine of the region. Yet at home, I think nothing of serving a Spanish Rose with American style backyard grilled foods. When we are preparing a gourmet dinner for our supper club, we will look for the perfect Italian wine, to pair with the recipe of a famous Italian Chef. Even though we know that, a wine from anywhere else could work well, possibly even better. It is a psychological need we have to believe that the region in which the recipe comes from somehow will provide the most suitable wine to accompany the dish. We get caught up in the romance or the need to feel authentic. But what we overlook is the fact that of the many different recipes and of the many differing styles of wine being made in any region of the world not all of them will compliment one another simply by virtue of their origins. When paring food and wine the basics will always apply. With that in mind, we find successful matches. We love to have our memories of a trip to Germany and the great wines that we had with our float down the Mosel. We would never think of not drinking German wine we got home simply because we were not drifting down the river. So breaking out of the mold isn't a bad thing - you can still cook a mean Lasagne and it will go well with any number of wines from the United States. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.