Wine Quiz The Dynamic Duo: A Wine and Food Pairing Quiz Aug 20, 2021 1 of 10 RIGHT! WRONG! When pairing wine with food, one of your first steps should always be to: Identify the food’s most prominent element Dissolve a small amount of the food in the wine and observe any color changes Determine how “light” or “heavy” the food is Both A and C are correct Which of these wines would likely not be a good pairing for a sweet and luscious dessert? A nutty Vin Santo from Tuscany A rich and honeyed tawny Port A bright and acidic New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc A dark and syrupy Pedro Ximénez Sherry One of the best ways to find an ideal wine pairing for your meal at a fine-dining restaurant would be to ask for a recommendation from one of these wine professionals: A négociant An ampelographer A sommelier A caviste What is one reason that chocolate is considered difficult to pair with dry wine? It coats the mouth, making it hard to taste your wine Its rich cocoa flavors are easily muted by wine It can make a wine’s acidity seem unpleasantly strong and searing It might give the wine cloyingly sweet notes Which of these French wines would likely match well with a platter of oysters, clams and shrimp? A minerally Muscadet Sèvre et Maine A crisp and mouthwatering brut Champagne A bright and citrusy Chablis All of these would be delicious wine pairings Which of these dishes would likely be best-enjoyed with the savory, earthy flavors of a 30-year-old bottle of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon? A slice of creamy cheesecake with a fruit topping A juicy heirloom tomato and mozzarella salad A lamb shank braised for hours in a light stock Boiled asparagus in a rich cream sauce How could a spicy dish like buffalo wings or jalapeño poppers affect the flavors and mouthfeel of a bold, full-bodied red wine? It may emphasize the wine’s high alcohol levels and make its tannins seem astringent It may make the wine seem sweeter and more fruit-forward It may make the wine’s acidity seem more refreshing and puckering It may make the wine’s body seem softer and rounder Which of these foods can be tough to pair with wine due to its sulfur element and savory, mouthcoating quality? Hardboiled egg Seared salmon Soft goat cheese Braised pork belly Which of these describes the savory element of a dish, or the “fifth taste,” that can sometimes bring out a wine pairing’s tannins and oaky character? Monosodium glutamate, aka MSG, is often used to enhance it in foods: Phenols Resveratrol Scovilles Umami What is the “cancellation effect” that you might experience when pairing food and wine? When a wine’s body and tannins cancel out the richness of a dish When similar flavors in the food and wine cancel each other out, emphasizing the wine’s other aspects When too much salinity in a dish cancels a wine’s perceived alcohol, making it seem flabby When having too many different wines over the course of a dinner cancels your ability to taste food properly Next Results Your score is Retake this quiz