Taste Buds and Molecules: The Art and Science of Food, Wine, and Flavor By François Chartier Proper wine pairings for high-concept food have long been the realm of sommeliers relying on their mastery of classic pairings and, to an even greater extent, their highly subjective palates. Wine is ethereal, of the land and the people, and its connection with food is one that can only be pinpointed and perfected by a virtuosic conductor of flavors in a process of trial and error. Well, the work that Francois Chartier has been doing in his lab, as well as in the elBulli kitchen with Ferran Adrià, turns that classic process on its head and throws it under the microscope. Chartier starts with a wine, breaks it down to volatile molecular components, and pairs it with flavors and foods possessing those same components. This field of research, called “food harmony and molecular [...]
Manzanilla Sherry
Oily, nutty, salty, an acquired taste… what could possibly satisfy these qualifications? Sardines, definitely. Olives, for sure. A wine? Usually, the flavor descriptors for a wine include berries and baking spices, never venturing further down the savory path much past leather and tobacco. A very specific wine, however, meets the requirements: manzanilla sherry. All sherry comes from Jerez, a piece of Andalusia in the southwest corner of Spain. All sherry, with the exception of a dessert sherry called Pedro Ximenez, is made from an unremarkable grape called Palomino. While it may seem odd, the choice of a neutral and downright boring grape is what makes sherries so special. By starting with a blank slate as a base wine, the unique process by which sherries are made can shine. First in line to enjoy the spotlight on the Palomino stage is the soil. While some parts of Jerez have barro (clay) [...]
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