Wine Pairing Tip #27

Most of the time wine/food pairings are over-rated. Yes, there are some classic great pairings (Sauternes and foie gras), but most of the time, common sense works and personal preference rules. If you don't like Riesling, then no pairing will work. However, there are some bad pairings and here is a new one for me which I will never forget. Boiled baby gray shrimp and Right Bank Bordeaux is a disaster. The shrimp taste OK, but the Bordeaux doesn't need a fish/scale component to make it shine. Just the opposite. It's awful. I had to run out to the local Nicolas to snag a cold Chablis. I know, a Spanish Albarino or an Italian Verdicchio would have been better, but I had 5 minutes to deliver cold white wine. It kind of worked, or at least the Chablis was palatable.