Tonight’s the Night

By Aakanksha Agarwal The best bottle in your cellar doesn’t need a luxurious filet mignon. Sometimes a bag of chips proves to be outstanding. For years, food and wine culture dictated our best bottles be reserved for elaborate meals and special occasions. Sparkling wine with lobster, Cabernet Sauvignon and steak. Riesling with foie gras or spicy Thai or Vietnamese dishes. As chef de cuisine at Stoller Family Estate, Matt Case spends his days creating dishes to complement Oregon wines. But when it comes to pairing at home, he believes, “People complicate wine pairing. Our default questions are ‘Should I match sweet with sweet? Should I pair high acid with high acid?’ Yeah, that works, but the opposite is often more fun.” Instead of focusing on luxury ingredients, Case considers texture, acidity, salt and fat. The goal isn’t to impress dinner guests but to elevate and enhance both the food and wine. He champions unconventional pairings that make perfec

by Hilary Berg · source ↗