Some time ago, I wrote an article for a wine club newsletter about how our diet can affect our taste in wine. Granted, I had no scientific proof of this with a bunch of graphs and stats to support my conclusions. Heck, its common sense that the types of food you eat will make you crave different styles of wine.
Case in point. The types of wine produced by wineries in a certain part of the world will more often than not have a direct correlation to the type of food served in that region. In Tuscany for instance, they serve a lot of beef and pork. It is no surprise that both Chianti and Super Tuscans are well made for such diets. I don’t need a nerdy scientist to tell me that diet affects taste in wine.
I’ve been married three times, and in each relationship, the diet was different. Not drastically, but enough for me to ponder this very subject. In my first marriage which lasted nearly twenty years and produced four wonderful children, our diet was pretty basic. Meats, casseroles, an occasional taco salad (yuck!!)… You get the picture. Back in those days, my taste in wine was also pretty basic. Cabs, Zins, Merlots and Chardonnay. My second marriage (a mistake from the start) was to a woman who really enjoyed cooking. She didn’t just make mashed potatoes…No, they were filled with cream cheese and butter. It was no wonder I put on 15 lbs the first 6 months we were together. She also enjoyed red and cream sauces…. A lot! I found my wine taste buds shifting gears to more “Old World” style wines. Italian reds, Bordeaux, Pinot Noir both domestic and from Burgundy. It was a subtle shift in wine preferences, but I noticed it non-the-less. In my last relationship/marriage, things were entirely different. I ended up being the cook of the family. My wife could cook, but it wasn’t something that she truly enjoyed doing. What really amazed me was my tendency to experiment quite a bit with the cooking duties. I am now officially addicted to trying new food things in the kitchen.
The weird thing is that now, I think I actually cook food based on what I am craving in wine that week. When I’m craving Pinot Noir (you guessed it), salmon is on the menu. Sometimes I crave Zinfandel, and I find myself lighting up the BBQ and firing off some great BBQ chicken. Other times, it could be a smokey Syrah and chili or a hearty stew comes together. This whole diet and wine thing is a very interesting subject and certainly one that deserves more attention. I promise that in the near future I will delve more deeply into this very thing. For now, I am very curious what the future holds for my palate.
Once again, I find myself heading towards the world of singleness. It is more than likely that my fault. As I have been told on several occasions…I am a cold-hearted bastard that may never be able to have a lasting relationship. Thank God for wine! I think of all the things that have been a constant in this world….My four wonderful children and of course wine. I am very curious where my palate will go in this new environment. I will be cooking of course, but who knows how much thought I will put into it, since I am only cooking for myself. I am curious to find out wines that go with Doritos, or Tillamook sharp cheddar, or a flank steak and Caesar Salad, or popcorn. I am going to wait 6 months and once again tackle this subject with a whole new perspective. Stay tuned and find out what this major shift in my life, means for my palate.
Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man
