Many food and beverage industry professionals take a cookie-cutter approach to meal events, especially when it comes to wine. And they're not being nudged by meeting professionals who are looking for something out of the ordinary.

Why is that?

Let's face it. The world of wine is intimidating and confusing for many people, and quite a few meeting professionals are further intimidated by knowledgeable attendees whose dining experiences and opportunities may surpass their own … and those who are executing their food events. Then there is a tendency to be overly dependent on local distributors for selections. It needn't take years for you to become confident in the field of wine. All that's required to become more comfortable in this milieu is a common-sense framework that underlies food and wine pairings. By following some guidelines, you'll be on your way to creating a first-class wine experience for your guests.

What do we mean by successful food and wine pairing?
Is it merely when either the food or the wine maintains its integrity - that it still tastes the way it did when the winemaker or chef produced it? In other words: Is anything lost or gained by the pairing? Or, is it something more than that? Such as when diners rave about the combination of a wonderful Sauternes with foie gras or a Ruby Port with a Stilton cheese. A rack of lamb with a Merlot. Caramelized onions with a Gewürztraminer. Oysters on the half-shell with a classic Chablis or New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Smoked fish with a German or Washington State Riesling. While these are matters of personal taste, there are also reasons why they work well rather than poorly for most of us.

We have to acknowledge that while taste is a very personal matter, there are parameters that most of us share as human beings. From infancy, we love sweetness, although only some of us develop a craving for it. We develop a tolerance and even a liking for different levels of acidity as long as it's tempered by another taste. And any remote liking for bitterness is an acquired taste. (Try giving an infant anything bitter and you'll see what is meant by "gag reflex.")

Aside from our human universality, we have culturally determined preferences, although in our multi-ethnic society, at the center of the global village, those are less well-defined today than they have ever been. Let's briefly look at how the "science" of food and wine pairing evolved.

The French can be held somewhat responsible for our even thinking about this topic. As the first European aristocracy to be able to enjoy the diversity of fruits from their own land, they were faced with significant choices in terms of both regional cuisines and wines. In other words, they had options that resulted in the opportunity to consider in a critical way what wines might best accompany different dishes. Typically, the issue was dealt with from a regional perspective: Wines from one area matched the cuisines of that area. That concept continues to work well, but the problem is that most dining establishments don't restrict themselves to the cuisines or wines of just one region, and if the combination works to the detriment of one or the other, then there's no understanding as to what went wrong.

It's in French books, particularly from the 19th century, that we find pairings for every imaginable French dish (was there any other cuisine they would acknowledge?) that has some regional basis with wines from the same regions. But the French did arrive at conclusions that still hold true today: For wine and food pairings to be successful, neither one should overpower the other in intensity. Many refer to this as matching intensity or amplitude of the wine to food, or vice versa.

Editor's Note: Part 2 of this column will address how the components of food and wine (see Take Away sidebar) influence each other.

F&B Take Away

Key to the successful pairing of wine and food is understanding how the different components of one affect the other.

These components include amplitude or intensity, taste, aromas and flavors, textures, tannins and fats, the perception of alcohol, heat or spiciness, and service temperature. It's also important to keep in mind that the impact of food on wine is more noticeable than wine on food.

Edward M. Korry is CWE department chair, College of Culinary Arts, Johnson & Wales University.
Meeting Management:F&B is a new series produced in partnership with Johnson & Wales University's College of Culinary Arts (www.jwu.edu).