Food & Wine: Food with Double-Blind Tastings



By LaGayle ~ July 2nd, 2008.

Here at Wine Peeps, we enjoy doing various types of blind tastings on a regular basis. In addition to our monthly eight-person tasting dinners where we do a single-blind tasting with six wines, the four of us have a double-blind tasting with two wines several times a week where we only know whether we are having a red or a white wine. We do not know the varietal nor do we know the producers.

When preparing the meal for a double-blind tasting, I try to keep the entrée very basic. We tend to like very spicy foods so it would be easy to do a pairing that would not work well with some varietals. The reasoning for the more basic entrée is that since we do not know the varietal, we do not want to have a meal that might overpower a particular wine.

For a double-blind red tasting, I will usually serve something like a flavorful pot roast, Salisbury steak, Swiss steak, or possibly a seasoned pasta dish with or without meat. For a double-blind white tasting, the entrée of choice is generally either a braised chicken breast or grilled fish.

To complement the entrée, I usually serve sautéed, steamed or roasted vegetables along with a side of rice or potatoes (excluding the pasta entrée) to add the finishing touches to a great meal. Remember, the whole point of the meal is to enjoy the wine and the food so that they blend and neither one overpowers the other. Bon appétit!


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