Sublime. That exquisite moment when the first nibble of a perfectly prepared dish melds in layers of flavor with the first sip of a gorgeous wine. It’s an art, and yet a science, the joyful experience of pairing wine with food.
Few chefs can resist the temptation to tart up a dish with multiple ingredients of herbs, spices, rubs, sauces, fruit, salt, sweet and more. Their theory seems to be that more is better. I disagree. Less is more, especially if what you have in mind to do is showcase a particular style of wine with a dish to create that magical sensation that echoes the marriage between them.
Chef Jeremy Luers gets this point. He landed as executive chef at The Presidents Room at The Phoenix, which reopened in May after a five-year hiatus to sit out the economic recession and await the renaissance of nearby Over-The-Rhine. He’s cooked in many kitchens, in Cincinnati and New York, but now Chef Luers is in charge. After a stint at 1215 Wine Bar, Daniel Souder joined the team as wine and beverage director. On the ides of July, Luers and Souder were joined by Master Sommelier Matt Citriglia for a five-course German wine dinner.
With each course, it became more and more clear that this collaboration was electric. Chef Luers developed the menu first, sharing intimate details of the ingredients for each simple but elegant course with Matt Citriglia. With clear flavor profiles in mind, knowing that most wine enthusiasts don’t really understand German wines, Matt selected wines he knew would draw out the essence of every dish’s distinct personality. The connection was palpable.
In a fun lesson supported by excellent educational materials for the wine educators, beverage directors and somms in the room, Matt walked through the science of food and wine complementarity — the importance of matching residual sugar, fruitiness, texture, body — and he chipped away at unfortunate American misperceptions about cloyingly sweet German whites wines. Dispelling a common myth: “Historically, Germany has always produced and consumed dry wine.” Yet international export markets continue to clamor for sweet wines. Not this crowd!!
This was a very special wine dinner, but Cincinnati diners, do not despair! The Choucroute Garnie Royale, a famous Alsatian recipe for preparing deeply flavored sauerkraut with a selection of sausages (plus spareribs and pork belly in this case), is on the regular Presidents Room menu. This dish was paired beautifully with a single-vineyard Pfeffingen Riesling from the Pfalz region. I can’t wait to go back.
Visit The Presidents Room at The Phoenix, 812 Race St. Call (513) 721-2260 for reservations Wednesday through Saturday.
Can’t wait to go to President’s Room. Yum! I too could use education on German wine.