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For most people, caught up in the relentless pace of everyday life, meals are, except on one special occasion or another, fundamentally associated with the pressing need to provide the body with energy and nutrients. Food, as an aesthetic and cultural entity, rather than being associated with a moment of relaxation, is relegated to the background, fulfilling the basic function of eating as a necessity and a matter of convenience.
At the weekend, however, or even during holidays, not to mention those special occasions when groups of friends or families get together, the opportunity to prepare a meal, or to plan a visit to a restaurant, allows us to slow down the pace of everyday life and take the time to think about what we would like to have on the table. It is then that a meal moves beyond necessity to become a source of appreciation and even delight.
It may happen—and how often does it?—that an intellectual challenge begins to take shape when buying food at a neighbourhood grocery shop, a local farmers’ market, or perhaps even a large supermarket: “What meal am I going to prepare? Which ingredients seem best suited to this occasion? What flavours will I bring together?” And this is how one derives enormous pleasure from wandering through food markets, speciality shops, butchers and select fishmongers, not forgetting artisan bakeries.
And so we arrive at the final stage of this cognitive pilgrimage: which wine should be opened to accompany such a carefully planned meal?
The purchase of various products that spark curiosity, the choice of seasonal vegetables, that particular protein one has been thinking about, the acquisition of those fresh and vibrant herbs. All of this comes together in the mind like a puzzle, gradually taking shape, so that a gastronomic experience worthy of the name can be achieved. At this point, it is no longer simply a matter of shopping to stock the pantry; the process has become a ritual of discovery, selection and appreciation of ingredients. What matters is the utmost quality, freshness and authenticity of each product.
And so we arrive at the final stage of this cognitive pilgrimage: which wine should be opened to accompany such a carefully planned meal? This is where the celebrated, and often feared, art of pairing food and wine comes into play.
The purpose of this section is to provide guidance and reference in the art of bringing wine and food together. At Natwine Aficionados, we firmly believe that: 1) the enjoyment of a meal is greatly enhanced when it is accompanied by a suitable wine; and 2) conversely, the pleasure and value of a particular wine are significantly heightened by the food with which it is paired.