When it comes to hosting a dinner party, it’s normal to stress about our choice of wine for the evening – from the style to the amount to the temperature. “Don’t be afraid,” says Jessica Ghaie, co-founder of Blackhearts & Sparrows. “There’s never a right or wrong answer.” Easy to say when you run one of Melbourne’s best wine shops. But Ghaie says it’s elemental. “Sometimes we don’t think when we eat and drink, it’s just natural. So it’s trial and error.”
To get a head start, we asked Ghaie for some quick tips on guiding your selection.
Introduce guests to something new
“I’m not very rigid,” says Ghaie. “I think rigidity adds a layer of anxiety people don’t really need in their life.” Instead, Ghaie says the place to start is by meeting the expectations of your guests then edging them slightly forward. “I always try and think about who’s coming for dinner and their adventure level. I try and meet their standards, but go a little bit deeper and [be] adventurous.”
Sure, reach for the ever-faithful sauv blanc. But throw in something unknown alongside. “It could be something oxidatively handled – a winemaking technique given to a chardonnay that is different to what a chardonnay drinker usually might [drink],” says Ghaie. “It might be a French variety – something like a muscadet. Not too scary, [but] fresh and dry, that’s going to be a bit of a crowd-pleaser.”
Serving temperature
Temperature matters when it comes to getting the most out of your wine. “If it’s too cold you mute it,” says Ghaie. “You won’t be able to taste the flavours or you might just get acidity or tannin and you mask all those lovely flavours. If it’s too warm, you can get some alcohol warmth that comes off the wine or you’ll lose the palate length if it doesn’t have the acidity.”
There’s no unbreakable rule here, but between six and 11 degrees Celsius for white wine is ideal, while more full-bodied reds are best served around 16 degrees. Light reds, however, can go both ways, and are often great when cooled down. “It’s up to personal preference, but I like my lighter reds with a bit more of a chill,” says Ghaie. “Just chill a red in the fridge for about half an hour before serving.”
If you’re really keen to level up, keeping wines in a separate, wine-specific fridge is another option. High-tech home products like the Asko Wine Climate Cabinet replicate a wine cellar, with different temperature zones that can be controlled from an app, monitors for light conditions and humidity controls, and recommended serving temperatures, like 8-12 degrees for full-bodied sweet wines, 10-15 degrees for light red wines and 5-10 degrees for sparkling and champagne.
Matching food and wine
Regardless of your guests’ palates, it’s generally a good idea to start with food and then match the wine, rather than the other way around.
“I like to think about spices and flavours, so you don’t have anything that’s going to clash too much,” says Ghaie. “I try to match fruit flavours depending on the spices and the meal. For example, if I was doing Middle Eastern spices – lots of cumin, coriander – I might go with a red wine that has soft, sweeter berry flavours rather than a white wine that has lots of lime or lemon.”
Another simple approach is to let the colours of the food guide you. “If you’re having light meats, go with rosé or a light red,” says Ghaie. “If you’re having darker meats go with a darker red. [With] green foods like salads I try and go whites and rosés.”
If you’re stuck, there are a few pairings that always work. Beef with shiraz or cabernet, duck with pinot noir, and sauternes with blue cheese are the classics. Ghaie has her own favourite. “It’s roast chicken and chardonnay really,” she says. “That’s the number one classic pair for me.”
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Asko. Inspired by Scandinavia, the Asko Wine Climate Cabinet is the world’s first smart wine fridge that uses cutting-edge design and technology to take care of your wine at home. Find out more.
