Sommelier Smackdown at the Wine School of Philadelphia

In a duel of corks and forks, The Wine School of Philadelphia pitted their finest wine experts against each other for a “Sommelier Smackdown” last Wednesday (see Penn Appetit’s first trip to the Sommelier Smackdown here). A hands-on lesson in pairing food and wine, sommeliers Alana Zerbe and Ryan Davis carefully paired the four-course meal with two different wines, offering a lesson in wine contrasts and complements.

To assess the pairing potential of the wine, we first let the wine sit on our tongue before taking small bites of the food. Wine is intended to heighten the taste of the food, so it’s essential to choose wines that enhance the flavors rather than overshadow it.

Our first course combined a seasonal salad drizzled with light oil and balsamic vinaigrette with two crisp white ones: a dry Australian Verdelho (Hope Estate 2009 Verdelho, $15) and a slightly sweeter Torrontes (Crios de Susana Balbo 2012 Torrontes, $13). Both hit high notes of acidity, to complement the acid in the salad.

“The more your mouth is watering from that acidity in the wine, the better it’s going to pair with the food,” explained Ryan. The purpose is to simultaneously cleanse the palate and prepare the mouth to salivate for the next bite of food.

The Torrontes was appealing to the nose, with floral notes and undertones of honey blossom. But the Verdelho ultimately won the round with its mineral quality, which was both refreshing and palatable with the salad.

With a slight buzz, we welcomed the second course: individual pot pies filled with shrimp and lobster. The paired wines were both California Chardonnays (Bogle 2012 Chardonnay, $11 and Chateau St. John 2010 Single Vineyard Chardonnay, $15). Holding each on the tongue, both were crisp and bright, accentuating the buttery quality of the pot pie and the richness of the seafood.

Both wines were high in acid (the cooler the growing region, the more acid in the grape) but the Bogle was a fair bit fruitier, with notes of apple and pear, while the Chateau St. John offered more of a softness. Both were excellent.

Our mouths were watering by the time round three was delivered, a bowl of short ribs draped in gravy aside root vegetables. To match the savory richness of the meat, we tasted an exquisite Chinon (Chateau de Ligre 2010 Chinon, $16) and a rich Malbec (Finca Flichman 2011 Expresiones Reserve Malbec, $10).

“When I saw short ribs were on the menu, I thought: it has to be Malbec,” gushed Alana. “It has to be Argentina, it has to be this rich, mocha note to the wine.” Enveloped in the dark fruit, the Malbec was full-bodied on the tongue and looked gorgeous in the glass with its deep purple-red color.

“Ugh,” said Ryan. “I’m so over Malbec” as he poured his Chinon, grown in the Loire Valley in France. The more unusual, unexpected pairing impressed us all, and while we enjoyed the Malbac, Ryan’s choice won us over.

To complete our meal, we nibbled on an assortment of cave-aged cheese (aged cheddar, aged parmesan reggiano, and thousand-day aged gouda). We sipped a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon (Primus 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, $13) and, to our surprise, a white port (Warre’s NV White Port, $15).

The Cabernet felt like an expensive red, with a bit more tannin and a rougher quality (the high tannin cut through the fat of the cheese). “This wine for me calls for food, full stop,” qualified Alana. “I love high tannin wines with cheese, but I wouldn’t drink this on its own.”

The white port, while surprising, was deliciously sweet with the richness of the aged cheeses.

Throughout the meal, we discussed our preferences for the pairings and were comforted by the sommeliers that everyone’s preferences are different — and ultimately, while rules of pairing are helpful guidelines, it’s always best to go with the wine that tastes best to you.

But the best way to master food and wine pairing? Drink more wine.

The Wine School of Philadelphia is located at 127 S 22nd Street.

– Arielle Pardes and Shaye Roseman