Food Pairing

Exposure to new flavours, cuisines and styles of eating
and drinking has turned the rules of food and wine pairing upside down.

The hoary old dictum that white wine must be paired with white foods and red with reds has become too narrow as people discover that the ideal way to match wines with foods is by balancing fragrances, tastes, weights and textures of both. And using this approach will sometimes call for brandy. Best matched with powerful foods in terms of aroma, flavour, intensity and weight, brandy has sufficient acidity to act as a foil to richness, even aiding digestion.

Brandy is as complex and varied in aroma, taste and body as wine. The character of both will be determined by the type of grapes used, and also by the style in which they are made. Pure potstilled brandies are the most complex of the three brandy types produced in South Africa, exhibiting the most intense and multi-layered of bouquets and flavours and can thus stand up to very aromatic dishes offering an amalgam of flavours. Vintage brandies, on the other hand, which can contain at least 30% potstilled brandies matured for up to eight years combined mostly with column-distilled spirit, also matured for eight years, tend to have a stronger wood character with traces of spice and vanilla which can be underscored by the choice of dish. The third style comprises blended brandies, containing a minimum of 30% potstilled brandy matured for at least three years. These can often have a very smooth profile and are thus best suited to dishes that reflect this.

The permutations within each brandy style open up a wide and varied spectrum of sensations on the nose and palate, from herbs and hay in younger brandies to hints of fresh and dried peaches, pears, figs or apples, citrus, flowers, Christmas cake, vanilla, spice, oak and cigar box in those matured for up to 20 years.

While some will elect to drink their brandy neat, when dining, most brandymakers will suggest a block or two of ice or a dash of still or sparkling water to release the aromas and flavours and also make them more accessible on the palate.

If you think of all those dishes calling for brandy as a cooking ingredient, you will notice they frequently tend to be recipes high in cream or egg content such as sauces for meat or poultry or they will be desserts that might also include chocolate, an ingredient notoriously difficult to pair. So, if brandy works at that level, imagine how well it works, served with the dish. In the same way as you might open a wine for cooking and then enjoy it later with the prepared meal, you can add a splash of brandy to a sauce or dessert and then serve the same brandy with the meal.

The choice of brandy will depend on the flavours you want to echo in the dish. So, for example, a dish that includes citrus, such as orange, lemon or lime, will call for a brandy that also reflects citrus on the palate. A creamy risotto will match up with nutty brandy flavours. In the same vein, floral or spicy foods will respond well to brandies with notes of potpourri, vanilla or cloves provided the weight of the food is compatible with the weight of the brandy.

Frequently dessert wines are served with puddings, where the sweetness of each fights for attention. However, the alcohol in brandy acts as a bridge, harmonising the flavours in each instance. And here you can explore pairings with fruit-based desserts, to those made with cream and eggs, ice cream included.

Brandy is always an absolutely foolproof combination with chocolate, where the higher the percentage of cocoa, the better the match with a higher-alcohol drink. Thus with brandy, dark chocolate really comes into its own. Brandy is also an ideal partner to soft and creamy cheeses, which have an innate sweetness, such as gorgonzola, mascarpone or ricotta.

Fusion food has brought many Asian ingredients into our cooking and brandy is often the perfect choice for dishes with sweet or sweet and sour flavourings, where once again the sweetness and acidity of the brandy are matched with the dish. Aromatic dishes, provided they are not too hot, also complement brandy. But beware of chilli, which can strip the brandy of its aroma and even its flavour.

The best brandy and food combinations will come from experimenting, but always use as your guidelines, foods that:
- are rich in weight and texture, made with cream and/or eggs
- have an inherent sweetness, such as certain cheeses, sauces and desserts
- need a hint of sweetness to round out flavours
- are highly fragrant on the nose and palate.