Wine and Food

It never fails.  After every wine dinner, after the stress of preparing and serving all of the food, there is the worry of how harmonious the wine pairings played out.  Pairing wine and food is tricky.  Sometimes the wine shows off the food and sometimes the food show off the wine...and every once in a great while there is a perfect pairing, a match made that makes both the food and the wine shine.  The more a plate has on it, the harder it is to pair the wine.  Wine dinners can be even more complex because first we set the menu, then we pair the wines, then we have to adjust the menu accordingly depending on how the wine is actually showing.  The locavore dinner is by far the most trying because the menu constantly changes right up to the first course being served.  The wines are ordered after the first draft of the menu with the hope that not too much will change or that we are able to adapt the dish enough to fit the wine.  There is so much going on leading up to the dinner that we don't get a good chance to make sure the wine pairs well with the food.  That is the point where we have to trust ourselves and hope for the best.  I am sure we did well, but it doesn't stop me from being concerned...