F & B

Wine decides the menu

French chef Bernard Dance's priorities are clear. The wine precedes, and decides the food to follow. That sounds radical; but after all, he is working at Möet and Chandon's Chateau de Saran, the company's private centre for entertaining a select few. Visiting Mumbai and Delhi, he elaborates on pairing wine with Indian food.

I have to create dishes in conjunction with the wine, so I begin with the wine. To start with, I sit with the winemaker, for he is the individual who knows everything about wine. At Möet and Chandon, we follow this system of starting with the wine. There are a few other places in France that follow this system, too, especially in Burgundy and Bordeaux. And now people are first choosing the wine they would like to have, and then asking what food they can have with it. In the US, at some restaurants you can carry your wine and ask for food that will go well with it.

However the ability to pair wine and food is not easy. For me, the learning process was a long one.

It's been 23 years now, and the expertise to differentiate between wines came with experience. Respecting wines is a must - you have to love the right mix of ingredients and the atmosphere.

As for pairing with Indian food, with white wine, vegetarian curries go well. I also suggest seafood, fish and chicken be paired with white wine. Rosé goes better with lamb, pigeon and turkey, while a pinot noir would suit red meats and lobster as it is able to absorb strong flavours. For cooking with wine, it is important to reduce the wine over fire. This will kill the flavour, but retain the acidity, which forms the identity of the wine, and gives the dish its flavour.

Fortunately in India the tradition of wine consumption is not a new one, unlike in some countries. I have sampled some Indian wines, which seemed to have the flavour of ample sunshine and was therefore fruity. But even then, to understand Indian tastes, I have to understand the ingredients, spices, water, and the people. Also this is a large country, and I have been to only a few places.

On my earlier visits, French cuisine was more prominent in India, as compared to other cuisines. Of the variants of French cuisine, Indians are more likely to enjoy Mediterranean cuisine as it has a lot of herbs, vegetables, seafood and poultry. But French cuisine is very popular around the world, especially the brasserie, or brewery, an informal restaurant style that is commonly seen in New York and around other food capitals of the world. I think this type of restaurant would be popular in India too.

-As told to Suman Tarafdar