Wine for food from the Middle East
Google 4,9 Google review | Facebook 5,0 Facebook review | Trustpilot 4,7 Trustpilot review
Language swedish Language english Langue french

Quality wines, magazine, accommodation and much more

ESCAPAT MAGAZINE

Middle East food
Wine pairing
Lebanon food

Wine for food from the Middle East

Wine for food from the Middle East
When faced with the task of combining wine and food, there is a fairly simple question to remember and to start with: What wines are produced and consumed in the region being considered? Doing a little research, one can then start experimenting with wines with a completely different origin than the ones we usually end up selecting; looking at, for example, Israel and Lebanon, there is a wide array of wines to botanize amongst. Simply let food act as a bridge to heightened knowledge and new experiences!
As for food from the Middle East, it of course differs quite significantly from region to region and culture to culture, just as any country or region doesn't exhibit a one-dimensional cuisine. But, of course, there are some common denominators. Food from this part of the world is often presented as a number of small dishes set on the table, usually called "meze"; compare with, for example, Spanish tapas or the Swedish smorgasbord. Some classics among meze that we often come across worldwide:
Tabbouleh - a tomato salad with an onion and parsley base
Baba Ghanoush - a relish based around grilled eggplant, olive oil, garlic, and strong paprika powder
Hummus - a puree of chickpeas, olive oil, garlic, lemon, cumin, and sesame paste
Falafel - fried balls made with chickpeas, garlic, and parsley
Kebab - spiced and grilled lamb
Most often, the proteins are accompanied by different sauces, or prepared as a casserole, and the seasoning of these should be the base for finding accompanying wines.
Wine for food from the Middle East
Foto Middle eastern spices av Jmalipan
Middle Eastern food has rich and complex taste profiles with a lot of spices such as parsley, cumin, sumac, paprika, coriander, garlic and onion, often with either olive oil or yoghurt as a base. The dishes are full of flavor, often with a grilled note and / or a nuttiness coming from chickpeas, beans, or nuts. It is this complexity, with layers of spices and vegetables and preparation methods creating richness, which might make the task of choosing wine for food from the Middle East feel daunting; it is difficult to know at which end to start, and it is seldom possible to distinguish one distinct taste note. But if you break down the flavors, you will find that a lot of the notes are similarly found in many other cuisines around the world, which is why you can pair successfully with wines from widely different areas.
Raw onions often give rise to a bit of a challenge when it comes to pairing with wine and can in itself make beer suddenly feel like the only reasonable choice. But it is seldom used raw other than in salads, and then usually accompanied by a chlorophyll packed greenery from leaves and fresh herbs as well as umami from tomato, which further elevates the feeling of mission impossible. But consider where in the world tomatoes are consumed en masse: in Italy and the south of France. What wines are found here and why do they work? Pinot Gris, which is synonymous with France and Alsace, often has a fantastic residual sweetness that works better with fatty foods and fruity desserts. But in Italy, as Pinot Grigio, the same grape produces deliciously fruity wines that often have a tart acidic structure, which works wonders with an onion- and tomato-based salad. Like a good Sangiovese would do if the salad was partnered with kebab or minced meat skewers.
We always come back to urging you to dare try; and this applies especially well when approaching food cultures you may not attempt so often. But read up on wines from the region, ponder the climate and remember to pair with the spices and flavors, not the protein itself; meat does not automatically mean red wine, just as fish does not always call for a white!
Wine for food from the Middle East
Foto Chilled wine av Pashapixel
In countries with a warmer climate, wine is often enjoyed somewhat more chilled than the norm, which substantially changes the wine's taste profile. The sense of alcohol decreases, the acid is more readily tangible, the impression of tannins decreases, the fruitiness is more easily perceived and so on. Therefore, sun-soaked wines that are served well-chilled often work perfectly, even for slightly heavier foods; although many food experts would argue that one must serve a "crispy Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre" or an "acid packed Riesling from Rheingau" with a creamy hummus, deep fried falafel, or a rich baba ghanoush. Creamy, rich sauces / dressings often need the acid to cut through, but if we take a classic hummus for example, a chilled (and this applies to both white and red) wine with a slightly higher sense of alcohol (warm growth) cuts through and lifts the flavors in the same way.
Then, of course, there are a few "over-all" wines, which work well with almost anything, and not just with Middle Eastern food: White wines from the south of France generally manage to marry perfectly with a wide range of taste profiles, textures, and temperatures. The same goes for red wines from the region with a high proportion of Grenache and / or Carignan.
The reason simply being that wines here are made to suit the region's own very flavorful and varied cuisine; which in itself has influences from both Spain, Catalonia and even the Middle East; but also, because the combination of climate, grapes, soil, and winemaking technology works to create fantastically complex wines that stand up to a variation of flavors whilst remaining very elegant. Why not try something new in the kitchen this weekend, cook up a variation on köfte; lamb meatballs cooked in a spicy tomato sauce; and accompany with a juicy Carignan such as Lillian or Vieilles vignes 57
Winegrower
Bruno Ohlzon
Written by
pea&Rosenberg