Pairing and sets of wine – BOJ Masterclass by Jon William

The sommelier Jon William Herrera Hart gives us some tips on how to pair different wines with different foods and shows us how and why we use BOJ accessories for the wine, such as the pourer, anti-drip ring and oxygenator.

What is pairing? It is the matching of the ingredients in a dish with the characteristics of a wine.

We must take six elements into account:

• Three for the wine: bitterness, acidity and sweetness.
• Three for the food: saltiness, fattiness, spiciness.

These items can go together or not, which is why there are different types of pairing: complement pairing and contrast pairing.

We will look at CONTRAST pairing at a later date. For now, we will focus on COMPLEMENT pairing, with items that go together.

We have six different wines and a single corkscrew: the KEA. Its name comes from the Kea bird which is native to New Zealand. It has a unique beak, like the KEA corkscrew from BOJ.

Txakoli wine from Guipuzcoa

You need to use our BOJ pourer for this white wine. With this item we can reduce the level of acetic acid in the wine. This is a very specific feature of young wines and ciders. We will also boost the aromatic value, something that is generally only present in light intensity in young wines.

The glass is specifically for light white wines. It is designed to maintain the temperature and increase the aromatic value; a similar task to the one fulfilled by our BOJ pourer.

Two suggestions for pairing with our Txakoli: fried piparra peppers or a white fish ceviche.

Rioja oaked white wine

We use our BOJ aerator, as this wine has spent a certain amount of time in the barrel. Once open, it will be somewhat closed and not very expressive. We can return its expressiveness using the aerator and a large glass. We want to release the aromas.

For pairing: we are looking for creamier notes, such as croquettes, a quiche Lorraine, a four-cheese pizza or a cheese board.

Rosé wine

For our rosé wine, we use the anti-drip ring. This is a very practical product for those who find it difficult to master the technique of turning your wrist to prevent drops from sliding down the neck of the bottle. It is a very useful invention to prevent stains on the table or the label.

The glass must be similar to the one used for our Txakoli. You could perhaps use a slightly larger model, as rosé wines are more aromatic.

An interesting pairing for rosé wines: seafood, either boiled, griddled or barbecued. Crab would be good, as would spider crab pie.

Endriga red wine

This bottle has a synthetic cork. No problem. We don’t have to change corkscrews because with the BOJ corkscrew we can remove any type of cork on the market today, and really easily.

This red wine is medium bodied; it is not too heavy and not too light. An intermediate weight, which is why we can use a standard Bordeaux glass, although we can also use a Rioja-style glass.

To pair it, and as we are talking about Rioja wine, why not consider the cuisine from the Rioja region: lamb chops or pig’s trotters would be very interesting options for this wine.

Priorato red wine

We will need to use the BOJ oxygenator. This wine is full-bodied and very intense which means that if we don’t use this product, we will need to open the bottle hours in advance to allow time for the wine to breathe. With the BOJ oxygenator, on the other hand, we obtain the perfect glass of wine instantly.

The glass must be large. A wine with a lot of body, a wine that is more intense, more powerful, needs a larger space to distribute those aromas well.

An ideal pairing: red meat above all. Any cut, barbecued if possible, or even stewed. It is truly a wine that we must pair with strong tasting dishes so that they go together.

Sweet wine from Valladolid

Traditionally, smaller glasses have always been used for serving sweet wines. The exact style will vary depending on the wine-growing region.

An ideal pairing, of course, is a dessert. A dessert with chocolate or red fruits, or we could even choose a savoury item like foie gras. We can keep the wine using our BOJ stopper, so that it doesn’t oxidise.