Beyond a red or a white, and basics like merlots and pinot grigios, there’s so much more to explore when it comes to different types of wine, especially when pairing wine with food. However, since wine usually isn’t a part of our early cultural experiences and education, many of us are a bit apprehensive when it comes to ordering or pairing wines.
While some local restaurants may offer impressive wine lists, fewer have sommeliers—trained wine stewards—on staff to help us with our food and wine pairings. Therefore, diners tend to stick with what they know, even if it might not be the best wine complement to the dishes they have ordered.
Carrie Lyn Strong, a sommelier with a long New York City resume who now lives in Marietta, can help. “This country’s culture is different from European countries because wine is not something that we grow up with. People can get intimidated,” she said, adding that, “I approach it in a way that people can understand that’s both fun and informative.”
Since moving to Marietta where her fiancé (now husband) had a home, Strong has focused on her wine consultant business, educating restaurant staff, teaching for the Sommelier Society of America, working with wine associations, interviewing prominent wine industry leaders, giving online wine tastings, and hosting wine dinners. Her work takes her everywhere, from local restaurants to New York City, and from online events to wine professionals around the world.
Using her expertise with a local spin, Strong considered the menus of some of her favorite area restaurants for the perfect food and wine pairings that will have you ordering like a pro and serving both congruent and complementary pairings at your next dinner party.
First Course
Recently, Strong has been working together with the staff at The Railroad House Inn in Marietta to educate and host wine dinners for the creation of the perfect pairing. So, our journey begins there with an appetizer of seared Hokkaido scallops over a spring pea & saffron risotto, pea foam, and candied pecan gremolata. Strong suggested pairing this dish with Delamotte Rosé NV Le Mesnil sur Oger from Champagne, France, which is sold by the bottle at Railroad House Inn.
“It’s such an elegant champagne,” she said. “It’s bright, fresh with rose petal tones, and aromas of cherry blossom. It’s the perfect aperitif. It excites your palate and gets you ready for what’s to come.”
Delamotte Rosé Champagne pairs well with the scallop dish as scallops are delicate and sweet with a bit of salt. That works with the spring pea, which is sweet, light and lively with saffron. “This whole dish is very delicate yet savory with a light balance of seafood, cherry blossom, fresh pea, and sweetness from the candied pecan. This pairing is more of a parallel pairing to my mind.”
By that, Strong means that the flavors of the food and the wine will be more similar to each other. That contrasts with opposite flavor pairings such as a spicy food with a sweeter riesling in which the sweetness will calm down the spice.
Second Course
Following the light sweetness of rosé and the delicate taste of sea salt from scallops comes our second course, hailing from the menu at Luca in Lancaster. Strong suggests the funghi pasta or pizza and pairs it with a Giardin, Bourgogne chardonnay 2019 from Burgundy, France—a wine that is medium-bodied with yellow pear and vanilla-lemon custard notes. “Chardonnay can have apple and pear tones that work well with mushrooms—opposite flavors that marry nicely,” she said.
Strong notes that this pairing hits multiple complementary notes. Mushroom dishes are often creamy due to the addition of cheese, like Tallegio or even salty cheeses like pecorino or Parmigiano Reggiano. This creaminess couples well with the lush nature of chardonnay, which occurs during malolactic fermentation, the process that turns acid into creamy flavors. Additionally, acidity in the wine—especially when made in cooler climates—makes our palates water, which is similar to the effect of salty cheeses. This pairing has both similar and contrasting flavors, which makes it complex.
Main Course
For the main course, Strong asks us to consider the Japanese Wagyu offerings at 401 Prime, which makes her eyes light up as she describes how rare it is to find a menu with Japanese Wagyu of the top A5 quality outside of major metropolitan areas. For the A5 striploin or ribeye with such amazing marbling and richness, she recommends a Barbaresco (nebbiolo grape), a medium-bodied Italian red that boasts both acidity and subtle tannins with rustic flavors, or Chateuaneuf-du-Pape (grenache grape) from France that is round, fruity, and heartwarming with silky tannins. “Both are red wines that will hold up to the fat [in the Wagyu] but not so overwhelming that they will overpower it.”
Dessert
Finally, Strong takes us to Josephine’s Downtown in Lancaster for dessert where we would try the chocolate and pear decadence. This delicacy presents a manjari chocolate mousse with Sacher cake, pear variations, and a mixed media crumble.
If the name of that dessert alone doesn’t entice, imagine it paired with a port wine. Port wines are offered as tawny styles (more nutty in flavor) or late bottled vintage, more berry focused (just a bit sweeter). Strong recommends a tawny port like Sandman for this decadent dessert, because she says the nuttiness lends itself to the fresh, ripe pear lusciousness and chocolate bitterness in the dessert.
Some of these mouth-watering pairings could be re-created at home—such as a quick sear on an authentic Japanese Wagyu from www.pursuitfarms.com served with an Italian nebbiolo wine—or ordered at these Lancaster area restaurants.
Keep in mind that pairings can be done two different ways—parallel or perpendicular (similar or opposite).
Most importantly, remember that you must like the wine. As Strong notes, “If you don’t like it, you’re never going to like it.” A pairing means nothing if you don’t like the wine.
For more information on Carrie Lyn Strong’s Wine Consulting, which includes virtual wine events, private wine classes, restaurant consultation, wine brand ambassadors, wine and spirits dinners, and wine gifting and purchasing, visit carrielynstrong.com/services/
