Worst wine/food matches - what was yours?

[David M. Bueker]

JC posted about a dubious wine and food match in another thread, and it got me thinking - what is the worst ever wine & food match you have ever had?

Mine was at a wine dinner in October 2003 where we had set up the meal for 7 courses, all paired with Cabernet-based wines. What we didn't know what that the fourth course was a palate cleanser, so we ended up with three glasses of red bordeaux with grapefruit sorbet!

Needless to say, most of us either skipped the sorbet or held the wines to the next course.

So how about the rest of you? What wine & food horrors do you recall?

p.s. No wine/cheese posts - we've done those to death.

One of the worst for me was a raspberry souffle served with a sweet Sauternes. One sip/taste was enough. Drank a bit of water, finished off the delicious souffle, drank two espressos and then went on to enjoy the Sauternes.

Best
Rogov

Probably the worst have been with strong or blue cheeses, where the wrong wine can clash awfully.

[David M. Bueker]

Hey! I thought I said no cheese!

The bad: Pahlmeyer Merlot with fairly spicy chicken fajitas. Good food, wine on its own was decent - well made but boring (although in a horribly bulky, oversized bottle) - but with the food (particularly the chile) the alcohol and new oak suddenly stood out and drowned all the fruit and anything else offering pleasure.

The ugly: A Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc served with veal saltimbocca a couple of years ago. The veal was great, the combination disgusting - I just had the food and ignored the wine completely.

The truly horrific: In January this year while in Singapore was served the local Hainanese chicken rice with a bottle of '98 Quinault L'Enclos, which in itself is one of the most heavily overoaked and overextracted wines I've tasted and in combination with the spices of the rice and chicken turned into a bitter, burnt coffee and wood-laden mess.

Hey! I thought I said no cheese!

I blame skim-reading

[David M. Bueker]

Hey! I thought I said no cheese!

I blame skim-reading

Better than "part-skim" reading.

Hi,

we met for dinner with friends and were to supply a 1999 Domaine de Marcoux CndP (red). When our friend asked about a food match, we suggested duck. We got a delicious duck on sauerkraut (Alsatian style). A horrible match probably with any red wine.

Winfried

[David M. Bueker]

Wow, that does sound delicious (the food) but nasty (the pairing)!

A few years ago when the Mollydooker line of wines were released I opened one to pair with some aged prime filet mignon. After the first taste I put it aside and served it later with chocolate brownies It's the only food I can see pairing it with!

Drew

A tannic red wine and a dessert with lots of cream.

Shrimp cocktails and salads with vinaigrette dressing. You run into them everywhere in America, and thus you have to go hungry until dinner arrives.

[David M. Bueker]

I cannot remember the last time I saw a shrimp cocktail.

I cannot remember the last time I saw a shrimp cocktail.

David, I tried to kind of prove that such things exist in my previous comment. Then I felt really stupid so I deleted my attempt. If you never see them, they just don't exist for you; I can accept that.

The one that comes to mind is a 1990 Guigal Hermitage Blanc with a day-old Elmo sheet cake. Hoo boy!

[David M. Bueker]

I cannot remember the last time I saw a shrimp cocktail.

David, I tried to kind of prove that such things exist in my previous comment. Then I felt really stupid so I deleted my attempt. If you never see them, they just don't exist for you; I can accept that.

I am not saying they don't exist, I just don't recall the last time I saw one. I am sure they are around, but as for them being everywhere? Well you must live in a parallel universe.

I love a good shrimp cocktail. Not sure what I'd serve with it...a cocktail I guess.

Anyone who lives in Vegas would see them on an hourly basis.

I am sure they are around, but as for them being everywhere? Well you must live in a parallel universe.

Or maybe just an old-fashioned one

You don't exactly see shrimp cocktail on most of the 'big city' or 'modern' restaurant menus, but I was actually served the dish a few weeks ago by an old-school meat-and-potatoes grill type of guy hosting a dinner. Seemed to fit right in with his entire demeanor.

[David M. Bueker]

I love a good shrimp cocktail.

Anyone who lives in Vegas would see them on an hourly basis.

But you might miss them while looking at other things.

I was enjoying a nice white wine (I don't recall the specifics) at a seafood restaurant in Raleigh when the waiter brought me a complimentary amuse bouche. It had shrimp and some type of peppers so I asked about the heat/spiciness of the peppers and they assured me the peppers were very mild (which they were.) What I didn't ask about and found out when I bit into the dish was that the amuse bouche had a plentiful helping of cilantro. A little cilantro goes a long way for me and this time it completely obliterated and spoiled the white wine. I ate bread, drank water, but I couldn't rid my palate of the cilantro effect and the wine was no pleasure after that. I've never been back to that restaurant but it has relocated and continues to get good reviews so maybe I'll relent and try it again.

I think anchovies would ruin any wine for me also. Does someone who likes anchovies have a suggested pairing?

I am sure they are around, but as for them being everywhere? Well you must live in a parallel universe.

Or maybe just an old-fashioned one

You don't exactly see shrimp cocktail on most of the 'big city' or 'modern' restaurant menus, but I was actually served the dish a few weeks ago by an old-school meat-and-potatoes grill type of guy hosting a dinner. Seemed to fit right in with his entire demeanor.

Rahsaan, I don't see them in the kinds of restaurants I frequent, but see them all the time in association with business functions. Any function for business people has them, because, I guess, a lot of people like them. Not connoisseurs, but regular folks. So if you mix with regular folks in business, you will see shrimp cocktails all the time.

They also seem to be a feature of many hotel brunches and such.

Tannic red wine and corn chips.

JC and anchovy....I think anchovies would ruin any wine for me also.

Even better, what about smoked mackerel?!!!