Wine and food matcher 

Make your next dinner party a breeze by using our Wine and Food Matcher. Either match the wine with food or food with wine.  The Wine and Food Matcher will provide recipes from our acclaimed Epicurean Centre so you can try them for yourself at home.  

Wine and food matching 

The practice of matching wine and food is one that presents great challenges and potential disasters. Why is this?  Because there are so many variables influencing the final results.  And the outcome – the pairing of wine and food – is subject to individual likes, preferences and whims so that it is only rarely that a particular combination of wine and food will “ring everyone’s bells’”. 

So what are the variables? To summarise, they include flavours, textures, intensity, delicacy, and the interplay of components such as sugar, acid, tannin, oak, alcohol, proteins, fats, carbohydrates etc. 

It all sounds daunting but in reality it isn’t. With a little information, a lot of enthusiasm and a propensity to explore and experiment, you will find many wine and food combinations that greatly enhance your dining experience. “Wine and food are a passion for the Brown family and have been for as long as I can remember.  Many of my childhood memories are of the family and extended family getting together to share good wine, food and company. My father was a great raconteur and these gatherings would always have another most important ingredient – laughter!  It has given my brothers and I, and the generations that followed, an indelible passion for wine and food and the lifestyle it brings”. Ross Brown, CEO So what are the principles of wine and food matching? One of the major variables in the wine and food equation is flavour. There are naturally occurring organic compounds that occur in some grape varieties and in some foods that provide a link between both. Some of the flavour compounds found in wines are Linalool, Methoxypyrazine, Cherry, Blackcurrant, Pepper and Vanilla. To find out more about these compounds, read on below. In terms of wine & food matching and how we apply this, flavour is an important component but it’s not everything. For instance, you wouldn’t get a big juicy steak, squeeze some lemon juice over it and match some Riesling with it! That’s why we don’t just look at flavours and aromas, we also take into account textures, balance and sometimes contrast when developing a wine & food match.The Epicurean Centre – demystifying the art of matching wine with food.

Often prepared with a contemporary Asian or Mediterranean accent, the Epicurean Centre menu features locally sourced ingredients - trout from the local rivers and streams; chestnuts, walnuts and hazelnuts from the foothills of the Victorian Alps; local mushrooms, beef, lamb, turkey, venison and cheeses; and seasonal berries and fruits from nearby orchards.

Over the summer months the menu can feature local raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.

In autumn visitors will see old-fashioned fruits like quinces and persimmons, which make delicious tarts and puddings featured on the menu.

The menu is changed each season to reflect availability and freshness of produce and to allow for new wine releases to be showcased.


Flavour compounds found in wine: 

Linalool - a specific flavour compound within the broader group of compounds called terpenes. Terpenes are responsible for the floral, fragrant aromas found in wines made from varieties such as Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Muscat and Chenin Blanc. 

Methoxypyrazine - a flavour compound found in several grape varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Semillon, and also in many vegetables such as asparagus, capsicum, green beans, cabbage, spinach and bok choy. 

It is a very pungent compound and can be detected when present in tiny concentrations, for example, parts per billion. 

With grapes it is used as a protective mechanism to repel predators when the seeds are immature, and would stand little chance germinating if eaten and expelled. 

This compound is found in higher residual concentrations in fruit grown in cooler climates, or in fruit picked at lower sugar levels. 

Cherry - Aroma and flavour descriptors embracing cherry, strawberry, raspberry, are often associated with light red wine styles.  These wines are generally made using a fermentation technique called carbonic maceration. 

The technique of carbonic maceration, used to produce French Beaujolais wines, results in very fragrant, fruity aromas and flavours with low phenolic levels.  The percentage of grapes fermented by this method will determine the fruitiness of the wine. 

Blackcurrant - These aromas and flavours are generally associated with Cabernet Sauvignon. 

These compounds are derived from very low concentrations of sulphides: di-methyl sulphide (DMS). DMS is produced during fermentation as a result of the interaction between the yeast and a particular amino acid. The amino acid in question is present and retained in high concentrations in Cabernet Sauvignon grapes grown in a cool climate. It is critical however that the fruit ripens fully, otherwise herbaceous flavours predominate. 

Pepper - Pepper like flavour compounds are most commonly associated with cool climate Shiraz grapes, however they can be found in other red grape varieties. When the fruit is unripe, these compounds are in high concentrations, and they diminish and are replaced by fruitier, more palatable flavours as the fruit ripens. High levels of these compounds are extremely unpleasant to taste. 

Grapes grown in cooler climates retain higher residual levels of these pepper like compounds, and the wines subsequently display these characteristics. 

Vanilla – a flavour compound found in oak. It is produced by the tree to repel insects such as borers. It is one of the compounds imparted by barrels during fermentation/maturation. Vanillin is more commonly associated with American oak.