Looking for an easy and healthy snack that pairs with both red and white wine.
For those of you in that situation, there's a recommended ingredient.
It's"Grapefruit".
Grapefruit is said to be in season from April to May.
During spring, you'll likely find plenty of them at the supermarket.
Here, we'll explain"Wine × Grapefruit"and why we recommend this pairing.
Getting to Know Grapefruit
When considering the pairing of grapefruit and wine, first youneed to know about grapefruit.
While this isn't reconnaissance of the enemy castle, understanding the characteristics of ingredients you pair with wine is an important approach to successful pairing.
What is Grapefruit
Grapefruit is a type of citruscharacterized by freshness and sweet-tartness.
Originating from Barbados Island in the Caribbean, this fruit was called"the forbidden fruit".
Grapefruit contains not only vitamin C but also potassium, lycopene, and naringin, and its aroma activates the sympathetic nervous system, amonga wide variety of expected health benefits.
From these specs, there's no doubt that grapefruit is a healthy snack.
However, grapefruit is generally enjoyed as a post-meal fruit, as a dessert, or as juice.
In terms of alcohol-related uses, it may be used in cocktails, but few people may treat it by itself asa "snack".
So why is grapefruit recommended as a wine snack?
Let's explain in detail.
How to Pair White Wine with Grapefruit
First, let's considerthe compatibility of white wine and grapefruit.
White wines contain various aromas, but many primarily have"citrus aromas".
Also, many white wines are early-drinking types finished with an emphasis on"fresh & fruity"elements, and these aspects can be considered highly compatible with grapefruit.
Therefore, if pairing white wine with grapefruit,serve it "raw (as is)" or in a salad preparation with citrus-based dressing.
However, not all white wines pair perfectly, so to enhance compatibility, it's important to choose wines with nuances as close to grapefruit as possible.
So let me tell you what kind of wine to choose.
Sauvignon Blanc & Koshu
For pairing with grapefruit,"Sauvignon Blanc"or"Koshu"is recommended.
First, it has been discovered that Sauvignon Blanc contains grapefruit-like aromatic compounds.
Furthermore, in recent years, it became a topic of discussion when aromatic compounds similar to Sauvignon Blanc were also discovered in Koshu (Kiiroka).
These aromatic compounds are called"volatile thiols"and are known to many wine lovers.
- 3MHA…grapefruit flavor, etc.
- 3MH…grapefruit, passion fruit
- 4MMP…boxwood
If a white wine has a well-balanced combination of grapefruit-like aromas, tropical passion fruit aromas, and green boxwood-like aromas,you can expect to enjoy aromas quite close to grapefruit.
Incidentally, the main aromatic compounds of grapefruit are said to be"limonene"and"nootkatone", so it's not exactly the same aroma, but in terms of "grapefruit-like," these varieties are recommended.
By the way, the aromatic compound "nootkatone" is a scent that evokes slight bitterness, sopairing with Koshu, which has a slightly bitter aftertaste, might be good.
How to Pair Red Wine with Grapefruit
Next, how to pair red wine with grapefruit.
For pairing with red wine, you might think of"ruby red grapefruit", but red and white varieties differ only in how acidity and bitterness are perceived, with little difference in aromatic compounds.
That said, including from a visual perspective,ruby red is slightly sweeter and not overly bitter, so pairing it with red wine is recommended.
Now, unlike white wine, red wine contains volatile thiols (though it does contain them) but rather hasberry, smoky, meat, barrel-derived vanilla, and other"rich"aromas.
Therefore, rather than raw grapefruit,"grapefruit with a bit of preparation"is recommended for pairing.
Moving Toward Red Wine…
As mentioned earlier, grapefruit ischaracterized by a sweet-tart and fresh flavor.
However, it has been suggested that heating citrus fruit juice such as grapefruit changes its aroma.
For example, when grapefruit juice is heated, these aromatic compounds emerge.
- 2-methyl-3-furanthiol
- methional
- 2-acetyl-2-thiazoline, etc…
This alone may not make much sense, but summarizing the aromas that include these:
- aromas like meat cooked in soy sauce
- aromas found in potato, cheese, soy sauce, miso, etc.
- aromas like roast beef, etc…
In other words, heating grapefruit produces slight meaty aromas, soyou can also think of it as moving closer to red wine.
If pairing red wine with grapefruit, rather than raw,a salad using lightly heated grapefruitis recommended.
Also, pairing with a dish that includes a bit of meat might be nice.
Muscat Bailey A with Grapefruit Salad
Proof is better than argument… so this time as well, I tried wine pairing using grapefruit.
For the grapefruit, Ichose ruby redand sautéed the flesh in a frying pan.
However, as a wine snack, just that alone seems lonely, soI made it into a salad tossed with salad kale, crispy bacon and its oil, and a sauce of soy sauce and butter.
Considering the nuances of soy sauce and meat, for the wine Ichose "Muscat Bailey A".
The flavor of grilled bacon and grapefruit's distinctive aroma and sweet-tartness. The soy sauce-based saucepairs perfectly with "Muscat Bailey A".
In particular, the affinity between Muscat Bailey A's fruitiness and the warm, juicy fruitiness of grapefruit is high, making this a surprisingly good combination even to myself.
Please give it a try.
Grapefruit is a Useful Snack!
If eating grapefruit raw, pair it with white wine for after-dinner or daytime drinking on holidays.
If pairing with red wine, use lightly heated grapefruit as an everyday salad…
Grapefruit pairs more easily with wine than you might think, andyou can see it's a "versatile" snack.
Even those who don't usually eat fruit will find it easier to choose with wine as a companion.
Please refer to this article andtry pairing various wines with grapefruit.
References
Aromatic Compounds in Citrus Juice and Aroma Changes by Heating
Preparation of Wine Flavor Samples for Sensory Evaluation Training