As I write
this newsletter, my knees are trembling and my stomach is churning. No, it’s
not a vicious bout of food poisoning, it’s the fact that I have been invited to
speak at the Food & Wine Bloggers Indaba 2011 which will take place this Sunday
and I’m as nervous as hell!
I know
those nerves will vanish with my first sip of the good stuff and luckily I’m
passionate about what I’m talking about – food and wine pairing.
Why all the pairing fuss?
I don’t
understand why everyone gets so worked up about this, creating rules,
guidelines, declaring their inability to put things together – in my view, if
you have a tongue then you can taste, if you can taste then you can decide if
things go nicely together – and that is really all you need to know!
Okay, there
might be a bit more to it than that. Weight and texture of the food play a role,
as does the sweetness or spiciness of the wine… but, like many things which
seem insanely complicated, putting the right food with the right wine is in
essence very simple. Like them together? Then it’s a pairing! And that is going
to be my mission on Sunday – and, indeed, on any other day as well – to
convince people to have a bit more confidence and faith in their own tastebuds.
Indaba every day on Food24!
Not going
to the Indaba? Never fear. My own Pairing 101 notes are already on Food24. And of course, all your favourite Food24 bloggers flying their flags at
the Indaba (recipe whizz Juno, photographer extraordinaire My Easy Cooking, as well as award-winning Simply Delicious, Lavender
& Lime, Pink Polka Dot, Bits of Carey and our food travel expert Jeanne Horak-Druiff) are, as always, only a click away.
Here’s to a foodie blast on Sunday!
Yours with
chewed nails