How can you pair wine with spicy dishes in a way that enhances their flavour profile? Why do most wine-pairing guides ignore the traditions of global cuisines? How can you use wine pairings to explore under-the-radar wine regions instead of reaching for the same rosé or sparkling wine every time?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Cha McCoy, author of the terrific new book Wine Pairing for the People.

You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.

Giveaway

Three of you are going to win a copy of Cha McCoy's terrific new book, Wine Pairing for the People: The Communion of Wine, Food, and Culture from Africa and Beyond. To qualify, all you have to do is email me at [email protected] and let me know that you've posted a review of the podcast. I'll choose three people randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!

Highlights

Which moment in Italy transformed Cha's wine hobby into a professional calling?

What inspired Cha to launch The Communion, a wine dinner series in Harlem?

How did those shared wine experiences help guests learn, connect, and form a community?

What challenges did Cha face when opening The Communion Wine and Spirits in Syracuse?

How does Cha's new book, Wine Pairing for the People, step away from traditional pairing rules to explore often-ignored global cuisines?

How should you think about the key flavour components when pairing wine and food?

How can underrepresented wine regions and lesser-known styles expand pairing possibilities?

What is the most unusual or surprising wine-and-food pairing in Wine Pairing for the People?

How can spice-lovers think about choosing wines to enhance dishes like jerk chicken?

Key Takeaways

How can you pair wine with spicy dishes in a way that enhances their flavour profile? By playing up to the flavours of the spicy dish. For folks who can take a little bit of spice, by finding the elements within the seasoning, you can do more of a comparison than contrasting, which is what we're normally taught.

Why do most wine-pairing guides ignore the traditions of global cuisines? When it comes to wine pairings for food from different cultures, most guides focus heavily on the Western world or European food culture. These would be really thick books that talked in depth about the pairings, but also lacked context. That was something Cha wanted to really challenge.

How can you use wine pairings to explore under-the-radar wine regions instead of reaching for the same rosé or sparkling wine every time? There is something to say about exploring not just the cultures that we're pairing with, but different wines from different regions and underrepresented regions. Let's explore, maybe, an underrepresented region that does sparkling wine and sparkling rosé really well to give you an alternative. There are many ways you can have Rosé, Chardonnay, or sparkling wine that will give you a different effect.

About Cha McCoy

Cha McCoy, MBA, is an entrepreneur, educator, event producer, and author. As a certified sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers, she developed The Communion, a wine dinner series that offers an inviting, accessible approach to gathering and enjoying wine. This experience inspired her to open her first retail space, The Communion Wine & Spirits. The dinner series was profiled in Food & Wine, and Cha was named one of Wine Enthusiast's 40 Under 40. Her work continues through her highly anticipated book, Wine Pairing for the People: The Communion of Wine, Food, and Culture from Africa and Beyond, available now for pre-order and scheduled for release in November. Cha has held coveted positions such as Cherry Bombe Magazine's first beverage director, the head of beverage for the Charleston Wine + Food Festival, and a sommelier at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Portugal and John Fraser Restaurant in New York.

To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/364.