Why do certain spices and dishes show up far from their origins, and how can tracing these cultural "foodways" change the way we think about wine and food pairing? Why did Cha create her own flavour wheel rather than rely on traditional wine-tasting vocabulary? How can expanding your flavour vocabulary through travel, food, and culture help us describe wine in ways that feel relatable?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Cha McCoy, author of the 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 one of Cha's wine and food pairings might receive the most pushback from traditionalists?

What does cultural terroir mean?

How do cultural factors influence a country's wine preferences and the wine styles it produces?

Why does Brazil's vibrant culture make sparkling wine such a natural fit?

What are foodways, and how does the journey of ingredients and dishes inform the cultural connections between food and wine pairings across continents?

How did Cha navigate pairing wines for Senegalese dishes when her formal training had not prepared her for those flavours?

Why does Cha recommend rich, aromatic white wines for onion and garlic-heavy dishes?

How did tasting local drinks expand Cha's wine vocabulary and approach to wine education for diverse audiences?

Why did Cha create her own flavour wheel that included references and descriptors that differ from traditional industry flavour wheels?

How can building a personal flavour wheel help drinkers trust their own palates and avoid feeling intimidated by industry jargon?

What change would Cha make to wine education to make it more globally inclusive?

Key Takeaways

Why do certain spices and dishes show up far from their origins, and how can tracing these cultural "foodways" change the way we think about wine and food pairing? You'll see Peri Peri often, and you're nowhere near South Africa, which says a lot about foodways. That act of tracing it back is the foodways.

Why did Cha create her own flavour wheel rather than rely on traditional wine-tasting vocabulary? The flavour wheel is commonly used in beginner wine classes to help folks navigate deductive tasting. Why would I start throwing in references that I don't use and smell often? Let's say saffron, turmeric, these are spices that are in my spice cabinet because I cook with them. I find them in wine, even though the WSET vocabulary doesn't use them. You can build your own flavour wheel.

How can expanding your flavour vocabulary through travel, food, and culture help us describe wine in ways that feel relatable? Visiting Turkey and Morocc, made Cha understand their drinking culture. Knowing what that background is helps her explain wines that were… I can translate this wine, knowing that fact about them, or in a restaurant that I know, or a chef making a dish that's related to this. I wanted to stay away from using vocabularies that is not, you know, if I'm talking to my demographic, I know where they're from, and I know what they're drinking, or I know what they're eating. And so when you are traveling, immersed in fruits and juices, different ways that you can have that. And now it adds to your own lexicon.

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/365.