By The Glass Roberto Viernes

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Food-wine mismatches underscore value of pairings

AS I'VE SAID before, the best pairings make the wine and food taste better together than apart. This is the best anyone can ask for in a dining experience -- but it is also rare.

In past columns, I've painted for you in broad strokes how I make appropriate matches. But one of the best ways to learn is to make mistakes.

These are pairings I would discourage, and if you try them you'll see why they should be avoided:

Raw fish with merlot: From poke at the neighborhood store to the best sushi this side of the Pacific Ocean, raw fish is always plentiful in Hawaii. Can you imagine a California merlot with the salty, fatty earthiness of ahi shoyu poke with limu or the delicate buttery-ness of hamachi sushi?

Even a beautiful bottle like the 2003 Neyers Vineyards, Neyers Ranch Merlot ($30), is too powerful for raw fish. It trumps the fishes' delicate flavors and only exacerbates the bitterness of the limu and soy. The alcohol, although well-integrated, brings out even more spice from the wasabi, not refreshing the palate but more like punishing it.

I like what I've heard one wine importer say: "The fish is already dead. You don't have to kill it again."

Curry with cabernet sauvignon: The only way these would go together would be if the heat of the spices had killed your tastebuds before you even tried the wine. Even an Old World version that is elegant, lighter in body and lower in alcohol than its New World counterpart just won't work.

Take for example even a terrific example of the famed 2003 vintage in Bordeaux, such as the 2003 Chateau de Pez ($35) from St. Estephe, which is even blended with merlot to soften it and add more depth and complexity. This wine would play a war game in your mouth with the spice and heat of curry.

I'm always taken aback at my own local Thai restaurant when I see people order their trusty companion, cabernet sauvignon, next to their flaming hot, spiced, favorite curry. Even beer is a better pair, but don't get me started.

Oysters and shiraz: My favorite wacko pairing.

I was dining at a seafood restaurant in Australia known for oysters on the half shell. The table next to us ordered a bottle of shiraz with their dozen oysters. Really! I can't imagine a bottle -- even a killer bottle of 2004 Three Rings Shiraz ($20), just gushing with ripe, jammy fruit, smoky cedar and vanilla -- that would be good with the minerally, briny richness of oysters.

Try these combos and you'll learn quickly what NOT to do. A great food and wine pairing can make a simple wine heavenly. But a bad pairing can make ruin even a great wine.

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