Wine and olive oil
Oil...
First of all, please check out our lovely selection of oils.
Olive oil is truly a unique, magical, divine oil. It has been with man since time immemorial, but when olive trees arrived in the Mediterranean Basin from Asia Minor, approximately 6,000 years ago, the fragrant oil from its drupe became the fluid that lubricated the engine of all civilizations in its surroundings. Irreplaceable in the Mediterranean diet, olive oil has transcended its role as a food throughout its long history, transforming itself into medicine, fuel and an essential element in ceremonies and rituals of various religions.
But it is on the table that the oil from the spectacular trees with silver-green leaves sublimates, at least for us, inveterate wine lovers. Always alongside the vines in their preferred habitat, the olive tree and the grains formed the Mediterranean triad, and it is no coincidence that these three wonders of nature worked by human ingenuity - wine, oil and bread - provide a union of the Gods when they are together.
Olive oil in harmony
However, knowing a little about the wine-food pairing technique, it is possible to broaden and refine our range of choices, without forgetting that a simple piece of bread soaked in golden oil, washed down with a nice sip of wine, usually results in some kind of result; there is almost never a contentious divorce in this marriage.
I have recently seen some efforts to find harmony between olive oils and wines by comparing the aromatic profile of the oil with the aromatic profile of the white or red wine in question. Something like suggesting a pungent, herbaceous and spicy olive oil with a cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc, with its herbaceous aromas from methoxypyrazines and its biting acidity. Or a more mature, dense and fruity olive oil with a red wine with this profile, an Alentejo wine if we bring the suggestion to Portugal.
It is also very common to find in searches for “olive oil + wine” suggestions of wines, regardless of their color, that have a balance on the palate governed by acidity, as “acidity cleans fat”.
Without belittling these increasingly common opinions, I think it would be important at this point to propose another way of treating olive oil for harmonization purposes, so that it can also be tested and discussed.
Understanding the essential parameters of olive oil
First, let us briefly analyze its fundamental characteristics. Olive oil is a vegetable oil composed mainly of triglycerides (esterification of 3 molecules of free fatty acids with one of glycerol) that are monounsaturated and have short chains, which guarantees its liquid state at room temperature, in addition to small quantities of free fatty acids, glycerol, flavor compounds, polyphenols, sterols, etc. This small non-lipid fraction of olive oil, approximately 2% of its composition, is important from an organoleptic point of view, that is, in terms of color, aroma and flavor, and also from a chemical point of view, as it protects the oil from oxidation. In terms of aromas, aldehydes such as hexanal play a leading role, giving it the “green” character of tomato leaves, artichokes, freshly cut grass, etc.; while esters give it fruity notes such as green apples.
Regarding the acidity of olive oils, there is a very important caveat. In Italy, I attended a class given by an olive oil sensory analyst and then I was able to see the traditional production process at a typical “frantoio” in the Tuscany region.It came as a surprise to me at the time to learn that the acidity of an olive oil is not tasted by these professionals, because it is simply below our thresholds of perception. In other words, the natural acidity of an olive oil expressed in free oleic acid - not esterified - is nothing more than a technical parameter of the purity of an extra virgin olive oil, measured in a laboratory analysis. However, an industrial olive oil, highly refined, can also have an acidity below 0.5%, achieved in its chemical production process. In short, the acidity of an olive oil should not be taken into account when we talk about its organoleptic qualities and consequently when we talk about its pairing with wine. Buying an olive oil based on its acidity percentage would be like buying a wine based solely on its alcohol content; in these cases, there would be no guarantee of the final quality of the product.
However, one sensory parameter that should be taken into account for the purposes of assessing the quality of the oil and for pairing it with other wines is its bitterness and spiciness. It all depends on the cultivar (variety of olive), the terroir and also the way the oil is produced, but with all these fixed variables, an olive normally reaches its peak in polyphenol content a little before its “veraison”, when its epicarp begins to darken. It is these polyphenols and some glycosides that give the oil its pleasant astringent, bitter and spicy taste. So spicy that it sometimes makes us cough when we taste some raw oils, rich in aglycones, a glycoside common in some olive cultivars.
Harmonization technique
As discussed above, the fact that olive oil is an oil that remains liquid when poured raw to finish dishes, and even more fluid when used in various cooking processes, including deep-frying, leads sommeliers to treat it as a way of adding unctuousness to the dish. It is extremely important at this point to distinguish between the effect of liquid oils or fats in the mouth, which cause a slippery tactile sensation of unctuousness, and the effect of solid fats such as butter, a sashimi toro or a pork sausage, which have a tactile sensation of plastering or pastiness. Thus, it is very clear that we must be extremely cautious with assertions such as “acidity cleans fat”. Which fat, liquid like olive oil or solid fat? If fat is liquid, we must look for elements in the wine that dry up or minimize the effects of this unctuousness in the mouth. The dominant acidity in the balance of a wine induces intense salivation, that is, we are increasing the amount of liquids in the oral cavity, instead of decreasing it.
Happily, To reduce the oiliness that olive oil brings and make a generous dish of this golden oil more harmonious and stimulating, we have two alternatives to consider in wines, other than their acidity: firstly, tannins, and when they are not a good option, alcohol content.. The tannins present in red wines, and to a much lesser extent in some structured and phenolic whites and “orange” wines, promote a tactile sensation of astringency throughout the mouth, namely, they precipitate some proteins such as mucin, responsible for the lubricating capacity of our saliva. Long-cooked dishes that use olive oil and other fats in the preparation and composition of their ingredients, generating that very tasty and divinely unctuous sauce, accompanied by a powerful red wine, firm, austere and astringent, doesn't this harmony sound spectacular? A lamb chanfana with a large Bairrada Wine cellar, magnificent example.Its tannins combat the unctuousness of the dish and in return the unctuousness softens the harshness of the tannins, in this case 1 + 1 = 3.
However, we cannot always use tannins to pair with dishes soaked in the fluid unctuousness of olive oil. A tannic red wine with codfish à Lagareiro can become metallic when confronted with the iodized marine flavors concentrated by the fish’s salting process. Forget about this powerful style of red wine to mop up salads, charcoal-grilled fish with a well-deserved drizzle of oil, and other delicate delicacies. In this case, we have another way to counteract the unctuousness, although not as efficient as the tannic load of reds: ethyl alcohol. The main product of the fermentation of sugars in the must, ethanol, has a nonpolar part in its molecular chain, just like fats, which are soluble in it and, therefore, can be cleaned. Returning to codfish à Lagareiro, served in a steaming sea of good olive oil, I would very much like to suggest a special pairing with some robust Crossroads of the Dão, with a notable alcoholic content (preferably above 14ºGL), but with a discreet or no presence of wood and its contributions of ellagic tannins.
In conclusion, mitigating the unctuousness that olive oil gives to culinary preparations is the key to achieving a happy wine and food union, and this can be worked on through the tannic or alcoholic content of the wine. Secondly, it is advisable to be careful with olive oils that are very rich in polyphenols, and therefore tend to be more bitter, astringent and spicy, such as a deliciously pungent Verdeal from Transmontano. These sensations of harshness could clash with and synergistically enhance the tannins of a red wine, but fortunately, as these more herbaceous and spicy olive oils are mainly used to finish salads, more delicate dishes with vegetables, soups and fish, for which we should use white wines and their alcohol content to counteract the unctuousness, this risk is minimized. Finally, the aromas of the olive oil thus assume an accessory role in the wine-olive oil pairing. Logically, fine-tuning adjustments with wines that present an aromatic profile consistent with the olive oil in question, more towards the fruity side, or more towards the herbaceous or spicy side, are welcome, although it is essential to consider the final aromatic profile of the dish, and not just that of the olive oil used.