Wine matched menus makes an evening a lot easier for the guest as no decisions need to be made. Pexels
As someone who has worked in and around hospitality since my teens, I’ve seen trends come and go, practices evolve and prices rise inexorably over the past quarter century, but something that seems to still split diners (particularly along generational lines) is the practice of wine matched menus—hugely popular at the end of the previous millennium.
It continued to be a defining trait of many fine dining establishments until around the time of the global financial crisis before picking up again in the middle of the decade. COVID pretty much put an end to it but there are signs that it’s returning again.
The gulf between a serviceable match and a fantastic match is wide and often demands a dedicated sommelier or team to test, experiment and hone the right matches.
I get asked to provide set matches for restaurant/hotel clients every now and then in New Zealand but that’s not a sign of global trends. An analysis of Scandinavian wine lists and restaurants in the Star Wine List awards (still arguably at the forefront of the European dining scene) shows that most restaurants have actually moved away from them. Some will offer to match the menu on any given night to wines, but these are not listed in the menu and are often created by the sommelier on a needs basis. Some establishments are clearly better suited to the
This Article was originally published on The Real Review
