This Food That Wine is a wine and food pairing show hosted by Chef Angie MacRae and Sommelier Stacey Metulynsky airing on Food Network Canada, starting October 2nd.
In every episode, Angie & Stacey meet up with someone planning a party (birthday, games night, bachelorette party, home coming, etc.). They get together in Angie's kitchen for a day of menu planning, cooking and wine pairing. Then, armed with recipes and a wine list, our "guest du jour" returns to home to cook up a feast and bask in the adulation of his/her happy guests. At least 1 red wine, 1 white wine and 1 dessert-appropriate wine is featured in each episode.
The "guest du jour" is a real life person with a basic knowledge of wine and cooking. The series producer's purposefully did not select people who are wine connoisseurs or vinophiles. We did not want to feature people who summer in Tuscany or have 200 bottles of wine in their cellar. The overwhelming majority of consumers buy a bottle of wine on their way home for work to have with dinner. They are price sensitive and find the myriad of wines available on the market to be a bit baffling. This Food That Wine takes the snootiness and intimidation out of finding the right wine. The show features insights and information into different grapes (varietals), regions and countries of origin (Old World and New World), plus tips on how to better appreciate a glass of wine, storing wine, wine glasses, corkscrews, decanting, etc.
Most importantly, This Food That Wine is all about WHY certain wines work with certain foods, while others don't. The show explains the fundamentals of enjoying wine with food in a simple, straightforward and entertaining way.
"Learning to pair wine with food is easier than you think, it doesn't have to be intimidating" says Co-host Stacey Metulynsky, "Imagine how boring life would be if you ate the same thing for dinner every night. Same goes for wine. We want to get you to try something different every now and then".
But what's the point of a great wine without great food? Cooking a fabulous dinner for friends and family doesn't have to be a pressure filled, nerve racking experience. This Food That Wine brings the viewing audience dishes and recipes that are easy to make AND impressive to boot. The series takes everyday folk and shows them how to make dishes like porcini crusted beef tenderloin with potato cakes (paired with Cabernet), crab cakes with artichoke aioli (paired with Pinot Blanc), and duck pot stickers with plum sauce (paired with Merlot).
"It's really simple, it's all about matching flavours" says Co-host Angie MacRae. "There are only four tastes in your mouth: sweet, salty, sour and bitter. Everything else is just a variation on those four tastes. We take this into account when we design dishes and figure out which wines work the best. And personally, I don't believe great cooking has to be complicated and difficult. Really good ingredients prepared simply with big flavours and a bit of pizzazz would be how I'd describe our menus on the show".
