Food and wine pairing doesn’t necessarily require sommelier-level expertise, nor chemist-level abilities to calibrate a wine’s acids, tannins, or alcohol added to a dish. Not that a somm couldn’t lend a hand, but in a pinch, there’s a shortcut. The “what grows together goes together” approach isn’t just a philosophy, it’s a practice that delivers.
Centuries ago in the Old World, people ate and drank locally by necessity, not because it was trendy to be able to cite which farm, butcher, or dairy your goods came from. What was nearby was what you had to work with. It makes sense that communities designed wines to work with the local fare, tailored recipes to work with the local wines, or created dishes utilizing regional wine within them. A great example: classic French Boeuf Bourguignon—or Burgundy beef—made with regional Burgundy wine and local beef.