Is food and wine pairing irrelevant?

Simon gets grumpy about the state of food and wine pairing in restaurants, outlines some of the most deadly sins and ponders if this fussed over topic is even still relevant.

The wine world abounds in rituals. From cork sniffing to letting the wine breathe, some are harmless, others less so. The modern obsession with food and wine pairing probably causes as much fear and consternation amongst restaurant diners as it brings joy or gastronomic nirvana.

Wine pairing menus are a kind of solution for the unwary, and they’ve become…