Wine with Fast Food?

at the Wine Rack

With Christopher Reckord

Thursday, October 20, 2011

This week Thursday Food kicks off a series highlighting quick service restaurants (QSR) in Jamaica, or what some of us refer to as fast food restaurants. With this in mind, a suggestion was made to see what wines would work well with fast food. I am sure that there are those persons who would balk at the very notion, but thankfully some of us are of the opinion that wine should be fun; wine should be enjoyed by anyone with whatever they choose to eat. While we often watch what we eat, there are times when we have to make a call to Pizza Hut or Dominoes; sometimes an order of a party pack of KFC popcorn chicken is just convenient.

Wine and food pairing can seem daunting as some aim for a perfect experience; I encourage you to simply try it. Try any wine you like with your favourite food, then next time around switch it up a bit and try a different wine. If possible, have a group of friends bring different bottles over while you order a pizza and try the different wines with the pizza. You will find that persons might prefer a different wine from you with the same pizza — we all have different tastes. Always taste the wine first!

The basic guidelines

There are a few guidelines that might make the experience more enjoyable for you, because the primary flavour of each fast food item is different, for example, a regular Jamaican patty might be spicy and peppery, while a pepperoni or cheese pizza might be more acidic because of the tomato sauce. Some of these main components do taste better with wines of certain characteristics. Be wary of the condiments, as these tend to add to and, most times, change the flavour of the food all together.

In general, QSRs serve simple meats and carbs which generally go with a wide range of wines -- the high-fat foods need a high acid wine to cut through the fat. In wine, acid gives you a tingly feeling, high acid wines include wines from Alsace-France, Germany, most Italian wines, Chablis, most rosés, Beaujolais, dry wines from the Loire Valley (Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Vouvray sec), Sauvignon Blanc from almost anywhere, and almost all sweet white wines.

When friends sit down, there will always be those who prefer red wines and those who drink only white wines -- If you like red wine, stick to those with high acid and intense forward fruit; if you prefer white wines, stick with wines with little or no oak with higher acidity, like the Italian Pinot Grigio or unoaked Australian and New Zealand Chardonnays. As a general guideline try to avoid high tannin wines and highly oaked white wines.

Pizza -- Basic Chianti works well when tomatoes are dominant. Beaujolais or Australian Shiraz are also great options.

Burgers - It all depends on how you configure your burger, however, a safe choice is a medium-body red wine - a simple Merlot and a light to medium-body white wine - Sauvignon Blanc or Light Chardonnay.

KFC - White wines work best-Vouvray -- lightly sweet, brightly acidic and fairly rich. Pinot Grigio is also a great choice.

Patty - This one is tricky as it depends on the type of patty - whites seem to work better because of the heat; try off-dry (slightly sweet white wines) Reslings, Gewürztraminer, Vouvray. If you must choose red, go with light-bodied red wines like a Pinot Noir, A light Aussie Shiraz or Beaujolais.

Pan Chicken - I prefer off-dry (slightly sweet white wines) Reslings, Vouvray. If you must choose red, go with light-bodied red wines like a Pinot Noir, A light Aussie Shiraz or Beaujolais.

The choice in the final analysis is yours -- drink what you like; and if all fails - Champagne works with everything!

Chris Reckord - Entrepreneur & Wine Enthusiast. He and his wife Kerri-Anne are part owners of Jamaica's only Wine Bar - Bin 26 Wine Bar in Devon House, Kingston. Send your questions and comments to creckord@gmail.com. Follow us on http://twitter.com/DeVineWines

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Wine with Fast Food?