Chips, Pizza, Hummus, Crackers, Popcorn, etc. Have you ever wondering what wine would go well with your midday or midnight snack? Here's some of my favorite pairings below!
Potato Chips and Champagne
The saltiness of the chips will pair nicely with the acidity and bubbles in the Champagne. Go for one on the drier side, look for the label "Brut". If real Champagne is a little too heavy on the on pocketbook, try Cava from Spain or a yummy California Sparkling. Poema Cava or Mumm from Napa are great places to start.
Popcorn and Chardonnay
If any of you know me personally, you know I am a popcorn fanatic. Thankfully I love a good buttery Chardonnay to go with it as well! Stick with some California styles, my favorites are Far Niente and Neyers for the fancy stuff, and Kendall Jackson for more of a simple night in!
Hummus and crackers with Assyritko
Since hummus is originally a Mediterranean fare, I like to stick with the local wine and go with the white Greek Assyritko. It's high acidity and citrus lemon flavors should pair nicely with the olive oil and seasonings in your hummus. If Assyritko isn't readily available at your store, I would try a French Chablis (unoaked Chardonnay) or a light red like a Pinot Noir or Beaujolais. I personally like the Louis Jadot Beaujolais for it's quality and price.
Veggie Plate and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
Raw veggies can be hard to pair with wine, but where there is a will there is a way! New Zealand is famous for their grassy, grapefruit characteristics in their Sauvignon Blancs. That along with their high acidity helps it to be an easy pairing wine with almost any food, especially herbaceous foods that can help accent it! Kim Crawford and Cloudy Bay are two popular brands.
Pizza and Grenache
Just because the pizza man is coming doesn't mean you have to ditch your wine glass for a beer! Grenache is a lighter bodied red, with wonderful white pepper and red berry flavors that would match wonderfully with the tomato sauce in the pizza. Sangiovese would also be great, sticking with the motto, "What grows together, goes together!" Italian pizza with Italian varietals! My new favorite Grenache is actually from new local Malibu winery called "Summer Somewhere Wines". Delicious!
Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cabernet Sauvignon
Hopefully you are having some cookies freshly baked from the oven, but even if they are just from the store, the classic Cabernet Sauvignon would be a great pairing. The dense dark chocolate chips will compliment the dark cherry, vanilla, cocoa flavors of a nice bold Cabernet Sauvignon. Some of my favorites are Intercept, Cakebread Cellars, Robert Hall, and FreeMark Abbey.
IceCream with Fortified Sweet Wine
Rule of thumb when pairing wine with sweet foods, is you actually want your wine to be slightly sweeter than your food. So when it comes to ice-cream, go full-monty with a luscious dessert wine like Port, Madeira, or Sauternes. For a heavenly experience, try pouring your wine directly on top of your ice-cream, YUM!
Let me know if there are any of your favorite snacks that I missed and I will pair them for you in the comments below!
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