Top 10 Fun Food and Wine Pairings

Other posts by MudslideMama

White Wine with Wine Glass (freerangestock.com)Oh man, are the Traveling Mamas big fans of wine writer Natalie Maclean. She’s a funny and informative writer, a four-time winner of the James Beard Journalism Awards, and she also was named the World’s Best Drink Writer at the World Food Media Awards (that’s just about the best name for an award). Natalie Maclean writes hilariously and self-effacingly in her book, Red, White, and Drunk All Over. This is a kind-of travel, kind-of drinking memoir, and I love it. Even better, she kindly answered some of our questions, and – my favorite – has put serious consideration into wine matching with the lowbrow foods typically found in rushed weekday family dinners. What, am I the only one? Don’t tell me the rest of you prepare steak and endive salad every Wednesday night (or as we call it, mac-n-cheese night).

Natalie MacLean’s Top 10 Fun Food and Wine Pairings

1. Popcorn with Chilean Chardonnay
2. Nachos with California Zinfandel
3. Potato Chips with French Champagne
4. Pizza with Italian Chianti
5. Fish and chips with German Riesling
6. Hamburgers with Australian Shiraz
7. Smoked salmon with Canadian or Oregon Pinot Noir
8. Quiche with New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
9. Canned brown beans with tawny Port
10. TV dinner steak with French or Washington Cabernet Sauvignon

The last chapter of Red, White, and Drunk All Over, called Wine Meets its Toughest Matches, includes more than just the Top 10 fun food and wine pairings. Does a nice Merlot or Pinot Noir go with red Jello? You’ll have to read the book to find out. (Also see the pairing feature online.) In the meantime, it’s time to crack open a can of pork and beans for dinner. At least now I know to pair it with Port!

Red Wine (Rich Meyer)

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May 2, 2008 | Filed Under Culinary Travel, The Cookie Jar 

Comments

4 Responses to “Top 10 Fun Food and Wine Pairings”

  1. MountainMama says:
    May 2, 2008 at

    Love it! We’re having birthday-party pizza and brownies tonight for 12 kids and who-knows-how-many adults. You can BET I’ll be cracking open some wine in the chaos — no Chianti though, right now in my wine rack I’ve got Merlot & Shiraz. By hour three of the b’day party, it probably won’t matter…:-)

  2. Natalie MacLean says:
    May 2, 2008 at

    Thank you Mamas! This is amazing. After many KD meals with my son, I decided to make them more palatable with a lovely, butter Californian Chardonnay. Of course, that led to other bizzare but tasty matches.

    I’ve got thousands more in my interactive wine-and-food matcher here: http://www.nataliemaclean.com/matcher

    Have a delicious weekend!
    Natalie

  3. MudslideMama says:
    May 5, 2008 at

    No, Natalie, thank YOU; I was very happy, tonight, to know it was a Syrah (just like Shiraz) to order with my burger at dinner.

  4. Guam-Hotel.Net » Blog Archive » Travel Tuesday: Wine and Vineyards says:
    May 19, 2009 at

    [...] or even Disney World, we want to know about it. If you toured an Inn and enjoyed some great dinner pairings on a romantic getaway, please share. Even if you have tips for someone’s first wine tasting or if [...]

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