But What Will Go with the Candy Corn?

My friends and family like to ask me for advice in matching food and wine.  Or, at least I used to think they did.  Lately, I think it’s more about trying to stump me.  Or just seeing how many terrible expressions I can make while trying to figure out why in the world someone would want to eat lima beans, much less pair them with wine!

The latest test came from my husband, who thought it would be fun to see if I could suggest good wines to accompany a variety of junk foods.  Although such matches are generally not a high priority for me, it was fun to think about.  And it reminded me that it was (and is) by experimenting with food and wine combinations that I have learned so much about wine.

So, I thought I’d provide some suggestions on junk food and wine pairings.

  But I also thought I would first give you some basic guidelines to help you learn how to experiment with such matchups.  These concepts work very well for matching foods together as well as for matching wine with food.  They are:

1.                  Consider the strength or “weight” of the flavors in the food and in the wine.  You would not match a delicate white wine, such as a pinot gris with a heavy food like a grilled steak with onions any more than you would waste the subtle flavors of saffron on the same steak.  There’s a reason why you’ve always heard the rule of thumb:  red wine with meat and white wine with fish.  Red wines tend to be heavier, while white wines tend to be lighter.

2.                  Consider whether the flavors of the food and wine will complement each other or clash with each other – just as you do with food.  Just like the rich, buttery flavors of salmon really like a butter sauce, so too, do they like a buttery chardonnay.

3.                  Consider that is many cases, opposites really do attract.  You may have noticed the way that a bit of cream in your tea will cut the astringency.  It’s the same with a crisp sauvignon blanc.  It will quite nicely cut through the butter in a creamy white sauce. 

So with these rules, let’s match some wines:

Popcorn.  With buttered popcorn, I recommend a buttery chardonnay from California.  The creamy flavors in the wine nicely match the popcorn.  To find one, just read the label – these wines are plentiful and they love to brag about their “rich, buttery” flavors.  With naked popcorn, a light wine such as a California pinot grigio is a good choice.  Both the popcorn and the wine are pretty light, simple and uncomplicated.  (Oregon pinot gris would be a good choice, but personally, I’d rather not spend that much money on a chaser for popcorn!)

Potato chips.  With potato chips, I suggest going with a sparkling wine such as Freixenet.  You can even find it locally for about $10 or less.  The acidity in the wine will cut through the fat and salt in the chips.

Ice cream.  Ice cream is tough because of the variety of flavors that are available.  Nonetheless, I’d go with a port.  Port is dark and rich and heavy.  It coats your mouth in a similar way to ice cream.  You can drink the port with the ice cream or pour it right over the ice cream.  This will work for vanilla, chocolate and most fruit-flavored ice creams.  Benjamin Port, though not a true port because it is made in Australia, is a favorite bargain.  You can find it locally for less than $15.  And since you drink it in smaller quantities than regular wine, one bottle will last you a lot longer.   

Pretzels.  Try some slightly sweet Riesling with your pretzels.  The sweetness of Riesling complements and balances the crispness and saltiness of the pretzels.  A Chateau Ste. Michelle (available locally for under $10) or Ste. Chapelle Riesling (from Idaho and also available locally for under $10) should do quite nicely.

Candy.  If your sweets are chocolate, try the above-mentioned port.  The heavy, rich flavors of the port and the chocolate mirror each other beautifully.  If your candy of choice is SweetTarts or Smarties, then you are not old enough to be consuming adult beverages.

Chips & salsa.  Given the strong flavors, including sometimes a hefty dose of heat, I recommend something slightly and maybe a little spicy such as a Gewurztraminer (Beringer makes a tasty one that is available locally for under $10) or one of the Rieslings named above.

I know there is a good chance that I didn’t cover your favorite snack indiscretion.  But if you experiment a little with the guidelines provided above, you should be able to come up with some interesting pairings of your own.  And even if you end up hating the pair you have chosen, keep notes on the wine.  The chances are good that some time in the future, you’ll find the perfect food to match it.