Originally published on January 9, 2008.
Wine and food pairing. It can drive a sane person nuts if it’s taken too seriously. Or it can be a lot of fun. One of my favorite things about the store is when someone comes in, tells me what they’re having for dinner (down to the sauce preparation and the side dishes), gives me a price range and then lets me recommend whatever I think will go best. Good retailers love this sort of challenge, especially when the customer is ready and willing to take a chance on something unexpected.
One of those very unexpected combinations…. Southern fried chicken and Chardonnay.
And not just any Chardonnay, but California Chardonnay – ideally one that’s stereotypically big, buttery, rich, and almost over the top.
Newton Unfiltered Chardonnay is the one that springs to my mind. It’s huge, massive, big, buttery, rich, but it has enough acidity to actually carry all that fabulousness. No one will ever mistake it for a Burgundy, but really, if you want Burgundy, drink Burgundy.
Now back to the pairing…imagine this:
You take a bite of the fried chicken. It’s juicy, a little greasy, a little fatty, definitely yummy. Then you take a sip of the big, buttery Chardonnay. It’s richness cuts through the lingering grease and fattiness. It’s as rich as the chicken, but in a different way – butter and cream vs. grease and fat. Your mouth waters (that’s because of the acidity in the wine…that’s why acidity is a good thing…it makes your mouth water). You’re ready for another bite of rich, greasy fried chicken. And then you want another gulp of Chardonnay to wash it down. And so it goes until the chicken is gone and the bottle is empty.
Hungry? Thirsty?
Fried chicken and Chardonnay? Who would have thought?
WORD OF WARNING: this works best with greasy, fatty friend chicken. KFC. Popeyes. Don’t be shy – go for the grease!