As spring approaches, and ‘wine & cheese’ fundraising events begin to appear on our calendars — such as Thingmajig Theatre’s upcoming ‘Wine & Cheese’ event on Sunday — I felt it would be appropriate to revisit a column I wrote two years ago, about ‘pandemic wine parings’.
Back then, in the winter of 2021, people had totally given up on fundraising events, but had not given up on wine drinking.
Now that events have returned, some of us are venturing out of our homes to drink wine, publicly, with friends… and even with people we would never want as friends.
For any of you who, like me, have given up on humankind and prefer to sit at home with our cats, I’m sharing the following ‘wine pairings’ to help you decide what wine goes best with which cuisine, in the peace and quiet of your own home.
I was not a wine connoisseur when the COVID crisis started, but thanks to many months of wine drinking, I’ve become reasonably cosmopolitan. Which is saying something, considering that I was previously a beer-drinking slob. Now I’m a sophisticated wine-drinking slob.
My first encounters with high culture focused on learning to tell white wines from red wines. Turns out, that’s really easy. They are different colors.
I also discovered that the taste of wine improves noticeably after the third or fourth glass. A couple more glasses, and I realized (to my surprise) that I was on the road to becoming a ‘connoisseur’, which then led to my explorations into ‘wine-food pairings’.
‘Wine pairings’ involve, as everyone knows, choosing the correct wine to pair up with selected foods. Pairing the wrong food with your wine can lead, eventually, to loss of the ‘connoisseur’ designation. But you might find that other concerns (such as abject poverty) will also play a role in your pairing decisions.
Here’s one of my favorite wine-food pairings:
McDonald’s Happy Meal with Carlo Rossi Chianti
Some folks think the McDonald’s Happy Meals are just for kids. Not so! These complete meals are for “the young at heart”. Clocking in a 475 calories, the McDonald’s Happy Meal (6-piece Chicken McNuggets, Small Fries, side of Apple Slices, and a plastic toy) will get your motor running, no matter what your age. Affordable, portable nutrition for the connoisseur ‘on-the-go’.
Pairs perfectly with Carlo Rossi Chianti, a classic Italian table wine that’s rich in flavor and goes well with various chicken dishes. (Including Chicken McNuggets!) A medium body wine with a balanced, smooth finish, Carlo Rossi Chianti is satisfying and easy to enjoy, as well as being easy on the pocketbook.
Another of my favorite wine-food combinations:
Tony’s ‘Meat-Trio’ Pizza with Carlo Rossi Chianti
Tony’s Meat-Trio Pizza features a Pizzeria-style Crust, 100% Real Mozzarella Cheese and a sauce made with Real Tomatoes, and No Artificial Ingredients. The Sausage is made with Real Pork and Chicken (not necessarily in that order) and the Real Pepperoni and Ham come with “Natural Juices”. Affordable, easy-to-bake nutrition for the connoisseur with a taste for “Real” ingredients.
Pairs perfectly with Carlo Rossi Chianti, a eminently versatile Italian table wine that’s rich in flavor and goes well with Pizza with Real Ingredients. Carlo Rossi Chinati is satisfying and easy to enjoy, as well as being easy on the pocketbook during a global pandemic. (I know we mentioned that part before, but it bears repeating.)
Here’s another pairing that’s sure to delight your taste buds, and might be the perfect choice to start off your day on the right foot:
General Mills’ Trix Cereal with Carlo Rossi Chianti
Some of our readers might remember Trix cereal as little fruit-flavored balls of sweetened corn. If so, you will be delighted to learn that Trix now offers us “Six Fruity Shapes” (Naturally and Artificially Fruit Flavored) that actually look like the fruits they are flavored to taste like — Lemon Slices, Bunches of Grapes, Raspberries, Watermelon Slices, Blueberry Clusters, and Orange Slices. Not only does the cereal taste something like fruit, it even looks something like fruit.
Pairs perfectly with Carlo Rossi Chianti, an easy-to-drink Italian table wine that’s rich in flavor and goes well with corn-based, fructose-sweetened breakfast cereals.
Since I’ve been buying Carlo Rossi Chianti by the gallon lately, I’ve naturally been especially interested in food pairings that go perfectly with a classic Italian table wine that’s rich in flavor. Here are a couple more delightful pairings that probably need no explanation at all:
Once you start successfully pairing your favorite wines with your favorite foods, you will never go back to guzzling beer… even if the world has become semi-normal again.
Underrated writer Louis Cannon grew up in the vast American West, although his ex-wife, given the slightest opportunity, will deny that he ever grew up at all.