The Wine + Chips Issue
Dearest subscribers,
In a world where sweats pass for workwear, a Clubhouse is actually an app, and travel is only possible in one’s mind, I am here, in my official capacity, as your sommelier, to give you permission to call wine + chips a meal.
This issue is inspired by friends who bring me serious joy and remind me I’m still capable of laughing really, really hard.
And while chips and wine can’t’ really fix anything, there’s an abundance of comfort in the pleasure and ease with which you can open a bag and pour yourself a glass!
Champagne + Ruffles Original
Wine: Louis Roederer Brut Premier Champagne
Origin: Champagne, France
Vintage: NV
Grape(s): Chardonnay, Pinots Noir & Meunier
Style: Dry, rich, complex
Price: $76.95
Alc./vol: 12%
Champagne and Ruffles Original with a side of Heluva Good! for dipping is where humble meets sublime in the world of wine pairings. The exuberant mousse of a fine Champagne such as this acts as a palate cleanser to the heavy, whipped dip and oily texture of the chips.
A Ruffle dunked directly into a tub of cold dip can be as satisfying and ethereal as a spoonful of caviar served directly from its chilled tin. Follow either with a sip of Champagne for best results!
Alternate wine pairing: Rosé
Rosé + Sea Salt & Malt Vinegar
Wine: Francis Coppola Sofia Rosé
Origin: Monterey County, California, USA
Vintage: 2019
Grape(s): Syrah, Grenache, Pinot Noir
Style: Dry, youthful, fresh & mineral
Price: $24,95
Alc./vol: 12.8%
Good rosé is often described as having saline and lightly herbaceous notes. This wine has both, along with a subtle and youthful fruitiness and bone-dry finish.
Fresh and elegant, and just so, so, palatable. The salt and vinegar brings out the freshness of the fruit in this wine, particularly the strawberry.
The malt vs white vinegar gives it an extra je ne sais quoi and the texture of the kettle cooked chip somehow seems central to the delight I am taking in this pairing; the way the salty, malty flavours burrow into the folds of the chip, offering more of themselves with every crunch.
Chardonnay & Lays Classic
Wine: Quails Gate Chardonnay
Origin: Okanagan Valley, BC, Canada
Vintage: 2018
Grape(s): Chardonnay
Style: Dry, rich, complex
Price: $24.95
Alc./vol: 13%
Salty, oily, classic. These are the perfect Lay for Chardonnay because they act as a somewhat neutral vessel to carry forward the delicate orchard and citrus fruit flavours of the wine.
The refreshing acidity of the Chardonnay acts to contrast and cut through the salty, oiliness of the chip, cleansing the palate and leaving you thirsty for more.
Really any plain or lightly salted chip will work as a pairing for lightly oaked or Burgunidan-style Chard. What’s special about Lays is the wafer-like thinness of the chip itself and it’s high oil-to-potato ratio.
Gastronomically speaking, there are few pleasures as simultaneously simple and satisfying as the moment when acid meets fat. This is a perfect example.
Beaujolais + Ketchup Pringles
Wine: Château des Gimarets Moulin-à-Vent
Origin: Beaujolais, France
Vintage: 2015
Grape(s): Gamay
Style: Dry, fruity, medium-bodied
Price: $18.95
Alc./vol: 13%
The success of this pairing lies in the perfect balance of acidity and sweetness in a ketchup chip met with the red fruits and smokey notes in this Cru Beaujolais.
The grippy tannins of the wine seem to take hold of and mellow out the otherwise sour top note of a ketchup flavored chip. Try eating a single chip, note the way your tastebuds toggle between their perception of sweet and sour. Then, take a sip of the wine, notice how it washes that tingling sensation away, leaving a fruity aftertaste abundant with bitter cherry, blackberry, and wild raspberries.
Oddly enough, the combined flavours of this pairing are akin to homemade meatloaf. Weird. I know. A few chips and a glass of this wine will leave you feeling as if you’ve just sat down to a hearty homecooked meal.
Pinot Gris + Jalapeño & Cheddar Smartfood
Wine: Domaines Schlumberger Les Princes Abbés
Origin: Alsace, France
Vintage: 2018
Grape(s): Pinot Gris
Style: Off-dry, aromatic, fruity
Price: $24.95
Alc./vol: 13.5%
I always enjoy pairing off-dry wines with a little heat; hence, this pairing. Alsacian Pinot Gris, for me, perhaps more than any other style of Pinot Gris has the most elegantly ripe, aromatic, and waxy quality to the fruit.
This wine beams with over-ripe pear, stewed apricots, honey, dandelion, and dehydrated citrus - Myer lemon, blood orange, Key lime. The Smartfood by contrast kicks up a lot of heat in just a few kernels. This high-flying and fun combination of fruit sweetness and jalapeño heat is kept from going off the rails by the grounding quality of the cheesy flavour and texture of the popcorn.
Grüner Veltliner + Salted Pretzels
Wine: Domäne Wachau Terrassen Federspiel
Origin: Wachau, Austria
Vintage: 2019
Grape(s): Grüner Veltliner
Style: Dry, fruity, acidic
Price: $18.95
Alc./vol: 12.5%
An ideal pairing for brats with kraut, Grüner Veltliner is also a match for the classic Bavarian pretzel. While this is certainly not that, it’s exactly the kind of high/low combo I’m so fond of. Elegance meets effortlessness in this pairing. Open a bag and serve; crack the screw-top and pour!
Crunchy, salty, addictive. These pretzels are the perfect backdrop to the citrus and tropical fruit notes of this complex and mineral wine much beloved by the sommelier set.
Sauternes +Caramel Corn
Wine: Château d'Arche
Origin: Sauternes, Bordeaux, France
Vintage: 2009
Grape(s): Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon
Style: Sweet, rich, Luscious
Price: $47.00 /375 mL.
Alc./vol: 13.8%
The key to pairing sweet wines with any course is to ensure the wine is always sweeter than the food you’re pairing it with. Naturally, this works seamlessly when pairing sweet wines with savoury foods like the classic Sauternes and Roquefort. More care however must be taken when pairing sweet with sweet. Matched with a dessert sweeter than itself, the wine will be rendered tasteless, overpowered by its companion.
Creme brûlée is another classic pairing for Sauternes which I why I reasoned the caramel corn might be a more accessible stand-in. It was!
The layered, myriad, and complex acidic qualities of this wine were really brought to the fore with this pairing. A note of peach nectar also pierced through on the finish.
The caramel corn embellished the wine’s sweetness in a way that’s not for the faint of heart. Like empathy and compassion in these strange times, a little of this extraordinarily luscious wine goes along way!
If you try any of these combos or come up with one of your own, please, share in the comments! I love hearing from you.
