Even if we’ve taken the easy option for a meal and got someone else to make it for us, we still want a decent wine to match, so here are a few of my top takeout food wines in no particular order.
What should I drink with pizza?
ROSSO DI MONTEPULCIANO
These wines are Tuscan classics, fragrant but score highly on the juicy scale. I like their mellow character with rich pizzas.
CHIANTI
A name we’re all familiar with, this is easy to find. Full of cherry fruit flavours and good for pizza of all kinds, whether vegetarian or meat.
RED LAMBRUSCO
This is what some of the coolest pizza restaurants serve as their go–to pizza–matching wine. It’s slightly fizzy, which gives the ripe fruit extra freshness to cut through the fat of the cheese or a meat topping.
BEAUJOLAIS
If you’re going non–Italian, a ripe and fruity Beaujolais is always a good choice, because it’s fresh enough to cut through the richness of the pizza toppings.
What should I drink with fish & chips?
ENGLISH SPARKLING WINE
Fizz and fried food is a great pairing but it feels pleasingly extravagant. English sparkling wine has an extra edge of freshness to its appley flavour that cuts straight through the oil of the food.
CHAMPAGNE
The best style is usually a Blanc de Blancs, exclusively made from Chardonnay. These are typically more floral and lighter on their feet than other Champagne styles, which again, cut through the grease.
SAUVIGNON BLANC
There are three reasons why a zingy Sauvignon Blanc works: the acidity is good for the batter, the grass and herbaceous characters are made for mouth– puckering tartare sauce, and the green flavours win with mushy peas.
FINO OR MANZANILLA SHERRY
Another wine made by the sea. Salty, and completely dry, these fresh and crisp wines work with the fish especially well and are fantastic with batter.
What should I drink with fried chicken?
CHAMPAGNE OR PROSECCO
You can go one of two ways with fizz for fried chicken. You can go light with pear–flavoured Prosecco, which lifts the grease of the chicken, or you can go richer with a toasty Champagne, which is at one with the batter.
RIESLING
Ever the versatile food grape, Riesling also cuts a mean streak of freshness through the richness of fried chicken. A slightly off–dry wine offers sweetness to pair with the sweet and salty flavour of the chicken.
CHARDONNAY
The melon flavour of unoaked Chardonnay goes with the meat, whereas oaked Chardonnay has the mellow, buttery richness to match the batter.
For more wine pairing ideas, check out Wine and Food by Jane Parkinson.