Disclaimer: Frequent consumption (and over consumption) of fast food and alcohol can be hazardous to one’s health. Also, this post is not for wine snobs.
If, like us, some readers of this blog are facing the same post-holiday financial constraints, cheap fast food is one way to indulge a little.
Similarly, if our audience is anything like us, indulgence involves a tipple (or two, no judgments here).
So, we figured it was time to come up with an article chronicling our adventures with fast food and wine pairing.
As we were figuring out how to do justice to the article, we decided to offer our taste buds up for a real life experiment based on theoretical food and wine pairing discoveries found in books. In doing so, we came up with the following guidelines:
- The fast food item should be accessible (best if there’s a quick, 24/7 delivery)
- The food item should be cheap
- The wine should similarly be cheap
- The pairing principle should have an intelligent basis (“I feel like it” simply wouldn’t do)
After mulling it over and over, we made an accidental discovery while going through one of our favourite resource materials, “What To Drink With What You Eat” (by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page): McDonald’s Pairing.
According to the book, a McDonald’s Big Mac can be paired with… Well, see the photo below:
There is actual documented research on this one!
We initially wanted to pair it with a Beajoulais-Villages and a Chenin Blanc but, alas, during the time of the experiment, we had a hard time trying to get both. In Wine Depot, however, I knew we could get a Cabernet Shiraz and a Riesling (we of course had to choose Chateau Ste. Michelle) easily (they have a great selection of affordable Australian wines, and Cabernet Shiraz blends are everywhere in The Land Down Under).
Photo (and extra taste buds) courtesy of Chia Roxas
Just to add a bit of spice to the exercise, we also decided to include our favourite (guilty pleasure) item from the McDonald’s menu: the Double Cheeseburger (in the spirit of experimentation, of course).
The verdict?
- We liked how the tannins of the Cabernet Shiraz cut through the greasy elements of both burgers, so 10 points for that food and wine pairing
- We did not expect the Riesling to pair well with the Double Cheeseburger, and it went much better versus the Cabernet Shiraz
- The fries (because hey, it was part of the meal) went better with the Cabernet Shiraz, but it wasn’t perfect. Theoretically, a sparkling wine would go much better.
Conclusion?
Wine can be paired with the most surprising food items, and some of the best discoveries can be born out of a decent amount of research and the spirit of adventure.
#simplejoys
Now please excuse us while we polish off the last bits of our burgers (and finish the wine). Cheers!
