[ Click HERE to watch the episode. ]
With no comfort to be found outside in the cold and snow, comfort has to be found within - inside our homes, in our kitchen, on our plate & in our glass. So, when it comes to popular comfort food, here are a few pairings to consider:
Chicken Soup + Riesling
With ingredients like Chicken, Carrots, Celery & Thyme, Riesling is a great option because of its balance of fruit, minerality and acid. Riesling can be sweet or dry (not sweet at all). So, what kind of Riesling to go with? Choose a sweeter version to go with sweet or spicy food. If the food is rich, choose a dry Riesling instead.
Grilled Cheese + Pinot Gris
A citrusy, crisp style of Pinot Gris has what it takes to cut through the rich layers of cheese and butter saturated bread. Pinot Gris (aka: Pinot Grigio) is great with good because of its high level of acid, but it's also fine & fabulous to sip all by itself before, during &/or after eating.
Macaroni & Cheese + Chardonnay
In doing a bit of research (because I don't cook), I found more than one recipe for Macaroni & Cheese that call for Chardonnay as an ingredient. Makes sense to me - using a creamy, weighty Chardonnay to add further density to this dish.
Chili + Zinfandel
Do you know what my favorite part of chili is? The wine I drink with it. And just like love spicy chili, I love spicy Zinfandel. Red Zinfandel that is. Not 'White Zinfandel' as so many are so familiar with. For a bold dish like chili, a bold wine like Zinfandel is required.
Beef Stew + Cote du Rhone
With root vegetables, mushrooms and earth driven flavors, beef stew pairs nearly perfectly with a bottle of Cote du Rhone - Southern Rhone in particular. Red wine from this region of France is generally made from Grenache, Syrah & Mourvedre and tends to be very earthy.
Chicken Soup + Riesling
With ingredients like Chicken, Carrots, Celery & Thyme, Riesling is a great option because of its balance of fruit, minerality and acid. Riesling can be sweet or dry (not sweet at all). So, what kind of Riesling to go with? Choose a sweeter version to go with sweet or spicy food. If the food is rich, choose a dry Riesling instead.
Grilled Cheese + Pinot Gris
A citrusy, crisp style of Pinot Gris has what it takes to cut through the rich layers of cheese and butter saturated bread. Pinot Gris (aka: Pinot Grigio) is great with good because of its high level of acid, but it's also fine & fabulous to sip all by itself before, during &/or after eating.
Macaroni & Cheese + Chardonnay
In doing a bit of research (because I don't cook), I found more than one recipe for Macaroni & Cheese that call for Chardonnay as an ingredient. Makes sense to me - using a creamy, weighty Chardonnay to add further density to this dish.
Chili + Zinfandel
Do you know what my favorite part of chili is? The wine I drink with it. And just like love spicy chili, I love spicy Zinfandel. Red Zinfandel that is. Not 'White Zinfandel' as so many are so familiar with. For a bold dish like chili, a bold wine like Zinfandel is required.
Beef Stew + Cote du Rhone
With root vegetables, mushrooms and earth driven flavors, beef stew pairs nearly perfectly with a bottle of Cote du Rhone - Southern Rhone in particular. Red wine from this region of France is generally made from Grenache, Syrah & Mourvedre and tends to be very earthy.
