WINE: Pairing Wines With Casual Food

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July 19, 2010 at 8:02 am · Filed under Wine

Take-out food with a good, affordable wine
makes for a pleasant evening. Photo
by Katharine Pollak | THE NIBBLE.

We live in New York City, perhaps the take-out food capital of the world. Most times, you can’t a single city block without finding something to take out.

But every town has its favorite take-out spots. In a survey conducted by Turning Leaf wine, 38% of respondents nationwide said that Friday night—after a long week—was their favorite night for take-out food.

Most Americans enjoy their take-out on the sofa or the dining table. We recommend adding a nice glass of wine to the experience. Here are Turning Leaf’s take-out-and-wine pairing suggestions:

Cabernet Sauvignon: cheeseburger, cheese pizza, meatball hero
Chardonnay: grilled cheese, spring rolls, mozzarella sticks
Merlot: dumplings, gyro, veggie burger
Pinot Grigio: garlic knots, miso soup, tortilla soup
Pinot Noir: falafel, taco, salmon roll sushi
Riesling: chicken tikka masala, pad thai, spicy tuna roll
Sauvignon Blanc: broccoli with garlic sauce, green curry, seaweed salad
White Zinfandel: California roll, General Tso’s chicken, rainbow roll

But you can freestyle: We enjoyed Turning Leaf’s Merlot with Szechuan noodles and a chicken breast on microgreens with a classic vinaigrette. The Turning Leaf Pinot Grigio went well with most Asian foods that would invite a white wine. The Turning Leaf Chardonnay, which has a lot of minerality in addition to ripe California fruit, stands up to bold flavors.

Find our favorite special-occasion wines in our Wine Section.

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