Much thought is given to pairing wines with gourmet dishes or the choicest selections of meat, fish, and poultry. But what about more plebian fare like fries and gravy?
As I headed out of town last week, sommelier and wine writer Natalie MacLean (www.nataliemaclean.com) asked for my ideas on the best wine to pair with the Quebec specialty known as poutine.
Poutine is the name given north of the border to a concoction of French fries, brown gravy, and melted cheese. Of course, back home in New Jersey, we have our own name for this artery-clogging treat: disco fries, that favorite of the late-night diner crowd. With the Tick Tock Diner and Six Brothers just minutes from my house, I won’t have to drive to Canada if I have a craving for it.
But what wine to pair with poutine? An oaky, buttery Chardonnay would work, but I would probably just grab a beer. At the end of a hard day of skiing this is the kind of comfort food (and drink) that my aching body can use.
Whatever you call it, one thing is for sure: It’ll take a lot of cold climate, resveratrol-rich wine to clear out the fat content of a single serving of fries and gravy.
