Burger and Wine

Sometimes we over think wine pairings. Yes, the crispness of a well selected Pinot Grigio complements the delicate flakiness of Cod in lemon butter sauce, but sometimes you can just grab a bottle of wine from the rack and enjoy it with something simple, picked up from the corner restaurant on your way home. In our stretch of Brooklyn, we don't have many fast food joints, but we're starting to see some of the more interesting burger joints. Not long ago, a Five Guys went in a small space near our subway station. After a late night at the office, I decided against cooking dinner at home. I moved past the window full of huge bags of potatoes, waited in line behind local families stopping off for some grilled goodness, and agonized over the possibilities. After ordering their double cheeseburger and fries, the smells taunted me as I waited for what seemed like ages, but was more like 5 minutes, then dragged my overflowing bag home. Breaking open a bottle of MacRostie Chardonnay, I sat down to a hearty meal. Wine experts would tell you that white wine and red meat do not mix. I don’t care. The wine was rich and full bodied, heavy with the oakiness so common in California Chardonnays. It actually overpowered the burger, a surprise when the opposite would normally be true. But the hints of sweet vanilla were perfect for the gooey American cheese. Those same oak notes that overwhelmed the grilled meat were perfect for the real treat of the meal; the french fries. Large chunks of salty, oily potato with just a hint of extra spice, the nutty, woody flavor of the wine matched the nutty flavor of the fries perfectly, while the saltiness of the fries brought out the slight crisp notes of the wine.

While its great to enjoy a bottle of wine with a complex wine with a well prepared wine at a nice restaurant, its good to have a wine at home that works with a simple takeout meal at home after a hard day. And its great to see our American wine producers remembering that's important, and creating wines that serve our native cuisine.