Fast Food Wine Pairings

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I recently stumbled across the following article online about fast food wine pairings on FoodBeast:

The Quintessential Guide to Fast Food + Wine Pairings

Honestly, I don’t know whether to be horrified or whether these people are brilliant.

I suppose every meals deserves to have a great wine pairing, but then doesn’t something as mundane as a McDonald’s sandwich deserve to be paired with a Boone’s Farm wine?  Or does it?  Is there an argument to be made that the methodology of pairing wines can certainly be translated to fast food?

The points made about a good fast food wine seem valid.  You need a wine with high acidity to cut the fat. It should be inexpensive, as fast food is not overly priced. It should enhance, not compete with the flavors of the meal.  It should be a bit quirky, as eating fast food and drinking wine together is in and of itself thinking outside of the box.  They even have specific pairings in the article to help you out.

Maybe I need to test some of their suggestions and report back before making a judgement. I am leaning towards wine with fast food being a ridiculous concept, but that is solely based on the fact that whenever I eat fast food, I am not savoring or enjoying the meal. Fast food is purely for convenience in my case, so I personally would not drink wine with it.  But I realize that many people rely on a majority of their meals coming from fast food, so maybe people in these situations like to have a nice glass of wine with their dinner. Who am I to judge? My philosophy has always been drink whatever you like and enjoy, so why should that be any different when fast food is involved?

Has anyone ever had wine with fast food?  Any thoughts on the subject?

13 thoughts on “Fast Food Wine Pairings”

  1. It wouldn’t even cross my mind. Why would one want to do that? Fast Food, to me, wants beer…that might stem from the esteem I have for beer. But I don’t know. Fast Food is just that. So why bother with wine? That said, I am looking forward to your tasting notes. 🙂

    • Honestly, I am still trying to wrap my brain around this concept. I don’t care for or eat fast food very much, so I think this will be an interesting attempt at research. Also, I try to only eat home-cooked, healthier meals on weekdays and let myself splurge on the weekends.

      I will definitely try the KFC with a barrel fermented Chardonnay at some point. Although I don’t have a Panda Express near me, I will try an orange chicken at a local Chinese take-out with a Rose. I can’t guarantee how soon I will go through with it, but I will!

      • Oh, the Chinese take out I wouldn’t even have considered as fast food. I was just thinking all those horrible American joints…you know what I mean. The Chinese take out can be paired with roses and also Riesling, especially if there is some heat to it. And always a Chianti with pizza. 🙂

        I do like my occasional fast food, but am with you for most of my days and nights.

      • I know exactly what you mean! I like that you brought up not even considering Chinese take-out fast food because that makes me think I might just put my own spin on this concept. I don’t care for the typical fast food joints, but I do have my local haunts that I know are known for some of the same types of food served as the fast food they suggest but aren’t the typical chains.

        There’s a nice little chicken palace that has outstanding fried chicken that I can use in place of KFC to try the Chardonnay. I abhor Pizza Hut, but there’s are some fabulous pizza options in my area that I can do the pairing with instead. And of course I have a great little dive bar that serves amazing burgers and fresh-cut fries that I can grab a to-go dinner from and test out the burger option.

        I like this idea so much better! Thanks for the inspiration. I would have dreaded doing these pairings as they are presented in the article, but this spin is certainly more up my alley.

      • Glad to be of service….:)

        Now you made me think of the best fried chicken I’ve ever had, at a Korean place here in Ann Arbor. And now I crave it. Dang. 🙂 And only in the US would pizza be considered fast food. Ha.

      • Skin was super crispy without being greasy, and the hot spice was amazing. That with a side of Kimchi fries, great crispy fries covered in kimchi and sauce…divine.

  2. Wine with McDonalds? Surely not. I once saw an elderly couple in a local McD’s return to their table with their order, unwrap their food before the wife withdrew 2 sets of cutlery from her hand bag and both herself and her husband duly ate their burger and fries in the custom of those familiar with civilised eating;.using a knife and fork.

    • Maybe they are having a cheers to their impending health epidemic! If fast food is such a staple that people want wine with it, they are probably in for a laundry list of risk factors and diseases in a few years.

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