Renowned New York City sommelier André Hueston Mack quite humorously offered advice about the correct wine pairings with different types of fast food for Bon Appétit.
Pairing wine with fast food? I think it’s fun, I think it’s that contrast of high and low, and, you know, who doesn’t like good cheeseburger? Wine, in my opinion, belong on your table next to the salt and pepper shaker. It’s a condiment. …It doesn’t really matter if you’re having a steak dinner or you’re having a double quarter pounder with cheese. Ultimately the goal is picking the right wine to go with the right food.
Mack looked at such iconic foods from Mcdonald’s, Taco Bell, KFC, Popeye’s, Wendy’s, Little Caesars, Panda Express, Dunkin’ Donuts, Subway, and Burger King. Rather than looking at each meal as a whole, Mack looked at the taste profile of each individual item within the meal and then matched the wine to that particular profile.
So let’s look at the burger first. I’m thinking toasty, there’s onions, so I’m thinking like more pungent, strong flavors, pickles for acid, cheese. So right off the bat, I’m looking at all these things, and for me, my mind goes to, what’s a hamburger? A hamburger is just chopped steak, right? So I’m thinking Brunello di Montalcino, Italian steak wine, completing the perfect happy meal here.
Mack also decadently placed a dollop of caviar onto his McDonald’s “Filet-O-Fish” and then suggested something bubbly to accompany it.
So Filet-o-Fish profile, you get this tartness from the tartar sauce, there’s relish so there’s a little bit of sweetness to it, you have this fried fish product, so you have the little kind of crunchy exterior. Inside it’s very warm and moist. … So my hack meal is why don’t we elevate it and step our game up? So I wanna add a little bit of Osetra caviar here, little fish eggs that kind of bring everything over the top….Yes, we’re pairing with caviar. And then ultimately we complete everything with a little bit of champagne here.
