Six of the best pairings for a burger

It might surprise you to hear it - and maybe you’ve never tried it - but a serious red wine is a really good match for a burger. Not a Maccy D, maybe but a big lush gourmet burger. And why not?

Agreed it's not quite as simple as steak. Obviously the more ingredients you add the more a wine can struggle. Burger sauces and ketchup are the main culprits. They both have a sweetness that can strip the fruit out of lighter, drier reds so stick to riper wines. Raw onions and strong pickles like kimchi also present a challenge so steer clear of those if you're drinking something special.

Here are my six favourite wine (and other) pairings

Cabernet sauvignon, merlot and blends of the two

Cabernet is probably my favourite burger wine especially with cheeseburgers (burgers with blue cheese in particular) but merlot runs it a close second. That obviously means that Bordeaux and Bordeaux blends work too though I’d suggest only once they hit a certain level of alcohol. A light 12.5% claret may struggle

Read about Cheeseburgers and Cabernet

Six of the best matches for Cabernet Sauvignon

Modern Tuscan reds

You might not be able to run to a Tignanello or Sassacaia but lesser modern Tuscan reds such as those from Bolgheri and Maremma have the ripeness and lushness to complement a burger. (And see this surprisingly good match for a Shake Shack burger!)

Other full-bodied reds like Grenache, Malbec, Shiraz and Zinfandel

You’ve probably got the drift by now: big reds work with burgers so include grenache, malbec (a burger is after all, only chopped steak), shiraz and cabernet-shiraz blends and zinfandel among your options.

IPAs and double IPAs

If there isn’t a better occasion to crack open a hoppy IPA I don’t know what is. (Well, maybe pulled pork but that’s another story ….) Rich amber ales also work well if you find craft IPAs a bit sweet. (I was drinking one only last night!)

A Manhattan

You should really try this! The sweet/strong combination of whiskey, sweet vermouth and bitters is just perfect with a gourmet burger.

Milkshakes

How could I leave out a gorgeous creamy ice-cold milkshake? Not that strawberry or chocolate is really a good match for beef but who cares? Ultimate comfort drinking!

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photos © Joshua Resnick (top) and Jag_cz (centre) at fotolia.com

The best food pairings for Zinfandel

Like most wines made from red grapes Zinfandel comes in a number of styles from light and juicy to blockbuster ‘killer’ zins but they have a common thread of ripe brambly fruit and in most cases a richness that makes them a good match for red meat and other hearty dishes, especially those with a hit of smoked chilli.

(It’s also used to make an off-dry style of rosé called white zinfandel - check out my post on rosé for that.

Here are my favourite pairings which also apply to Zin’s brother from another mother primitivo which comes from Southern Italy (though I’d probably go more for the Italian dishes with that).

What goes with Zinfandel

Barbecue, especially American barbecue

If it’s charred, sweet or spicy, most zins will work so think back ribs, brisket, spicy sausages - anything smoked or treated to a sweet or spicy marinade or rub. Recipes like this Texas-style BBQ beef brisket.

Turkey, especially Thanksgiving turkey

As you will know Thanksgiving and Christmas is not so much about the bird as the stuffing and the sides and a good zinfandel can take them all in its stride as I discovered a couple of years ago

Braises and stews

If it’s big and beefy and cooked long and slow - it’s one for zin. Think shortribs and ox cheek, even Mexican mole

‘Dirty’ burgers

Y’know, the kind piled up with cheese, bacon, onions, pickles, whatever. Zin can cope

Meaty pasta sauces and pasta bakes

I’m thinking particularly spaghetti (or tagliatelle) and meatballs or a beef shin ragu. Or anything with sausage in the sauce like this recipe for rigatoni with aubergine, sausage and zinfandel sauce (which needs a new picture, yes I know!). And a classic lasagna, obviously. Basically meat sauces with cooked tomato,

Meat-topped pizzas.

Maybe go for a slightly lighter style with these as it’s as much about the crust and the cheese. A bright gluggable zinfandel or primitivo

Baked, roast or stuffed aubergine/eggplant

Loves zin especially with baked dishes like a parmigiana

Portobello mushrooms

A good veggie option for zin (especially baked with garlic butter)

Black beans

Black bean soup, black bean chillis - actually any chilli con - or sin - carne

Cheese, especially blue cheese

Delicate goat cheeses apart zin is a brilliant all-rounder for a cheeseboard, especially with stronger cheeses, smoked cheese and blues. I particularly like it with Gorgonzola

Picture credits: shortribs by Andrei Iakhniuk, tagliatelle and meatballs by Gaus Alex at shutterstock.com

6 of the best pairings for spaghetti bolognese

Given the arguments about how to make a bolognese sauce it’s hardly surprising there should be a difference of opinion about what wine to serve with spaghetti bolognese but here’s what I would go for:

Best red wines with spaghetti bolognese

* a medium-bodied Italian red such as an inexpensive Chianti, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo or a simple Sicilian red. It’s the acidity in Italian reds that makes them so refreshing

* Italian grape varieties such as barbera and sangiovese made elsewhere

* inexpensive Languedoc or Roussillon reds

* Zinfandel. Always good with tomato-based pasta sauces

Can you drink white wine with a bolognese sauce?

Absolutely especially if the sauce is made with white wine or includes milk like Anna del Conte's ragu then you’ll find it will work really well. I suggest a dry Italian white such as Verdicchio.

What about beer with bolognese?

Maybe another surprise but if you use beer rather than wine to make your bolognese sauce and include bacon and a little smoked pimenton for a smoky note you’ll find it’s a terrific pairing. Try a Belgian-style blonde ale or an amber ale.

Note: these drinks will work with other pasta dishes served with a bolognese sauce. It’s the sauce you match not the pasta shape.

For wine pairings with other pasta sauces see

Wines to match different pasta sauces

The best wine pairings for spaghetti puttanesca

Spaghetti puttanesca - or ‘whore’s spaghetti’ to translate it literally - is a full-flavoured pasta dish with strong, punchy flavours but which wine should you pair with it? As with other pasta dishes, it’s all about the sauce.

There are various theories about how the dish - a comparatively recent invention - got its name, the most plausible being that it was a simple storecupboard dish that could be slung together between clients’ visits. Etymology aside, the best wine pairings for pasta puttanesca should consider its core ingredients.

Puttanesca is heavy on garlic, anchovies, capers, chillies and olives - quite a lot for any wine to handle. My preference, given the base is cooked tomatoes, would be for a southern Italian red - even a basic carafe wine would do.

Here are some specific suggestions:

• Sicilian and southern Italian reds such as nero d’avola, negroamara and primitivo
• Inexpensive zinfandel (you don’t want one that’s too extracted or high in alcohol with this punchy pasta sauce)
• Barbera - from Northern Italy or elsewhere - always a good wine with a rustic dish
• Inexpensive Portuguese reds from the Alentejo - ripe and supple, they make a good stand-in for an Italian red
• and if you fancy a white try a crisp southern Italian white such as Falanghina or Greco

Needless to say if you’re making the dish with another type of pasta like penne the recommendations would be the same. You match the sauce not the pasta shape.

See also Wines to match different pasta sauces

Photo by being0828 is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0