By Brittany Herren
Aug. 4, 2024 – When it comes to ordering and buying wine, I tend to follow two sets of guidelines:
- What wine is on sale?
- Which on sale wine has the highest alcohol content?
While it has served me well for the last 15 years, there is something about inching closer to 40 that just makes me want to drink more, but in a more sophisticated way. Like South Park’s Randy Marsh says, “It’s not one glass of wine, it’s six. It’s called a tasting and it’s classy.”
Now look, a wine tasting sounds like a great way to learn about wine variety and compare
various fruity fermentations with other like-minded adults, but I want to get down to what truly matters, which is the nuts and bolts of what sort of wines pair nicely with a set of taste buds that haven’t exactly reached peak maturity. Like, how can I fully compliment the flavor of a plate of chili cheese fries?
That’s why I turned to Savannah sommelier, James Divine. Divine is a WSET Level 3 sommelier, which doesn’t come with a wand and cape like the name suggests but does mean that he is considered to have advanced knowledge in the field of all things wine. Divine was traveling doing wine things and was in New Orleans enjoying a bottle of 2011 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Corton Grand Cru (a savory French red with a price tag in the thousands) with friends when I caught up with him. He was more than happy to table sophisticated sipping, food and tantalizing conversation to slum it with me and help me learn
how to pair my most favorite Savannah dishes with wine. His advice is as follows:
Treylor Park
Dish: Treylor Park Nachos Grande
Ingredients: Waffle fries, pickles, fried chicken, bacon, cheddar cheese w/ chive ranch &
balsamic gastrique
“This is an easy one – a dry sparkling wine, like Gruet Brut. The sparkling wines always do really well with salty or fatty food and would be able to not be overwhelmed by that mix of flavors. You can also try sparkling wine with seasoned French fries of caramel corn.”
Vinnie Van GoGo’s
Dish: Cheese Pizza and Pepperoni Pizza
“Two options here. My first preference would be a Spanish Tempranilla (Anciano, Campo Viejo), bold reds that are fantastic with spicy meats. A second choice would be an Argentinian Malbec (Gascon, Region 21).”
Zunzi’s
Dish: The Conquistador Sandwich
Ingredients: Chicken, provolone, lettuce, tomato, shit yeah! Sauce, drizzle dressing (creamy
Italian) and parmesan
“For this you’d want a creamier style white wine, but something other than Chardonnay. I
would go with a Semillon.”
Green Truck Pub
Dish: Hot Rod Deluxe Burger and Fries
Ingredients: Typical burger with bacon and cheese, sauteed mushrooms and onions on top,
with lettuce tomato and pickle
“For this I’m going with a Cab Sauv or a Bordeaux Blend – but would really want the burger
medium rare to mesh well with the wine. Trione Henry’s Blend would be my first choice.”
The Naked Dog Food Truck
Dish: Chicago Dog
Ingredients: Mustard, onions, relish, sport peppers, pickle spear, celery salt
“This one I have a fair amount of first-hand experience with since I used to get the Chicago Dog from Naked Dog when they were on River Street. A Spanish white called Txacholina (chalk-o-lina) is my go-to for this, but it has to be well chilled.”
Betty Bomber’s
Dish: Spicy Buffalo Chicken Fries with Blue Cheese
“For a spicy chicken, or any sort of Asian dish you can’t go wrong with a Chenin Blanc. There is a vineyard out of South Africa called Babylonstoren that makes a great inexpensive option.”
Over Yonder
Dish: Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup
“I was tempted to say a Rose for this, but it would have to be one that wasn’t too fruity which is a little harder to find, so I’m going to say a Pinot Noir, either from Burgundy or Oregon – probably Oregon because it will have more mineral flavors that would be great with the tomato flavor.”
520 Wings
Dish: Hot Garlic Parmesan & Hot Honey BBQ
“This is a tough one because the flavor profile will overpower most wines, but I think I’d be picking an Italian Sangiovese for this one, something from the Tuscany region.”
If you are like me and easily overwhelmed by trying to pair things yourself, Divine offered a great quick and dirty tip.
“In the industry there is a saying that I’ve found to be true: If it grows together, it goes together. So, if you’re having spaghetti with red sauce, a red Italian wine is going to be best – that is because over the years, locals have always found ways to make their dishes that complement their wines,” he said.
However, above all else, Divine’s biggest rule when it comes to wine is simple.
“Most of all, just enjoy it!”
Well, thank goodness I’m at least doing that right.
More by Brittany Herren: A bit of life by B: School supply lists
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