Finding the right snack to pair with wine can take some experimentation and reading. The wine variety chosen plays a huge role in what’s going to work and what won’t as a snack.
Fortunately, there are some standard go-to snacks that always seem to work. When you want to pair a good bottle of wine with a snack,try out these eleven best and easy snacks with wine:
1. Popcorn with Chardonnay
Popcorn and Chardonnay. It’s simple and it works. Try it yourself. These two go together like McCartney and Lennon. They play off each other perfectly. The butter flavor of the popcorn accentuates and heightens the oaky, butter-esque of the Chardonnay.
2. Cheese Curls with Cabernet Sauvignon
There is something about cheese and wine that just work together. Cheese curls pair best with something like a Cabernet Sauvignon. A wine like this has a nice mix of cherry and black currant flavors that go nicely with a cheese curl snack that’s either crunchy or puffy.
3. Potato Chips with Pinot Gris
When in doubt, go with potato chips. The oil and salt of potato chips work particularly well with Pinot Gris. If you have some BBQ chips, those tend to work best with Zinfandel wine. Sour cream and onion chips are a great pair with Merlot.
4. Animal Crackers with Riesling
Animal crackers are a classic, safe, and tasty choice for a good snack with wine. Although crackers go well with a lot of different wines, the best pairing for animal crackers is probably Riesling. You have a sweet one here with mild acidity. The mildness of a Riesling really brings out the deliciousness of the cookie in a handful of animal crackers.
5. Mini Cupcakes with Moscato
Mini cupcakes are bite-sized, easy to handle if you’re sharing wine with some friends, and they work well with the sweetness of a Moscato. The sweet ingredients in the Moscato and the mini cupcakes both feed off one another, delivering an excellent one-two punch.
6. Fruit Snacks with Sangria
Fruit snacks may not feel like a go-to snack to pair with wine but some choose to go down that route. Mixing a fruity snack with a Sangria, you get all sorts of natural sugars and delicious tastes. Try your favourite Sangria with fruit snacks of your choosing.
7. Nuts with Prosecco
Mixed nuts, individual nuts, or nuts with dried fruit work tremendously well with a wide array of wines. Almonds are great with a Chardonnay, Port, or Prosecco. Hazelnuts are ideal for a Burgundy, Chardonnay, or Port. Peanuts are wonderful as a pair with a Chardonnay or Gewurztraminer. Walnuts also work well with dozens of standard and unique wines.
8. Tortilla Chips and Salsa with Pinot Grigio
Tortilla chips and salsa work well with a number of wines. You have your regular salty tortilla chips which pair nicely with some Pinot Grigio. You also have salsa which works well with a fruity Chardonnay. If you’re going full-blown nachos with it, try a Zinfandel or Syrah. If you’re mixing tortilla chips with some guacamole, you may want to go with a Spanish Cava.
9. Hummus Dip with Pinot Noir
Hummus dips are a delightful snack. Hummus works well with a Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chianti, or Pinot Noir. You may have to experiment a little with your hummus and wine pairing if you intend to go for more exotic flavors or a spicy hummus.
10. Veggies and Dip with Sauvignon Blanc
Some vegetable dips don’t fit into the hummus category. If you are having some fresh tray veggies, try it with a Sauvignon Blanc. If the dip’s one that’s herb-based, oftentimes what will happen is the herbs of the dip cancel out the herbs in the Sauvignon Blanc resulting in a fruitier wine that you’re normally used to.
11. Toaster Pastries with Rose Wine
A toaster pastry is a delicious, breakfast-y kind of snack. Toaster pastries work surprisingly well alongside wines like a fizzy rose. As a late afternoon or evening snack, toaster pastries’ filling is splendidly paired with a fizzy rose wine. So delicious, unforgettably so.
