The short answer: sparkling wine isn’t just for celebrations. It’s one of the most food-friendly wines there is. My picks: the Crab for spicy food and fried chicken, the Rouge Brute or the Beta for burgers, pizza and barbecue, and the Octopus or the Whale for tacos. And the best pairing of all might be a plain bag of potato chips.
Celebrations, and every other night
Should you save sparkling wine for celebrations? Yes and no. Have it at celebrations, absolutely. But have it every day too. Every weeknight dinner is a good time for bubbles, and so is any time you’re hanging out with friends. Bubbles always taste good. It doesn’t need to be a special occasion, but it looks great at one.
I like to think about it more broadly: any time you’re with friends is a special time. All of those moments count.
Spicy food: the Crab
For Chinese or Thai food, I really like the Crab, our sparkling orange wine. It has a nice fundamental sweetness of fruit, some tannin and structure, and a lot of concentration. When the food has a lot of flavor, the Crab is going to stand up to it.
If the food is less spicy and less intense, try the Mackerel, our pét-nat. It has a similar skin-contact character, though it doesn’t go nearly as far. Think of it as the lighter version.
Fried chicken: the Crab again
Fried chicken has more fat, and if you’re firing up the deep fryer, you may as well make fries while you’re at it. The Crab goes with both. It brings fruit sweetness, good texture and good concentration, and it holds up to that greasy, fried flavor without getting lost.
Burgers, pizza and barbecue: the Rouge Brute or the Beta
The Rouge Brute, our sparkling red, is a fantastic choice for burgers and pizza. So is the Beta, our still red: a chillable blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay Noir, with a little Primitivo in the 2024. It has lovely fruit sweetness, and on a hot day when you’re hanging out outside, it’s a great wine to reach for.
Barbecue falls in the same category. Smoky meat can be quite powerful, and it wants the same kind of wine as a burger.
Tacos: the Octopus or the Whale
Tacos are categorically different from barbecue. I lean toward something with more brightness, acidity and energy: the Octopus, our sparkling Albariño, or the Whale, our sparkling Chardonnay. Both are very upbeat wines.
When is a critter a porch pounder?
Whenever you’re thirsty. If I had to pick one, it’s the Urchin, our rosé. It’s a rosé-all-day kind of wine, a good one to just hang out with.
The best pairing: plain potato chips
In a lot of ways, the best pairing of all is a bag of classic plain potato chips. There’s a lightness and freshness to that saltiness. It’s a very simple food, and that’s why it works: it won’t compete with the wine. The chips support the wine, and the wine supports the chips.
If you want to dress it up, add a little crème fraîche and a little caviar. Call it downtown upscale.
The one thing to remember: you don’t need a special occasion. Any time you’re with friends is the right time to open a bottle.
Meet the Crab · Meet the Rouge Brute · Meet the Octopus
Quick answers
What sparkling wine goes with spicy food? One with more body and some sweetness of fruit, like our Crab sparkling orange wine. For milder dishes, our Mackerel pét-nat.
What wine goes with fried chicken? Our Crab. It has the fruit, texture and concentration to stand up to fried food, fries included.
What wine goes with pizza and burgers? Our Rouge Brute sparkling red, or the Beta, a chillable still red.
What’s the best snack with sparkling wine? Plain, salty potato chips. They won’t fight the wine.