Sommeliers Create Wine Pairings for TV Watching

To prepare for another streaming binge, you must chill - the wine.

During this prolonged era of Netflix and chill, let us not forget about sommeliers, who, like bartenders and chefs, are also bereft of employment, without the theatrical aspect of selecting the right wines to match a variety of dishes enjoyed by a whole table. The art of pairing wine to food is a much subtler one than matching the mood a TV show might create, but perhaps there is an entertaining angle to take here, especially for those of us primarily choosing wine over Quarantinis. So can wines be paired not only with what one is eating, but with what one is watching?

Finding appropriate wine pairings for food involves elements of principle and palate, but also of intuition, and there are as many approaches to finding the right balance as there are sommeliers in the game.

Christopher Freund, former sommelier of the now permanently shuttered New York City restaurant Gotham Bar and Grill, describes one approach: “The main idea behind any wine pairing I make is that the wine should ‘season’ the food,” he says, “and accentuate aspects in a dish that you might not have noticed without the wine.”

“In a perfect world, you wouldn’t know where the dish ended and the wine began, and vice versa, when it comes to wine pairings,” offers Jamie Schwartz of Eleven Madison Park, an approach that suggests mirroring certain aspects of the wine and the dish it accompanies. “Yet,” he continues, “I can reflect on mind blowing pairings in which the food greatly transformed the wine, rather than marrying with it.”

Courtney Wieland, Wine Director for The Modern in the Museum of Modern Art, offers a different way to think about pairing entirely, one that was nonetheless echoed by several of the sommeliers who were queried here: “When it comes to food and wine pairing I believe the most important thing is knowing you aren't just pairing to a dish, but you need to pair to the guest,” she says. “It doesn't matter if on paper it is the ‘perfect pairing’—if that person really doesn't enjoy that style of wine, it won't be their perfect pairing.”

And so on. Here, the challenge presented to a handful of NYC sommeliers: can one apply these same principles of pairing wine to food, to pairing wine with the tube?

While the best pairing for you may in fact be whatever you feel like drinking with whatever you feel like watching, for entertainment’s sake, (because we could all use a little extra,) consider any of the following sommelier-endorsed approaches to pairing award-winning, budget-friendly wine with television of whatever level of quality you most crave right now.

One Wine To Rule Them All

One thing that happens when you ask a group of somms what one should be drinking with what one is watching is that you are bound to get a unison chorus of “Champagne!” This, however, is no blatant up-sell. Champagne is revered in the wine community for its ability to pair all things: from light seafood to fried chicken, and from special occasions, to occasions such as Tuesday. (Quarantagne? Why not?)

Champagne’s versatility comes from its unique structure, masquerading both as light and lively or rich and powerful, playing as well with the decadent, like truffles, as the irreverent, like Hot Pockets. (There is no food shame during quarantine.) Other sparkling wines made in a similar method can also do the trick here, typically with a lesser price tag, including Spain’s Cava, Italy’s Franciacorta, and even another typically less pricey sparkler from France, Crémant d’Alsace, as well as many worthy selections from American vineyards and other regions around the world.

Likewise, bubbles are equally versatile with moods, as with foods. Here’s a particularly appealing (and relatable) one offered by Wieland, for a sitcom that can also be lively or powerful: “Champagne is the go-to for Workin’ Moms, for sure. I watched most of it in bed.”

Using This Approach: To pair with absolutely anything that causes Netflix to ask, “Are you still watching?” try some budget-friendly, award-winning bubbles from Spain made in a Champagne style — bed optional, but encouraged — to highlight the delicious decadence of a classic rosé sparkler, even if you’re sipping it from a coffee mug:

Poema Cava Brut Rosé NV - Penedes, Spain ($16)

(2019 New York International Wine Competition, Double Gold Medal)

What Grows Together, Goes Together

Piedmontese truffles and Barolo. Australian lamb with shiraz. Oysters with Muscadet. “What grows together, goes together” is a common trope used to explain the inherent compatibility of things that share a similar geographical pedigree.

“I HIGHLY recommend Black Sails for those lucky enough to not have not seen it yet,” says EMP’s Schwartz. “The appropriate pairing would be copious amounts of rum. However, if I must pair it with a wine, perhaps Madeira. The show is set in the British Colony of Nassau, and it is known that Madeira and other fortified wines were widely consumed there at this time.”

This geographical or historical approach is easily applied for fitting a wine to anything on the screen. Try an English sparkler — a category recently gaining traction in the wine world — with The English Game or The Crown. Or try any wine from the deep selection of Italian varieties (Prosecco, Lambrusco, etc.) for The Sopranos. Or a bold red from the Pacific Northwest for Grey’s Anatomy. (You’re going to need at least a case for that undertaking.)

If you think this approach can’t possibly apply to something like Ozark consider that the United States’ very first AVA (American Viticultural Area), predating Napa by about eight months, was none other than Augusta, Missouri, now part of the larger Ozark Mountain AVA. SO THERE.

Using This Approach: Take your programming and your terroir to California for a character and a wine that are both delightfully approachable and a little fruity, but with subtle complexity. “New Girl” and sunny California chardonnay are meant to be together just like Nick and Jess are meant to be together. (Sorry. Spoiler alert?)

J Vineyards Chardonnay 2017 - Russian River Valley, California ($28)

(2019 New York International Wine Competition, Double Gold Medal)

Mirroring and Metaphors

“(You) want the intensity of the wine to match the intensity of the dish,” says Alex Mares, winner of the prestigious Rudd Scholarship through the most recent Court of Master Sommeliers Advanced Sommelier Exam. Here, dish could refer to your meal as well as anything that’s arriving via satellite.

“With a bingeable series, the wine has to match the mood,” agrees Gotham Bar and Grill’s Freund. “A series like Westworld, filled with drama and intrigue that keeps you on the edge of your seat requires a bright, fresh, and crunchy red wine that keeps both you and your taste buds awake, like a Cru Beaujolais from Fleurie you can sip and swirl to sate your thirst without requiring you to take your eyes off the action.”

Further to this idea, some multi-course meals (and shows) demand multiple pairings to hit different notes along the way. For those who crave an arc to their wine binge-pairing experience, The Riddler’s Jonathan Adkisson offers some advice: “Winning a person over with a pairing that makes them feel comfortable first generally gives you the opportunity to take them outside their comfort zone later.” Being out of one’s comfort zone? Does this sound anything like the dramatic and character arcs of Schitt’s Creek to you?

Hear this out: “I would start with non-vintage bubbles,” says Adkisson, “and as the seasons continue I would move into a chardonnay from Victoria, Australia. To finish I would drink mencia from Ribeira Sacra, Spain.” This move between something utterly known, (the been-there trope of a rich family stripped of cash) to something kind of familiar in an unfamiliar setting, (Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy bringing their improv chops to the table) to something unfamiliar but delightful, (the increasing complexity and audacity of the ridiculous characters and the shocking realization that you love them anyway) follows the drama brilliantly.

Using This Approach: Field blends and biodynamic wines often have a touch of something untamed about them, not to mention syrah’s typical tasting notes often include a hint of “animal” swarthiness. Do you see what I’m getting at here? Tiger King is going to require just that kind of wildness for the ride you’re about to go on:

Frey Vineyards Biodynamic Field Blend 2017 - Mendocino, CA ($19)

(2019 New York International Wine Competition, Silver Medal)

Opposites Attract

On the other hand, some of the most celebrated food and wine pairings are based not on similarities, but on stark contrasts: a bright and zesty white to cut through rich flavors and textures, or a lightly sweet wine to offset spice.

Speaking of sweet versus spicy, Maialino’s David Kurihara suggests one such pairing: “I’m drinking Langhe riesling, (from Italy, where you normally find Barolo or Barbaresco,) while bingeing Queer Eye. Even when dry, riesling’s signature fruit notes dance on the palate as delicate sweetness, a perfect counterpoint to the spicy, or at least, sassy, antics of the Fab Five. “Nothing can cure existential dread quite like watching Antoni Porowski make omurice while gulping down a bottle of Italian riesling,” adds Kurihara.

Using This Approach: To pair the serious heat coming from the participants on Love Is Blind, try the sweetest of all sweet wines. Ice wine is made from grapes left hanging on the vines after the first frost, and brings some serious sugar to contrast the spice:

Wagner Vineyards Riesling Ice Wine 2017 - Finger Lakes, NY ($20)

wine home delivery is a better option now more than ever, photo by Scott Warman via unsplash

(2019 New York International Wine Competition, Gold Medal)

With Feeling

For many, the best wine is the one that brings up wonderful memories: a wine that was served at a special occasion, or a unique bottle found on a memorable vacation. Using an element of nostalgia to find the right wine plays well into the “pair to the guest” mentality. To this end, you can pair something nostalgic with something nostalgic. Revisiting memories is possible, even when visiting friends isn’t.

Barbara Wong of Le Bernardin, offers a pairing especially suited to this moment: "At these trying times, I find myself drawn to the OG shows, like Seinfeld. It's definitely comforting to watch a series I've seen before and have good memories with. I've been drinking domestic pinot noirs lately and have enjoyed the ones from Ceritas in Sonoma Coast. These wines especially have more of a sentimental value after meeting the owner last year. There is so much care, love and value behind these wines and drinking them has given me so much comfort these last few weeks.”

Using This Approach: Pick any wine that reminds you of easier times, perhaps a real throwback selection from your earliest wine-drinking years, to pair with Friends or Modern Family while you think fondly about spending more time in the future with yours. Also appropriate here, since you can save your money for future, non-virtual social gatherings, and because you’ve not likely worn much in the way of footwear these past weeks:

Barefoot Merlot - California ($7)

(2019 New York International Wine Competition, Double Gold Medal)