I was thinking about what wine varieties are the broadest when it comes to pairing with food, pleasing large groups, etc. My first thought is champagne / sparkling - pairs well with lots of foods, appeals to many wine enthusiasts, experience or not. Other thoughts?
Cru Beaujolais for me. Goes with everything from fish to steak.
Sangiovese.
Champagne for sure.
Then Pinot.
Riesling…its great with just about everything accept maybe tacos. Those need beer…
Riesling… new and experienced drinkers…
Pinot.
It can go with chicken, some fish, acid cuts fattier meats like steak, veal, etc., and it pairs well with many different dishes.
I like champagne, but if you think it’s universally liked in the same way still wines are, go to a nice restaurant bar and just watch how many people order a glass of champagne. It’s really not many. As in, I’m typically the only man I know that will just drink champagne at a happy hour or before a dinner event. Most women I know drink red wine or a glass of light white wine. If men are drinking wine, most order a cab.
As for Riesling, you’re dreaming. I don’t even think most wine geeks get particularly enthusiastic about Riesling as a wine of mass appeal. As a frequent guest of Grailey’s I get to see dozens of wine snobs and their preferred drinks, and Riesling is probably opened 1 bottle per 100. Maybe. Most non-geek males that I know won’t drink it because they don’t like sweet wine. And while I love dry rieslings, i think their appeal is rather low relative to other better known white varieties…like chardonnay, sauvignon blanc or even, egads, pinot grigio among the wine-plebs.
I generally agree with this analysis and, the more I think about it, Pinot is probably the best answer overall. Not sure I’ve ever heard someone say “I don’t like Pinot.” I’ve heard many say they don’t like Cab/Bdx, and I’ve heard many say they don’t like Champagne.
I 100% agree on Riesling. I know many who basically won’t drink it on an assumption that it’s “sweet.”
I would think that most of the time those folks are rolling on a reasonable assumption. Auslese tends to roll with like 40-50 grams of sugar per liter. You may see 15-30 for most Spats, right? You have to actually know what you’re doing when buying riesling. Even among wine geeks. I’d bet most folks think Kabinett means low sugar, but it can be declassified beerenauslese and have more than 120 grams of sugar per liter, or be totally dry. I think Riesling is probably the least accessible of all wines because you have to know EXACTLY what you’re buying. We geeks can hit some GG, alsatians, and some known dry dry producers for sure, but I think most of the stuff that your average wine drinker has access to is probably fairly up there on the residual sugar charts.
I honestly thought we were talking about the intrinsic characteristics of the grapes and the wines they produce, not marketing problems. The fact that Riesling can do any style from dry to sweet makes it a stronger candidate to answer the OP.
I have some friends who think Pinot Noir is too earthy when drank by itself , but with many foods it just works-even for them.
Pinot.
And I do know some folks who don’t like it. But they’re just wrong.
Reading the initial question as one related to food pairing, then for my palate, and a big part of the reason I buy lots of Oregon Pinot, Burgundy and off-dry Riesling, is because I find I enjoy them by themselves but also find them incredibly versatile with the types of food I like to eat. I’m guessing this has to do with the medium high to high acidity, and then also that sweetness (and the fact its cold) in the Riesling for spicy stuff.
While I suspect I won’t get much support on this one – for me, Mourvedre-based rose. I’ve found it to be “OK or better” pairing with a great variety of foods.
I’m guessing those folks have watched Sideways and are stuck on the term “earthy,” which is a useful descriptive term for about 5% of pinot noir. Basically 1% made in California, 15% made in Oregon, and 30% made in Burgundy.
That’s a good one. The Moo lends a lot of substance and depth in a way that pairs well with a broad range of food.
On a similar note, I was thinking lighter bodied reds that have substance and complexity without being overly tannic. Especially, to me, if they retain a lot of savory aromatics. Pick any variety with all the promise in the world of being food friendly, and there are winemakers who can’t help themselves but to try to shove that square peg through a round hole. Pinot Noir is a prime example. There are many counter examples where a grape one wouldn’t normally expect to make a broadly food-friendly wines does just that.
I think Pinot is the correct answer for a Red wine and likely Chardonnay for a white.
Zinfandel. Depending upon the style, it can accompany almost anything.
Dornfelder. Everyone’s fav.
another vote for champagne…i have had bubble with steak and sushi and everything in between and worked very well