In the Texier thread, there’s a digression about whether wine needs food that I thought deserved its own thread.
I’m happy to drink sparkling or sweet wines on their own, but don’t get a lot of pleasure from most other wines without food. In a bar without food, I’m more inclined to order a beer. And the reds wines I most like – cooler climate, higher acid wines like Barolo, Northern Rhones and Burgundy – don’t give me much pleasures without food.
Riper, softer wines like zin or a Southern Rhone are easier to appreciate without accompaniment. But I enjoy them a lot more with a meal, too.
Are Lee Short, Tom Blach and me the only ones?
I enjoy many of my wines sans food. Not that they would be great with, but if I ate every time I drank wine I would likely weigh 400lbs rather than 250. I find that I spend more time with the wine when food is not in the equation. As a rule when food is in front of me I tend to eat and then when the plate is empty I go back to my wine. The only pace this doesn’t hold true for me is in a restaurant. Just one of my quirks.
Specifically, I don’t enjoy most Italian wines without food, white or red.
yes
I mean no
OK, sometimes…
I guess since my cellar is 1–Burg, 2–Napa, 3–Southern Rhone, I like some wines which aren’t always great with food
Yes. Or, at least, not too much food. 
Certainly most of my consumption of wine is with dinner. That said, as long as the wine isn’t too tannic, I enjoy drinking almost any wine on its own.
This sounds familiar… Yes. I find that wine makes a perfectly nice cocktail, even the most un-cocktail kind of wine. In fact, though many would disagree, I find that while food and wine together have a nice gestalt sort of effect, some of the nuance is lost with all but the most delicate of foods.
My family’s lifestyle doesn’t allow for many drinking dinners, though you didn’t really ask why.
I guess I should have asked also what wines people drink most often. I’m curious if that affects the answer to the food question.
??
A bottle of wine lasts much longer than a meal unless you are a truly serious glutton, so it should be pleasant to sip while you’re cooking and pleasant to sip when the meal is over.
Uh, doesn’t that depend on how many people are present?
No. For the most part, I ignore wines that cannot be enjoyed with food. (You Cali Cabs and Syrahs know who you are.) While I might sip port or stickies alone, food items can be and are easily paired with both. I can relate to AntonioC above as well. I am living in Italy, and I don’t recall EVER drinking an Italian wine that did not pair well with the food of its region. (Certain Supertuscans do not count, as they are French or New World wines being made in Italia, often due to superior terroir here!)
I can absolutely have a glass of Riesling, Txakoli, Cremant or other lighter refreshing wines anytime- food or no food. I’m with Keith’s description. A little while cooking, and a little after a meal are also nice. I love great wine with a great meal, but food & wine don’t need to be exclusive from each other in order to be enjoyable.
YES! I find it rare that I enjoy wine with food, but when I do, it is a fantastic pairing and certainly the pinnacle of wine drinking for any wine lover. However, if I wine doesn’t pair near-perfectly with the food, I choose not to ‘wash my food down’ and I’d rather switch to water, and savor the wine afterwards.
I can enjoy wine without food and food without wine, but I get the most enjoyment from pairing the right wine with the right food.
No, one still needs something to sip on while cooking, extra people just give you an excuse to open extra bottles.
Do you really pour your glass of wine down the drain once you’ve had enough to eat?
I’m mostly a wine with food guy, but the other (chilly) night I was sitting in front of an outdoor fire drinking a really ripe CA Cab (Keenan). I wouldn’t have cared for that wine with a meal, but it fit the occasion.
I love wine with food but I find that I drink at a much faster pace when eating. I guess it’s because I’m using the wine as a beverage that enhances the food. When I have a glass of wine in front of me with nothing else, I tend to savor it.
Most of the time but im a cali/cdp lover
My weeknight routine is to drink a glass of wine after the kids go to bed, and nothing before.
I like high acidity wines, usually syrah (Rhone or northern CA) or pinot (OR or northern CA).
I enjoy wine with food (and will drink it when out or with friends), but feel like I need every ounce of energy to make it through the evening.
Michael