Extraordinary pairings for ordinary meals
Although the world is starting open up, many of us are still limiting trips to grocery stores. And that means a bit more reliance on basic meals. Really basic. As in ones based on less perishable items such as Kraft Dinner, dried pasta with jarred sauce and cans of baked beans. But a glass of the right wine can really kick these meals up a notch. So keeping certain bottles on hand for when groceries are low means you’re never far away from a properly delicious meal.
Let’s start with the 2018 Boschendal “1685” Chardonnay
from South Africa (Vintages Essential 367698 $15.95). This crisp, steely white with a touch of toasty praline actually goes quite well with Kraft Dinner. And I’d score the wine itself a solid 90.
Kraft Dinner is one of those things you may not normally rely on as a side or main. But I bet you have a box of it somewhere in your pantry during this pandemic. Or if you’re really fancy, you’ve probably got a box of Annie’s organic mac and cheese instead. This smart South African Chardonnay elevates either.
Or if you prefer red wine, the 2018 M. Chapoutier Les Vignes de Bila-Haut from the Côtes du Roussillon-Villages in the South of France (Vintages Essential $15.95) also works well with boxed macaroni and cheese. This is a quietly sophisticated blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan with sheer flavours of red and black berries, dry earth and crumbled herbs. Each swirl, sniff and sip add depth and finesse to the meal. Score: 91
To ensure you’re never 15 minutes away from a good Italian meal, keep a bottle of the 2018 Santa Cristina Rosso
Toscana IGT from Italy (LCBO 76521 $14.90) handy. This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Syrah and Merlot by respected producer Marchesi Antinori makes any pasta with tomato sauce better — from handmade tagliatelle with slow-cooked bolognese to pantry penne with Ragu from a jar. It also works well with frozen lasagna if that’s your staple.
This red exudes black forest fruits underpinned with dried herbs on the nose. The palate is poised yet robust. And the flood of ripe but not overripe fruit unfurls with considerable complexity for the money — blackcurrant and cherries, tobacco leaf and coffee, baking spices and more. Honest value. Score: 92
Baked beans from a can makes a surprisingly satisfying meal served with 2018 Featherstone Canadian Oak Chardonnay, VQA Niagara Peninsula
(Vintages 149302 $21.95). The wine is bone dry but delivers compelling aromas and flavours of baked apple with butter and brown sugar. Silky, rich and well-balanced, each sip seasons the palate perfectly for the next forkful of beans. Toast or wieners optional. Score: 93
Fans of fish and chips probably keep battered or breaded filets in the freezer, along with a bag of McCain Superfries. And maybe some frozen peas to steam, butter and serve alongside. If that’s you, here’s a tip. The 2018 Matteo Terre di Chieti Bianco IGT, Italy (LCBO 14949 $9.95) hits shelves June 5 and is a brilliant buy sure to sell through fast. And it goes very well with this particular ready meal.
Each sip offers a bright wash of easy vinosity that tastes clean, crisp and understated with allusions of lemon zest, ripe pear and crushed stone. Then, it leaves a twist of grapefruit zest and almond on the finish. Stellar white for the money. Score: 94
If tacos, beans and rice, or Asian noodle dishes are your go-to pantry meal — with or without hot sauce — grab a bottle of the off-dry 2017 Sandbanks “Beach” Riesling,
VQA Ontario (LCBO 139022 $14.95) for the door of your fridge. Each sip of this lightbodied, easy-drinking white tastes immediately cooling and quenching with a swift lick of mouth-watering citrus zeal — lemon-lime mostly. It’s uncomplicated pleasure that complements these dishes in the same way a squirt of fresh lime would. Score: 89
And no list of pantry meals would be complete without chili. It’s dead easy, dirt cheap and nutritious. And it goes very well the 2018 Sandbanks Sleeping Giant Foch–Baco
Noir, VQA Ontario. (LCBO 164087 $19.95). This wine delivers a crush of wild blueberries laced with toasted tobacco leaf, campfire and freshly turned black earth on the nose and palate. The texture is silky smooth, lifted and lush. And it’s well-made and well-balanced. If you like richer styles of red wine, reach for this reasonably priced Ontario offering. Solid buy. Score 93
This blend also goes well with homemade burgers, frozen pizza and beef stew, such as Campbell’s Chunky from a can.
Here’s to elevating even the most humble pantry meals with great-tasting wines.