Winning Take-Away and Delivery Food and Wine Pairings

A delivery meal can feel like as much of a treat as going out sometimes, and we never miss a chance to level up ANY dining experience with a great wine pairing. We stocked up on some vinos at The Bottle Store in Al Ghadeer in anticipation of our favourite delivery meals. Check out what we went with.

Latin American Cuisine with Dark and Dry Rosé

If you’re ordering-in any Latin American cuisines, such as Mexican or Peruvian, try them with a dark and dry rosé. We opted for the Leyda Rosé. While pale blush pink rosés are all the rage, more colourful ones have bolder flavours, making the wines capable of standing up to the punchy flavours in this food. The refreshing acidity of rosé mirrors the acid in the dish, from lime-soaked ceviche to lemony guacamole. Its cold temperature helps one to handle the chilli burn. Plus, it ticks the what-grows-together-goes-together box.

Fried Chicken with Champagne

Fried chicken is a comfort food classic. It doesn’t matter if its Southern fried on the bone or pure breast meat served in a sando or on a Burger, this crispy, savoury and greasy goodness calls for the cleaning high-acid and carbonation of Champagne. The savoury umami and toasty characters of the Champagne mirror the flavour in the breading. We paired our recent feast with Lanson Le Black Creation. As a bonus, this wine shines with that side of fries, too, and if you have any bubbles left, you can keep the magic going with popcorn pairing with a movie.

Pizza and Chianti

We’re specifically thinking of a classic red-sauce base pizza for this pairing. Keep your pineapple and BBQ sauce for another day. This wine smells like dried herbs and sweet sundried tomatoes, easily matching up with the pizza’s flavours. Plus, the wine and the pizza have medium flavour intensity, so they complement one another rather than compete. We opted for the Castello d’Albola Chianti Classico, Gran Selezione.

Thai and Riesling

Thai cuisine’s sweet, spicy, tropical and tangy flavours find a perfect companion in Riesling. It’s a lower alcohol variety, so it won’t intensify the chilli burn. Plus, it’s a super fruity wine that often has a sweetness that matches the overall vibe of this fruit-inclusive cuisine. We’re trying The Leyda Single Vineyard Neblina Riesling.

Arabic Mezze and Sauvignon Blanc

The freshness and herbal notes of Sauvignon Blanc complement the array of flavours in Arabic mezze. The Boschendal Sauvignon Blanc from Elgin, South Africa, is what we’ve chosen. Sauvignon Blanc has green pepper and grassy aromas, which work with tabbouleh, Mohamara, and the Warek Enab stuffed vine leaves. It’s got the acid to marry well with labneh and hummus and the robust flavour to keep up with smoky moutabel.

Indian Cuisine

We can run two directions with a wine pairing here – plus, Indian restaurants generally send so much food that you might want to open two bottles of wine anyway. If you want to cool the palate, go for a Moscat. This full-flavour grape won’t get lost in the sea of Indian spices. It is a low-alcohol wine served very cold so that it will cool your mouth down. We tried the Mandriola de Lisboa white from Portugal. If you don’t mind the heat and are keen to marry rich and earthy spice notes, try a Carmenere from Chile – they always have plenty of cumin, fenugreek and cinnamon aromatics to blend with those found in many Indian dishes. We went with the San Pedro Altair Carmenere from the Colchagua Valley.  

Remember, folks, when you decide to indulge in a delivery food, remember that every meal should be special and consider enjoying it with a proper pairing – it’s not like you have to drive anywhere. Also, tip your driver!

The Wines we tasted