It’s Friday night, you are exhausted after a long week and have just ordered a takeaway. Late last year Deliveroo released its top 10 trending dishes for 2024. The Xi’an Street Food Spice bag meal deal took the number one spot, followed by various burritos, burgers and wraps. But what wine to serve with these delicacies? Here’s a whistle-stop tour of possible pairings with our Friday night favourites.
A burger, moist with juicy protein is perfect with any red wine. Throw in raw onions, pickles and ketchup and you need to ramp up the flavours a little. I would go for a favourite full-bodied red wine; a malbec from Argentina, a Barossa Valley shiraz, a big cabernet from California, a gutsy southern Italian red or a Portuguese red from Alentejo would all do nicely. I would try the same with a doner kebab wrap.
Another favourite takeaway is a burrito. A beef burrito will go well with all of the above-mentioned big red wines. If the filling is chicken, I would go for a white wine, one with a bit of flavour and texture. Light dry whites might get lost alongside those spicy, sweetish sauces. A viognier would be good as would an unoaked chardonnay; an off-dry pinot grigio or a riesling from New Zealand. You could also go for a South African chenin blanc. The same white wines would go well with two other order-in favourites – Chicken Gyro Wrap or Butter Chicken.
With fish and chips a nice fruity albariño would do nicely, as would a refreshing sauvignon blanc. If you feel like celebrating the start of the weekend in style, Champagne is a great match for all kinds of deep-fried foods, including fish and chips. A good budget alternative would be a Crémant from Bourgogne, Alsace or the Loire Valley. I haven’t tried it but I feel sure that Champagne or Crémant would also go nicely with the nation’s favourite fast food – spice bags!
Surprisingly, pizza did not make an appearance in the top 10 takeaway favourites but it’s worth including here. My go-to wine would be a lighter Italian red wine, a Valpolicella, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, a Barbera or an inexpensive Chianti.
