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The best thing about wine is that it can match any kind of food. Literally anything.
Toast? Check. Omlette? Check. Pot Noodle. Definitely.
In fact, Pot Noodle is one of the best examples because it seems such an unlikely choice of food to pair with wine. Some might even think it doesn’t deserve to be matched with wine. But why?
There are plenty of Pot Noodle lovers out there who love wine just as much, and it has many flavours to offer the palate – just as wine does – so I’m applying a smidgen of sommelier know-how below to match up two of our kitchen cupboard favourites.
Read on to find your perfect match with the Metro Wine Club.
Pot Noel Christmas Dinner
The seasonal Pot Noel Christmas Dinner is of course a take on the main event which includes all those rich trimmings, in which case a lighter but complex red is best placed to match the copious flavours.
Step forward a smooth and juicy Pinot Noir. Yes, it’s notoriously pricey, but some delicious affordable ones can be found all over the world now, particularly from Bulgaria, Hungary and Chile.
Perfect Pot Noodle pairing
With: Pot Noel Christmas Dinner
Drink: Cono Sur Bicicleta Pinot Noir, £6, Tesco
Notes: Cherries, plums and raspberries all wrapped up in vanilla spice
BBQ flavours
Meanwhile Pot Noodles with BBQ sauce in the mix – like Smokin’ BBQ and BBQ Pulled Pork – make a mouth-watering combination with wines from sun-drenched locations. Ripe and rich red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel just love the smoky sweetness of BBQ sauce.
If Sticky Ribs is on the menu tonight, grab a Grenache. One of the most food-friendly reds around, Grenache loves the tangy bite of sticky ribs, and while Spain and Southern France is the natural home of this grape, Australia makes some gorgeous Grenache now too.
Perfect Pot Noodle pairing
With: BBQ Pulled Pork
Drink: The Chalkduster Zinfandel, £7.50, The Co-op
Notes: A bargain red with ballsy blackcurrant-jam-on-toast flavours
Asian flavours
A no-brainer wine for Asian-inspired Pot Noodles is Riesling. A general rule of thumb should be the hotter the sauce, the sweeter the wine, because chilli tends to numb the palate and the sweetness of an off-dry Riesling will carry the flavour through while also enhancing other Asian flavours like ginger and lemongrass.
If Riesling isn’t your thing, though, go for Pinot Gris which would pair just as well. The Curry Pot Noodle with mango chutney sauce, on the other hand, loves Viognier, whose ultra-peachy tropicality goes hand in hand with mango.
Sweet and Sour Pot Noodle is arguably the most fashionable choice, because it’s best with one of the wine styles of the moment – orange wine. With the freshness of white wine and the body of red wine, orange wine has this umami tang of honey and citrus peel which matches the umami of sweet and sour really well.
Perfect Pot Noodle pairings
With: Katsu Curry
Drink: Yalumba Y Series Viognier, £9.49, Majestic
Notes: A zippy Aussie classic full of peach and pineapple lushness
With: Sweet & Sour
Drink: Cullen Amber Orange, £28.95, Philglas & Swiggott
Notes: Well worth the money if you want to start your orange wine journey with one of the best.
Pasta Pots
As for the Pasta Pots, unsurprisingly these make the happiest matches with Italian wines. Gavi or Pinot Grigio would make the best of the cheese and bacon of the Carbonara, while the Bolognese is aching to be served with grapes that provide buckets of cherry fruit flavour, like Sangiovese, Nero d’Avola and Montepulciano.
Just as top notch sommeliers are sometimes expected to pair the most random of wine and food matches, in my mind Pot Noodles present just as much of a cerebral challenge – just a more satisfying one, as this is something everyone can enjoy each and every day.
Perfect Pot Noodle pairing
With: Pot Bolognese
Drink: Brio Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, £10.99 Virgin Wines
Notes: Super bright cherry fruit on a medium-bodied palate with good concentration of flavour but great freshness beneath
Metro Wine Club
Metro is thrilled to announce the launch of the Metro Wine Club – an exclusive wine service that brings readers the inside track and great savings on world-class craft wines.
More Trending
In celebration, we’ve hand-picked this special launch selection with our friend and wine expert Jane Parkinson. These are not your typical supermarket bottles but truly unique, hand-crafted wines from some of the most gifted, independent winemakers for just £4.99 a bottle!
Read more about what our launch case includes here.
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