Don't knock it until you try it! One experience with sparkling wine and Cheetos (or perhaps a better version like Barbara's), and you'll be hooked.
Wait, WHAT?! Did you write champagne and Cheetos?
I understand I have some splainin' to do. So here it is: Any student who attends the CIA (culinary institute not central intelligence) takes a three-week intensive wine studies course. Bottles down, my favorite class.
And while the instructor, Steven Kolpan, focuses mostly on wine and food pairings for fine dining, he notoriously repeats to every class Cheetos are an absolute knockout with sparkling wine.
And it's AMAZING. The savory, processed cheesy crunch cut with an effervescent, creamy mouthful? Done, done and done. So why does this work, you may be wondering?
The science behind wine pairings
Generally, salty, smoky and spicy foods pair well with the cutting acidity and restrained fruit notes of a sparkling wine. And so do bold cheeses (even the artificial ones). So the whole cheezy chips thing isn't that farfetched. To wax poetic, the crunchy little twigs of goodness bring out the subtle fruit of the wine.
My favorite alternative to Cheetos
Might I recommend skipping the mystery ingredient namesake snack for Barbara's cheesy puffs. Still not an everyday food, but Barbara's sources much better ingredients and I now prefer them to the original.
More fun pairings for sparkling wine
I once picked up a small bag of Cool Ranch Doritos to truly test Kolpan's theory. A match made in fake buttermilk-herb heaven. Basically, if it ends in "os", you will succeed. Perhaps not in health, but in momentary gastronomical pleasure.
Make sure the sparkling wine is dry (a brut) not sweet. And buy the biggest bag of Cheetos you can find. Then sip bubbles and Cheetos yourself into the Crazy Wine Pairing Sippers Club.
Yours in wine,
Sit, stay, drool with Sadie Mae
Back after a rebellious break from the established sit, stay, drool system. She's proven she does takes after me, willing to go to great lengths to wrap her lips around the cool flavors of ranch.
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