In her new book “Cork Dork,” journalist Bianca Bosker chronicles her immersion into the wild world of sommeliers and the big spenders who take their advice on wine.
While training to smell and taste like a sommelier, she learns about how human senses function, how difficult it is to become a certified sommelier, and how restaurants help guests to pick out a quality bottle of wine while protecting their bottom line.
Along the way, though, Bosker realized how intimidating wine can be to the general public. To combat this exclusivity, she began a humorous Instagram series she calls “#pairdevil,” in which she gives advice on pairing wine with your favorite comfort and fast foods.
We’ve rounded up a few of her posts here.
Pickle and pastrami sandwich + Syrah
http://instagr.am/p/BPtGhHkh2Vt
"Up first: pickles+pastrami from @pastramiqueen and Alain Graillot's Crozes-Hermitage. 100% syrah grapes, 100% big enough to stand up to a big NYC snack."
Hot dog + Blanc de Noirs sparkling wine
http://instagr.am/p/BQRHVlYhX_J
"I look serious because I am not messing around this is my DREAM #pairdevil: Papaya King and Analemmas's Blanc de Noirs sparkling wine. Made like champagne, half the price since it's from Oregon. Full disclosure: I'm cheating because champagne + its cousins play nicely with basically anything you put on a plate."
McDonald's Filet-o-Fish + Grillo
http://instagr.am/p/BShK0dNBLMr
"#pairdevil on the road: McDonald's Filet-o-Fish (invented here in Cincinnati) is, against all odds, shockingly tasty and contains real fish. Also way better with Tami from Sicilian sar Arianna Occhipinti. It's made from the Grillo grape - a little wild, a touch of sunny warmth, a brine-y breath of seabreeze. Think Sauvignon Blanc's hip, tattooed uncle."
Meatballs + Italian red
http://instagr.am/p/BRbOiRehjIC
"Today is #NationalMeatballDay and @bbosker and @meatballers have you covered. #pairdevil tip for all you cheats + lazy hedonists: want to pair wine+food in the MOST delicious way using the FEWEST brain cells? Drink wine that comes from the same country as the food. Like this I Custodi 'Aetneus' from Sicily (think a seasoned Merlot that's seen a few things in its life) and these Meatball Shop balls (yeah yeah they're from NYC but you get the idea)."
Black-and-white cookie + Sauternes sweet wine
http://instagr.am/p/BSOurXXBhJB
"Delicious with this 1983 Chateau Guiraud Sauternes (<-place in Bordeaux synonymous with sweet wines). Hint: sweet wines stand up to sweet foods. And to drink old wines without paying a fortune, try Sauternes."
Shake Shack + Pont de Gassac Rouge
http://instagr.am/p/BQjQ69CBmJK
"Shake Shack and Pont de Gassac Rouge = The Lord of burgers and the Lafite of the Languedoc. Juicy like a burger, but with acid zing to clear your tongue + arteries so you can get seconds."
Mac and cheese + Grenache
http://instagr.am/p/BRZXzXth86h
"Annie's mac 'n cheese and 'Sucette' Aussie Grenache (appropriately made by An Approach to Relaxation). This wine tastes like a good mood: some flowers, some berries, lots of pretty."
Dim sum + Riesling
http://instagr.am/p/BRrHtzCBeHz
"Pure #pairdevil pleasure: dim sum from Golden Unicorn with Hermann J. Weimer Riesling from the Empire State. Delicate like a shrimp dumpling, ripe like a pork bun, refreshing enough you can eat seconds of siu mai. This one is dry (meaning no sugar) but semi-dry (with a breath of sweetness) would be good too. Everything I love in one place."
Bagels and lox + sparkling Riesling
http://instagr.am/p/BQ1PCt_h_UX
"#pairdevil breakfast of champions! Barney Greengrass lox + bagels with sparkling Riesling from Weiser-Künstler (for a cheaper, tasty twist on Champagne). FYI: Not all Rieslings taste sweet. 11.5% alcohol so you don't start the day sloshed."
Sweetgreen salad + German Pinot Noir
http://instagr.am/p/BR9RsPHhENk
"#pairdevil can salad too. I've been on a German Pinot Noir bender, and this Stein + Sweetgreen is great. German Pinots can be a hunt but they're worth it - moodier/ smokier than Oregon Pinots, but with lovely fruit. Guaranteed to cure your weltschmerz ('world pain.' of course that word exists in German)."
Grilled cheese and tomato soup + sparkling Chardonnay
http://instagr.am/p/BSzP2jQBA6C
"While researching #corkdorkbook, a collector who'd just guzzled thousands of $$$ worth of Burgundy offered me a palate cleanser of Champagne - 'French alka seltzer,' he called it. Not wrong! And also why grilled cheese + tomato soup go great with this Cremant du Jura (sparkling Chardonnay, made like champagne but wayyyy cheaper). The wine's acid cuts through the fatty cheese, but stands up to the acidic tomato soup."
Cup of Noodles + Beaujolais
http://instagr.am/p/BP_NtutBugr
"#Pairdevil is baaaaack with Cup of Noodles and Pierre Cotton's delicious Beaujolais (so hot right now). Enough fruit and funk to match the salt and MSG. The grape is Gamay, aka Pinot Noir's alt cousin who goes to Burning Man."
"Cork Dork" is available for purchase from Penguin Random House »