Wine with Meg + Mel
The fun + frank podcast which helps you navigate the world of wine. Hosted by Australia's first female Master of Wine Meg Brodtmann, and self-titled Master of Sabrage Mel Gilcrist.
Wine with Meg + Mel
How To Pair Fried Chicken With Wine Without Ruining Either
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We test how much fried chicken changes what we taste in wine.
We taste Fried Chicken (known for its 11 Secret Herbs & Spices) with four different wines and land on a big big winner!
And the Winner is.... CHENIN BLANC!
https://www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_141243/boschendal-sommelier-selection-chenin-blanc?srsltid=AfmBOop4UKEn_vykFkkL9mg2IAoCboTZeH5nP3XG1TrnCFSP8-kVi8EA
I just really want to know if we have any listeners that are actually going to have KFC and and go to the effort of going and buying a $25 Chenin, but our listeners have done weirder...
And keep your Unpopular Wine Opinions coming!
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and TikTok! @winewithmegmel
Welcome And Why Food Matters
SPEAKER_02Hi, and welcome to Wine with Meg and Malware here to help you navigate the world of wine. I'm Matt Gilkoaster and my master of wine, Meg Brugman and Austin from McClearan Productions, who has our producer. Today we are doing another episode all about pairing food with wine. And I have a quick story that I want to tell about why this matters. Because a few episodes ago, there was a wine that was really big and bold and powerful, and it was a little bit too much for us. But there's all these like tech borers that are sitting in the kitchen here. And we were like, have a taste, see, see what you think. Because there was really big. Well they're eating lunch. Uh they'd just finished lunch. Okay. And they all had a taste for me to let me know. Because I was like, I just have a theory that people who like a big Shiraz or whatever will like this wine, even if it wasn't for us. And so they all have a taste. To's the first one I go, What did you think? And he goes, Oh, it was really bland, wasn't it? Like, no taste, there was nothing. And I was like, bland.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_02So what was in his hand? Chili oil. He had just smothered chili oil all over his lunch. And so whatever he ate was just going to look like crap. And every other guy was like, Whoa, this is big, but I like it. And stuff. So that is just a quick story to show that really what you taste. What you put in your mouth matters. It it really let's clip that out of context. It does. Um, so it does. What you choose to eat with wine is gonna make a big difference to have a wine. That's why I always talk about food. You know? You do, you do, you do. I know I'm a bit obsessive. So today we have fried chicken. The specific
Why We Chose KFC Today
SPEAKER_02fried chicken that we are eating has 11 herbs and spices on it. So take with that what you will. Now, Meg is a snob who tells me that she hasn't had this in how long?
SPEAKER_04Before Elliot was born, but uh not because I I didn't like it, like I love fried chicken, like I go to Bell's fried chicken in Fitzroy, love it. It was I got very sick, and so it was in chili in a food court. So I'm just giving you some reference. It probably wasn't the best thing. Okay, okay. So I had it, I was very unwell, and I've never eaten it since, despite Elliot actually working there for a couple of years. But I I'm not opposed. I love fried chicken.
SPEAKER_02All right, but on the other end of the scale, we have Austin who says hangover cure. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Cure's a strong word.
SPEAKER_02I think it makes it worse on the other. Are you an enthusiast? Would you say?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I would say I'm an enthusiast. I don't know what light that paints me in, but I am certainly an enthusiast for KFC and have my order down to a T. So I'm just gonna quickly just run through this. Okay. What you want is this what you want to do with your Zinger burger. You want to take the mayo out and you add pepper mayo and supercharged sauce, and you set. That's it. That's my little tip. Tip of the tray there, man.
SPEAKER_04Can you do that in store or do you have to do that at home?
SPEAKER_01You can do that everywhere. No, no, you can do it in store.
SPEAKER_02Ah, okay. Okay. I actually didn't know how much of an expert that we were dealing with in KFC, but alright.
SPEAKER_04We did have a fight with Mel because she doesn't do dark meat, of course.
SPEAKER_02Oh, I just don't like meat off the bone. It freaks me out. Like look, I wanted to do this. Anyway. Because, yeah, like let's get off the beaten track. We all know what pairs with a steak. Let's do something fun. I feel like we've said it now. Whatever. KFC. We're doing KFC. We're going to taste it. And Meg and I have each chosen two wines to bring in. It is, it's not meant to be framed as a battle, but I feel like it's going to become competitive inevitably.
The Wines We Bring To Pair
SPEAKER_02So, Meg, what have you got to pair with this?
SPEAKER_04I chose a Gruna Wertling.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_04I wanted to get an Austrian one, but they're all out of stock. And I was ordering online last night, so I didn't to be fair, I didn't look at all the stores. I just went to Dan's because I could stop there on the way in here today. Gruna Wertlinger because of the white pepper. Yes. Now I don't know what the 11 Hurst of Spices are. I know that one of them is sort of salty. No one does this. No, apparently it's celery salt. Oh, really? Oh my god.
SPEAKER_02Oh my god, how did you find that out? That's secret.
SPEAKER_04So I chose a Gruna Veltlinger because of the spice, and then I Googled spicy reds because we said that we couldn't do Riesling. That was a caveat because both of us would have gone Riesling. We all have gone Riesling adjacent. And then I just went, you know what? Cheap and cheerful? Lambrusco from Pizzini. Fun. Yeah. And I actually tasted it because I was a bit worried it might be sweet. But it's so I reckon I'm gonna win.
SPEAKER_02All right, okay. Well then it's a competition. Maybe I'll introduce mine as well then. So we're all got it on the table. So I have to admit that one of the first things that I looked into was Gruna Vatlinger. I had the exact same thought, white pepper. But the more I thought about it was I was like, do I just want to cut through the fat and cleanse my mouth? And then maybe the white pepper is gonna work with it. But I was like, I had this theory that something phenolic would work with the chicken rather than against it. So not phenolic, but something with body. I wanted texture. And so I was like, I need high acid, but I also need texture. Yeah, because you have texture from the crunch of the chicken. And I wanted to kind of match that. And skin?
SPEAKER_04You have skin on the chicken? Yeah. I don't know. Yes. Austin's noting on the on the good chicken, not that tender shit. Not this one, yeah.
SPEAKER_02A KFC expert says this. Okay. So I actually don't really like chicken like that either.
SPEAKER_04But um Oh my god, you're such a fussy old bag.
SPEAKER_02Oh, but it says you. You haven't had KFC in 20 years. Okay. So okay. So I was like, I need high acid and body. So I and I will declare that I brought in my own expert because I also ordered last night at the end of the day, and Loick was going past. Oh, well, you head winemaker of Shandon. That's not cheating. She's master of wine.
SPEAKER_04She's inherently this is and he's French, so I don't think he would do KF or fried chicken. No, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02I was like, when was the last time you had KFC? It was like eight years ago. I was like hopeless, but okay, help me. So we decided on Channin together because we wanted high acid and texture. And the one and phenolics. The one that he didn't okay, I will say, is the pet nat. I decided to get a pet nat because that is where I really wanted phenolics. I wanted grippiness and I wanted texture, but also a bit of bubble. And clearly you've gone Lambrusco, so you've taken kind of a simple thing.
SPEAKER_04We're a bit huge, yeah. I just so at Bell's, it's very natty driven, and I usually drink cider there because don't want to do the natty wines. And yeah, I just thought Lambrusco. I we did an episode a while ago with Nico from Lambrusco. And Mortadella seems to be having a minute at the moment, like it's everywhere that I look, and he was talking about the mortadella pasta and blah blah. Well, I just thought let's have a look at it, and I didn't know that there were many Australian versions, so I got Pizzini. So, what's the first one that we've got?
SPEAKER_02Because I need a bit of a first one,
Grüner Veltliner Meets Fried Chicken
SPEAKER_02have you already been drinking it?
SPEAKER_04Sorry.
SPEAKER_02First one we've got is the Grunavalina. Okay, so um top up. That's so funny that you've already drunk it. I was like saving it, but it is a Friday, after all. Yeah. This is our final episode. I've got no one home tonight. And this is an Austrian one. It's domain, how do you say this? Wacau?
SPEAKER_04Wackel.
SPEAKER_02Wacau.
SPEAKER_04All right. I did want to get Australian, but just as I said, I was doing it at the last minute last night, and I was doing it through Dan's.
SPEAKER_02Why did you want to get Australian? Just to give it a try. Okay.
SPEAKER_04But I know this wine is very, very good, and I know it shows that white pepper character.
SPEAKER_02It has more body than I was expecting as well. There's a little bit going on there. There's a spritziness. There's a nice acid. I think it's gonna go well. That was my baseline taste of the wine. Let me have a taste of the chicken. I do hate eating chicken.
SPEAKER_04It's a little bit like salt and pepper calamari from a Chinese restaurant. KFC. Don't forget, this is like a new experience for me.
SPEAKER_02There's something I don't like about eating off the bone. I like the tender better. But sure. It's KFC. Okay, let's talk about what we're doing, right? We are looking to pair with something that is fatty and spicy. I would say are the two main qualities. Now, Meg, what is happening with you right now?
SPEAKER_04I took a very big mouthful.
SPEAKER_02Oh, oh my god, I thought it was like a profound thing about the wine or something. No, you just took a big mouthful. Okay.
SPEAKER_04I'll be honest, Mel, that's a mmm for me. It's fine. Because don't forget, what we're trying to do is make the wine look better.
SPEAKER_02The wine looks the same.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. I actually think that the wine's a bit dulled by it. I was hoping that there'd be more peppery spice, and I just think that the wine actually looks quite bitter with the fat from the food. I don't know if that's a thing, but it just seems doesn't seem as delicious as it should be.
SPEAKER_02What year is the it's a nice wine. It's a great wine. 2024.
SPEAKER_04I'm so not sure about this.
SPEAKER_02Gruna Vellinger is one of my favorite things to drink. But I just wasn't sure. I thought it would be too lean and angular, and and yeah, we agree. So it's not this is not the wine for KFC.
SPEAKER_04I thought that'd be my winner.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_02Winner winner chicken dinner. Look at me. Oh no, you did not. Alright. So now we've got a okay. So this is my pick. It is a Shannon Blanc from South Africa. I chose it
Chenin Blanc Cuts Through The Fat
SPEAKER_02because the waxiness, the texture, I thought could it still got high acid because what we don't want is that oily, fatty flavour on our mouth. Often fried chicken does leave an oiliness, a fattiness. So you want high acidity.
SPEAKER_04It's disgusting. Austin just says as he orders it every month. Which this does.
SPEAKER_01Like when I took a bite.
SPEAKER_04And I was like, whoa. And I think the grunter makes that worse, to be fair.
SPEAKER_01I'm hung over on my mouth. I'm hung over in my mouth right now.
SPEAKER_02So what we want is a wine that is going to have high enough acidity to cut through the fat, cleanse our mouth, leave us feeling a bit better. But I don't want to just ruin the chicken and overpower it. That's why I was looking for something with a bit of texture, a bit of waxiness, something that's gonna have a little bit of play with the chicken at the same time. Yeah?
SPEAKER_04I think it's gonna work. You need that floralness, you need that freshness, that lemon pith character. Actually, that's really good.
SPEAKER_02It actually does actually add to the wine. The floral. Oh, the the gravies for whatever you want.
SPEAKER_01Gravy's for your soul.
SPEAKER_02The gravy is for your soul.
SPEAKER_04That works really well. How much was that? It's about 25 bucks, isn't it? 28? I thought I'd nail this. Well done, Mel. Didn't even think, Shinnan. Yeah. No, there's something about the it's almost got like a age semillon flatness to it that seems to be enhanced by the chicken.
SPEAKER_02I was gonna say something is getting yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's enhancing the wine. They're not neutral to each other.
SPEAKER_04No, it's lifting the wine. The wine the wine is good, don't get me wrong, from the start. But there is something when you eat the chicken and you have that that it's just lifting it. Well done.
SPEAKER_02Thank you very much. That was my theory.
SPEAKER_04That a wine Was there a theory or you just wanted to drink Shannon?
SPEAKER_02I absolutely had a theory that a wine that was too lean and angular would just not play as well with the chicken. It would contrast it too much. Whereas I wanted something that would like help cleanse the palate but still play with the chicken. So take home message. Well, so far it's that acid don't be able to do that. But what else could you do? Okay, what else is oh you'll love this. Okay, so the the other thing that comes to my mind when I think high like acid, but also texture is maybe like a grillo, which we all know you
Acid And Texture As The Rule
SPEAKER_02love.
SPEAKER_04That would work well. There's something in both of the the grillo and this that for me there's a flatness to the palate that I think having with the fat gives a like a almost a phenolic grip to the wine.
SPEAKER_02Because I can imagine that grillo that we had around the corner where she recommended everything but that's the the the the the like waxy oiliness though is what we're looking for. But some wines that are waxy and oily don't have good acid. What is the what's uh an example is Gewürzstromer. Gewürztströmina? Gewertstromana. Yes. So that is waxy and oily, however, it's not high acid. So what we're looking for And viognier the same often. And viognier the same. So well done. Are there any examples of wines that you can think of that have high acid? That's a good sign, Smell. Yeah. I think you've done well. Thank you. I've really so you inherently just lack food, so you like vibe it, but I'm actually thinking I come at it from fear of because she's a super taste and she has to think about it a little bit more. It's actually just because I'm so clever. Okay. So what have we got next? Okay, so I think that my pet nut is up next. And I will say that it's funny that you brought a lambrisco
Pet Nat Pairing And Panel Van Memories
SPEAKER_02because yeah, we'll do the burgundy glass. I definitely is it called Shady Lady? I did float sparkling red as one of the ones when me and Loick were talking about it.
SPEAKER_04I was So you've checked in with Loick, and you know, is it shady?
SPEAKER_02It's I don't think it is because you're a master of wine, so I get to bring in help. I feel like I actually what I wanted wasn't available in dance, which is sad because one of our old favorites from like two years ago, remember that frappato? From Sicily, where was it? Yeah, no, it was from France, wasn't it?
SPEAKER_04No, frappato, it sounds Italian. It does sound Italian.
SPEAKER_02It was cheap. Sheds brought it for us to taste. Yeah, that was still. We loved it. I don't think it's in dance anymore because I looked for it and that was what I really wanted. That no, that would have been good. Right?
SPEAKER_04Because we said no, we had to bring a red or a white.
SPEAKER_02You had to bring a red and a white.
SPEAKER_04I wouldn't say this is red.
SPEAKER_02It's it's considered Pinot Noir. It's a Pinot Noir. So thank you, Austin, Austin's backing me on that. Oh, come on, you're being so dramatic. Loick thought Monero D'Avola. And I was like, yeah, maybe, but I'm I thought the same. Yeah, but but I still maybe it's just the ones I've tasted, but I still thought too big.
SPEAKER_04Too much tannin.
SPEAKER_02Too much tannin, that's what I thought.
SPEAKER_04I wanted too high alcohol.
SPEAKER_02Yes. I was like, I still think we need more fun, like less whatever. And I was like, Freshness. Screw it, let's get a petty. And thus we have a penny. Oh god, no, exactly.
SPEAKER_04You're having fried chicken for dinner.
SPEAKER_02So what's wrong with this? Why did you make that face? It's yummy. Pet nut is yummy.
SPEAKER_04It's not yummy. There's a little bit of fruit. I get a little bit of sort of just ripe strawberry in there. Orange blossom. I'm kind of so orange blossom, orange rind to me in reds often is indicative of patrytis on the skin. So you know when you do that zest? That for me is often reminiscent of patrytis. This is uh as Austin said, sour. And about what constitutes. Okay, let me see how this is not about the wine, this is about the pairing. So I will be Switzerland here and I will go in with my chicken tender in the really weird ass gravy that's now coagulated. And like, why would you eat that?
SPEAKER_02I have to say, I think it overpowers the chicken personally. They work well independently. They've they're doing they're both doing good things independently, but they're not playing off each other.
SPEAKER_04They both are at the same bucket chicken level. I'm sorry. It's just dumbed down. Wow. That is basic. That is sitting in your car, having had too many cigarettes, having had beer beforehand, eating whatever you need to eat, and then drinking that at the end of it. It doesn't matter.
SPEAKER_02Meg, I feel like one of the reasons people like you is that your scene is so down to earth, and then every now and then you say something that you go, oh no, that's that's not down to earth. You are a wanker, aren't you?
SPEAKER_04No, that would have been me like 40 years ago, sitting in my DM 200B with the fags, not probably in Kentucky Fried, but Mulberrites. A bocky blue uh yeah, mulberit and whinny blues.
SPEAKER_01I like a whinny blues.
SPEAKER_04I feel like I'll sleeve.
SPEAKER_02You should take this as a compliment that when I don't know, I don't think I even have a oh no, I do know how old you are because you had your birthday festival recently. But when you when you said when you said that was me 40 years ago, I imagined you were like 10 years old.
SPEAKER_04No, that would have been 20.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, okay, that's what I'm saying.
SPEAKER_04Driving my debts and 200 beasts, but also take that as a compliment. And uh pulling in and getting your UDLs, as they were called, which were no UDLs still exist. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I I never really ate fast food, but I just think that that's basic and basic and just move on. That is just reminds me of bonkin in the back of a panel van, seriously.
SPEAKER_02Okay, well, what is wrong with that now?
SPEAKER_01The panel van.
SPEAKER_02Some of us grew up in the country and yeah, uh, that's where it all happened. Yeah, it's it's the back of the utero hey veil.
SPEAKER_04Okay, so we have if this van's a rockin', don't bother knocking. Okay, we need to move on.
SPEAKER_02Okay. Next one. That's not it. Uh the Shannon Blanc is winning. And the wine's just I just, but I don't think Lam Lambrusco is gonna be any better than this.
SPEAKER_04Because Austin, this was his COVID wine. So I'm just probably showing my not boomer but close Uber adjacent.
SPEAKER_01What's your question?
SPEAKER_04What do you think of the wine?
SPEAKER_01I so okay, this is when I was just getting into wines. Because I'll be honest, PetNat was the wine when I started getting into wines that got me into wines. This is seven years ago, I was 22, and the and this had just come, this exact wine had just come out. And me and my partner would split a bottle of that at night, and it was as good as it got for us. Now having it having a bit more nuance that tastes like a like a sour beer, like a cherry beer. You know, like a cherry beer.
SPEAKER_02That Belgian sour cherry beer. Yes. But I love I love sour beer. So it's not a bad thing, right?
SPEAKER_01That's what it tastes like to me.
SPEAKER_04Right. Next one is Lambrusco. So I chose this partly because Nico, it's a variety that I'm well, it's a wine style, not a variety. The Italians are
Lambrusco Results And Final Winner
SPEAKER_04after a soon on this one that I'm seeing more and more of, particularly amongst the hipster groover types. And for me, lambrusco has always been very sweet.
SPEAKER_02Is Lambrusco is a grape or a region or a region within Emilia Romagna? Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Remember, there's 13 different varieties. We discussed this with Nico, and they make dry styles and they make the rose styles, and we only get the really sweet shit. So I thought I'd get it. This is Pizzini from the King Valley. I'm not sure where the fruit's from. I probably reckon it's probably from the Riverland. But it's a style of wine, and I just think it's fresh and fruity. And if I'm spending, if I'm buying basic food, don't want to spend a lot on wine. So I just thought we get this and it's got a bit of sweetness.
SPEAKER_03I think it's gonna overpower the chicken. All right, lambrusco.
SPEAKER_04This is a sweet lambrusco, drier than a lot of cheap commercial styles.
SPEAKER_02Well, drier than, yeah, maybe something like something cheap that you see from Italy is gonna be different to like your later bottle of lambrusco with the sort of not proper. I rate Pazzini as well. I really like Pazzini.
SPEAKER_04No, I've just uh failed, it's just at move.
SPEAKER_02I like the lambrusco better after the chicken than I did on my baseline taste. So I wouldn't choose it to have with chicken. But maybe if I had to drink lambrusco, I would order chicken. I would order this. You know what I mean? I think the chicken makes it better.
SPEAKER_04Yes, but what would you have with it ideally?
SPEAKER_01That's the that was what I was gonna ask.
SPEAKER_04You're half Italian, aren't you?
SPEAKER_01What would I drink with what would I eat with lambrusco?
SPEAKER_04I mean mortadella.
SPEAKER_01I was gonna say salting porks and things like that.
SPEAKER_04And it's the country of Palmer and Pristurite. Okay. So did I win? Yeah, I think so. Hate to admit that, but But I'll tell you what, I'm not dashing back for KFC any group.
SPEAKER_02I'm gonna I gotta go home and put on my LinkedIn that I just won over a master of wine on a food and wine competition. I like the crispy bit That's my favorite thing when that goes Shannon Blanc, specifically South African is the winner.
SPEAKER_04But specifically that wine. That was a great one. And I don't think a wine was very expensive.
SPEAKER_02Look, it was 50 bucks. So no no no no no 50 bucks for two. So both these together were 50 bucks.
SPEAKER_0127, I think, now.
SPEAKER_02So it was 25. 25 bucks for Boschendel. 2024 Boschendel. That was good. Well done. So next, I I just really want to know if we have any listeners that are actually going to have KFC and and go to the effort of going and buying a 25 gel out.
SPEAKER_04I would recommend that you just buy it, put it in your fridge, and then when you have the need for KFC, like Austin does at his various bad moments, you may not be wanting wine at that point. But then you go to your fridge and you've got the perfect wine for it. But I I also I wouldn't necessarily call it KFC like any fried chicken. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I love fried chicken. Done fried chicken, you know, good fried chicken where you buttermilk brine it and you do it at home, and it's a delicious thing, and that is the perfect like that is a really good wine.
SPEAKER_02So you don't have to be hungover because my husband watches a lot of cricket, and there is so many KFC ads during the cricket. My husband is classically conditioned to order KFC every time he watches the cricket. Pavlov's dogs. Literally, yeah. And for anyone who doesn't believe in marketing, have a look at my. But it's huge.
SPEAKER_04I walked past the food court the other day in Iceland, Bogueville.
SPEAKER_01For someone who doesn't like the fried chicken, you're not gonna find it. Yeah, you are scoffing it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_04I haven't had it in 23 years.
SPEAKER_02You talking a lot of shit about the chicken that you can't even talk because there's so much.
SPEAKER_04The cue for the KFC order was huge. Yeah. You know, Lenzau Master Noodle, Master Lenzau Noodle next door.
SPEAKER_01Well, question then. You saying in terms of fried chicken, Bell's fried chicken is your sort of go-to, and you are always cider. Has this made you switch to saying maybe I will try Shannon block with this?
SPEAKER_04Oh, definitely, but Bell's wouldn't do it because they do all that natty shit. So I will I will revisit my fried chicken at home where I've buttermilked it, and I will definitely go Shennan and Gruna, which I thought would be the absolute take-home winner. Not good.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04Shannon and I almost that buttery Chardonnay that we did the Willem Kurt from Beechworth. I know it's a big spend, but if you're branding at home.
SPEAKER_02I wouldn't waste that Chardonnay on fried chicken.
SPEAKER_04And I the Le Brusco, the Le Brusco tastes delicious, but it does not work with wine.
SPEAKER_02All right. I feel like we've solved all the problems of the world today. We have. We will be back with you next week. Until next time, enjoy your next glass of wine. Do well.