Wining and Dining Roast Chicken

Having dinner with your other half is a great way of bonding and enjoying one-on-one time together. This is potentially more available during a holiday but admittedly this could happen at any time of the year

Whether you are planning on preparing a romantic meal for two or making a reservation at an upscale restaurant, a fine bottle can improve the moment and make it all the more memorable. Thoughtfully planned food and wine pairings are a simple way to personalize those special moments and create lasting memories with those we love.

That said even the most experienced sommelier may at times struggle with offering the best advice, especially for special occasions.

There are just so many different delicious wine options to choose from. Different wines effectively pair with different foods. It is not only about the knowing, it is also about the way the memory is going to be created and in the modern age the angle on this need not be derived from a classic attitude towards the subtle joys of the grape.

The Road to A Perfect Pairing

My love for roast chicken goes back to childhood. Family gatherings in those days usually involved it although as a child I was not exposed to many meals paired with wine. Roast chicken and gravy. Simple, delicious and a trigger for many happy memories

In adulthood, that love for roast chicken never disappeared. When I started dating, roast chicken became part of my love story.

Something changed from that childhood chicken dish to what I was looking for when I began dating. In short, it was wine. With my love for the roast bird remaining, I admit, unimaginitively constant, I was out to search for the best wine pair and hounded wine waiters everywhere for advice on the matter.

Simply prepared, roast chicken is the ultimate food I can never tire of. Whether prepared at home for a romantic dinner or from a high-end restaurant, it will fill the room with a mouthwatering aroma that must surely compel diners in all settings to drool with anticipation. This dish has something for everyone from succulent white breast to melting dark meat, the convenience of drumsticks, and crispy skin.

But which wine will make the feast?

In trying to answer this question, most people turn to some basic pairing rules such as:

Serving red wine with red meat or heavy dishes.

Serving white wines and champagne with poultry, fish, or vegetables.

Serving sweet wines with desserts.

While these guidelines are reasonable, they simply cannot be hard and fast rules. I mean I know people who put bananas on pizza. In fact, if you rigidly follow these rules, you miss out on your favourite combo and the most memorable pairing may be the most unexpected.

Unlike other foods that go with either white or red wine, roast chicken traditionally sits on the fence between the reds and the whites. Therefore, there are a wide variety of wines to try with it. One thing I learned over the years is that those poor wine aficionados were definitely divided on the issue.

So a journey began. A journey to find a flavour that could compliment, nay make the memories. Beginning that journey was perhaps the most exciting part with my curiosity switching from trying countless presentations of the dish to tasting, experimenting, and discovering.

I came to learn that to get a perfect wine for my beloved roast chicken I had to educate myself about all of the characteristics of wine and how they interact with my meal. Rather than pairing the food and wine based on basic terms such as sweet or sparkling, white or red, I had to take into account other details such as the wine’s body, flavours, alcohol level, and aroma. I'm still no expert, even after many years of experimentation.

Ultimately I was settled. Ultimately I was satisfied. Here was the one.

Roast Chicken with Chardonnay

Chicken always comes with loads of flavour. Therefore, when cooked simply with butter and seasoning you will find that heavier white or lighter red will get along well with it.

Made from green-skinned grape, Chardonnay is typically a dry, medium-to-full-bodied wine with moderate acidity and alcohol. The flavour generally ranges from apple and lemon to papaya and pineapple, it also shows traces of vanilla taste when it is aged.

Chardonnay is unquestionably the best wine for pairing roast chicken. Its flavour gives roast chicken an unrivalled and delicious taste.

However, even Chardonnay comes in different varieties. What kind of Chardonnay will give a roast chicken dish the best accompaniment? From the experience I have had, this answer depends on the weight, the texture and the flavour.

If I am having a rich roast chicken with crispy skin, gravy, and roast vegetables, I will always choose oaked Chardonnay for it's richer butterscotch and toasty characters sitting behind the natural peach, melon and tropical fruit.

For the lighter, fresher roast chicken dish, I prefer lighter style Chardonnay without the oak contact.

A Final Thought

Roast chicken has always been one of my favourite dishes for special occasions since childhood. Who does not love it anyway? Joining it with Chardonnay made family occasions more joyful and spiced up those date nights. Try it yourself, you won't regret it.