Whether you are on or off campus, being a college student means you are on a college budget. This means taking a huge step down from mom’s cooking, and finding your favorite “cheap” restaurants (Szechuan and Antoon’s anyone?). However, there is a quick way to class up that cheap meal—cheap wine! What could possibly be better than biting into pizza while enjoying a nice glass of wine? (Other than not gaining calories for either, of course…) Be mindful, though, that these pairings are all broad, and choosing a wine for your pallet is also important to consider!
Kraft Mac and Cheese + Chardonnay
The salt in the packet and the butter that is in the mac and cheese goes well with an inexpensive chardonnay.
Cheese Pizza + Cabernet Sauvignon
Cab sav, for short, complements the acidity of the tomato sauce on the pizza. Side note: If you decide on a pepperoni pizza, go for a zinfandel because the strong flavors in the wine balance out the fat in the pepperoni.
Sushi (California Roll) + Chardonnay
Sushi and white wine go well together, but for California rolls, a Chardonnay is best!
Strawberry Ice Cream + Champagne
A lot of ice creams pair well with rice-based wines; however, strawberries bring out the flavors in champagne, and so will the ice cream! Side note: You can only call a wine “champagne” if it comes from the Champagne region of France; every other bubbly bottle is just called “bubbly.”
Grilled Cheese + Unoaked Chardonnay
This sandwich is very buttery and the cheese is creamy, so the unoaked chardonnay pairs perfectly with it! Side note: Unoaked chardonnay just means that when the wine was being aged, it was not aged in oak barrels.
Buttered Popcorn + Chardonnay
The butter in the popcorn is complemented perfectly by the Chardonnay.
Chips and Salsa + Riesling
The spiciness of the salsa is offset by the sweetness of a riesling.
Burrito + ?
This one was a little hard to pair, but a good rule of thumb to use is that white meat goes with white wine, and red meat goes with red wine. So, if you are getting chicken, you should go for a Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc, but if you are getting a steak burrito, go for a pinot noir or zinfandel (RIP Carnitas).
Ramen + Franzia
Ramen has a very light flavor, as does Franzia, so the pairing is perfect! Plus, both are equally cheap, so it’s really a win, win, wine.
So basically, next time you are in Fine Wine and Good Spirits, pick up a chardonnay, because it seems to fit best with our college budget meals!