03. Snack Wines: Riesling (The Chili Crisp Wine)
THE EASY SNACK OF YOUR DREAMS + a wine so good it kinda made me cry
Welcome to episode 3 of SNACK WINES! My weekly series where I’m sharing the best of the best wines to pair with your favourite savoury snack foods this summer.
Snack wine (noun): A wine that pairs really fricken well with snacks.
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The Video
TLDW; Riesling is the best, it’s great with spicy/creamy/salty snacks, and the snack I made to pair with it will change your life (watch me make the snack → 0:36).
The Wine: Off-Dry Riesling
Riesling has a bad reputation, which I know because of the many private wine tastings I used to host! I always bring Riesling (it’s fun to taste and always gets a reaction), and the number of people who start off saying they hate it but end up obsessed is WILD. But not shocking. Because it truly is the best.
My favourite Rieslings are usually from the Mosel, Germany or from Canada! And I find the best Canadian ones come from Niagara in Ontario (like the one I featured - watch the video below to see how much I loved it), AND the seriously underrated Nova Scotia! We make some GOOD Riesling up in here.
Video: Wine Rant
TLDW; This Canadian Riesling (Thirty Bench ‘Wood Post Vineyard” Small Lot Riesling 2020) is freaking unbelievable.
Why is off-dry Riesling an awesome snack wine?
So many reasons, but the top 2: ACIDITY + SUGAR. Riesling’s super high acidity, mixed in with a bit of sweetness (+ low alcohol because of that sweetness) makes it one of the easiest wines to pair with food!
Acidity makes wine refreshing, and pairs well with salty, creamy food.
Sugar means sweet. So with savoury snacks, the wine will pretty much always be sweeter than the food, which is GOOD! In most cases:
Wine sweeter than food → wine tastes good.
Food sweeter than wine → wine tastes bad.
SO. Riesling is awesome with salty + creamy snacks, but it’s especially awesome with SPICY snacks. Hence why we’re calling her “The Chili Crisp Wine”. And here’s why:
Off-dry means a hint of sweetness, which is because of the sugar leftover after fermentation (aka residual sugar). Sweetness balances spice intensity, and chili crisp be SPICY.
During fermentation, sugar is turned into alcohol. So if a wine is a bit sweet (has some leftover sugar), that *usually* means it will have lower alcohol (under 11% ABV). And since alcohol amps up chili spice (like throwing gas on a fire), lower alcohol + chili crisp is a win!
Residual sugar (sweetness in wine) without acidity → syrupy → the opposite of refreshing → not a great wine pairing. For an off-dry, lower-alcohol wine to be refreshing and palate-cleansing (and not cloyingly sweet), it needs enough acidity! And you will never lack acidity with Riesling from Germany or Canada!
My Picks
Thirty Bench Small Lot “Wood Post Vineyard” Riesling - 2020 vintage (meaning this beauty is 6 years old) and only 265 cases produced from Niagara’s Beamsville Bench. This is an absolutely, ridiculously stunning (Canadian!) Riesling that I feel the need to stock up on immediately!!! It has insanely high acidity, which is perfectly balanced by the residual sugar. It has very clear petrol notes (which is to be expected with it’s age) and is exactly what I’m always hoping for when I crack open a bottle of Riesling. I feel like I’m on a roll with picking some insane Canadian wines these days!!!
Riesling’s Snack Besties
Anything Asian chili spice, honey/hot honey, citrus (lemon/lime), green apple, stone fruit, and CHEESE! I like to pair Riesling with different types of cheese depending on its sweetness level:
Dry: Fresh cheese (Burrata, mozzarella, ricotta, goat cheese, feta → all great)
Off-dry: Extra creamy, soft ripened cheese (like Delice de Bourgogne)
Late-Harvest (even sweeter) → The stankier the better! Washed rind, blue cheese, etc.
THE SNACK!
Original Salted Kettle Chips + Triple Creme Brie + Hot Honey +
Dry Chili Bits + Chili Crisp Oil + Fresh Mint (or Chives/Basil)
This is one of those snacks that you will DREAM about. Forever. It has everything: The crunchy, salty chip + the rich melty cheese, that sweet/salty/spicy contrast with the hot honey and chili crisp, the freshness from the mint - just so good 😭 And of course it has absolutely everything it needs to be the perfect off-dry Riesling pairing! Salty chips, brie, honey, spice = YUM.
How to make it:
Place a layer of chips on a microwave-safe plate or tray and drizzle with a SOLID amount of hot honey. Spoon Brie in little clumps over the chips, then microwave for 30 seconds. Add a drizzle of chili oil + chili crisp (both kinds if you have the amazing Burmese chili bits), and finish off with another drizzle of hot honey and some fresh herbs (I used mint, but chives or basil would work as well!). A little orange or lemon zest on there would probably be awesome too, and would pair with the citrus in the wine!! Just a thought ;)
Snack swaps (+ some links to what I used)
Original Salted Kettle Chips → Any plain salted chip works, but kettle cooked gives that CRUNCH.
Triple Creme Brie → Any creamy, white rind cheese (e.g., Camembert, or Delice de Bourgogne!! This was my original plan but I couldn’t find it)
Hot Honey → Just regular honey + chili flakes, or mixed with hot chili sauce or paste
Burmese chili bits (dry chili crisp) → I know these don’t exist everywhere, so you can just omit them and use regular chili crisp if you can’t find them (or an alternative).
Chili Crisp + Oil → I truly think this is a requirement! Use your favourite (my long-time fave is the Seven Spice Chili Oil) or stay tuned for my homemade chili crisp, which is HOPEFULLY coming soon!!
Mint → other fresh herbs, like chives or basil!
More chili crisp recipes:
→Wine & Dip RECIPE INDEX: All recipes + pairings
New recipe + pairing you don’t want to miss TOMORROW + something fun on Saturday! And make sure you check back in next Wednesday for episode 4, featuring a totally different style that I know you loooove!
Love you all!
xx Steph
Previously on Snack Wines:
02. Snack Wines: Txakoli (The Tin Fish Wine)
Welcome to episode 2 of SNACK WINES! My weekly series where I’m sharing the best of the best wines to pair with your favourite savoury snack foods this summer.
01. Snack Wines: Pinot Noir (The Truffle Wine)
Welcome to episode 1 of SNACK WINES! My new weekly series where I’m sharing the best of the best wines to pair with your favourite savoury snack foods this summer.
Snack Wines: A Series
If you’re reading this, I can pretty confidently assume two things: 1) You give at least a few shits about wine, and 2) you love snacks.
One of my friends who owns a Vietnamese restaurant gifted me with a jar of homemade chili crisp, and I have been using it sparingly. This will definitely be a recipe I will use it on! Sounds amazing. And . . . I'm getting better about trying Riesling. I especially like the off-dry with spicy Thai food! So, this one is right up my alley!!! Yay!