Looking for a fun and easy way to host a food and wine pairing party? Instead of laboring in the kitchen or defaulting to a charcuterie and cheese board — which in many instances won’t complement the wines — how about seasoned popcorn instead? Understanding how different flavors pair with wine matters more than the food itself. Popcorn combined with Spiceology’s Popcorn Seasoning Variety Pack makes it fun and easy to experiment with how wine complements or detracts from different flavors.
Kaleigh Brook, a certified Advanced Sommelier, offered to share her deep knowledge of wine and discriminating palate to suggest our popcorn and wine pairings. Brook is in the final phases towards becoming a Master Sommelier and Master of Wine. She will also be opening Tavern Ancestrale this May in Walla Walla, Washington.
Spiceology Pizza Seasoning
This spice titillates the taste buds with concentrated tomato and savory oregano flavors. As more popcorn is eaten, the parmesan cheese makes its umami presence known. Brook gravitated towards Sangiovese for this pairing. “Italian red varietals have an aromatic profile that lend themselves to dry herbs like oregano and thyme and other pizza flavors like tomato. Sangiovese with a splash of new oak is a natural pairing for these flavors. It brings richness, some sweetness and savory characteristics that would pair perfectly with sausage pizza or dishes with similar flavor profiles.” A bright style of Syrah that is unoaked or aged in neutral oak would be a nice alternative to compare to the Sangiovese.
2022 Walla Walla Vintners Sangiovese | Columbia Valley AVA | 14.1% ABV | $35
2022 Grosgrain Stonewashed Syrah, Stoney Vine Vineyard Syrah |Rocks District AVA | 13.2% ABV | $50
Spiceology Truffle Parmesan Seasoning
Parmesan cheese combined with the unctuousness of the truffle delivers a powerful intensity to this blend. The ideal wine contributes acidity and weight to the mouthfeel but does not overpower the popcorn with competing flavors. “There’s a ton of umami and cheesiness happening on the mid-palate — that can be super hard to pair,” Brook says. “It can be disjointed with a lot of wines, especially those with tannins. Tannins often make umami flavors taste more bitter. You want a white wine with body like a Sémillon, because there is a lot of earthy and cheesy things happening in this mix. Picpoul would also be a good choice because it has lots of acidity and a mouth-filling presence on the palate. The saltiness of the Parmesan complements the salinity of the Picpoul. The weight of Sémillon will bring the truffle flavor forward.” For truffle lovers, try drizzling white truffle oil on the popcorn to beef up that component and notice how it rounds out the acidity of the Picpoul.
2024 Gramercy Cellars Picpoul | Walla Walla Valley AVA |13% ABV | $25
2023 itä Sémillon – 1of 2 | Walla Walla Valley AVA | 12.4% ABV | $28
Spiceology Bleu Cheese Buffalo Seasoning
The heat, spiciness and smokiness of this blend overshadow the bleu cheese elements. When serving spicy food, full-bodied red wines are not your friend. “Tannic wines do not go well with spicy hot foods. Tannins make heat seem hotter and heat makes tannins seem more tannic and drier. They’re jarring cacophony on the palate,” says Brook. This rule of thumb applies to any spicy dish. “Look for wines with a slight sweetness. An off-dry Riesling would be an excellent choice. The Riesling ameliorates the buildup of heat. As soon as it hits your palate, you still have the flavors but not the heat.”
2024 Poet’s Leap Riesling | Columbia Valley AVA | 12.1% ABV | $20
Spiceology Jalapeño Popper Seasoning
The vegetal heat of this blend builds slowly. Complement this with a white wine having “green” characteristics. Sauvignon Blanc is known for having aromatics and flavors of green bell pepper, jalapeño or fresh-cut grass. Brook is fond of Washington Sauvignon Blancs. “Washington can produce versions of Sauvignon Blanc with green pepper notes along with intense fruit,” she says. “The fruit of Sauvignon Blanc rounds out the green notes and heat of the jalapeño.” While the Sauvignon Blanc is a natural choice, the fruit intensity and the minerality of Albariño would make a nice alternative to try as well.
2024 Devison Sauvignon Blanc | Ancient Lakes AVA | 13% ABV | $28
2023 Castillo de Feliciana Albariño | Columbia Valley AVA | 13.8% ABV | $27
Spiceology S’mores Seasoning
The S’mores seasoning is a harmonious mélange of chocolate, toasted marshmallow and graham cracker. The dark chocolate flavors of Port dessert wine accentuate the cocoa powder in the seasoning, making it feel richer. “I think there is a natural fruit concentration and sweetness to Malbec that could complement this blend, but I recommend exploring dessert or fortified wines like Port,” Brooks says. “Dessert wines don’t get enough credit. They are versatile enough to drink throughout a meal. I hate to call them dessert wines. If you’ve ever had a meal at a Bordeaux chateau, they pour Sauternes the whole time served in different ways.”
Brook offers a final bit of guidance. “Typically, when you think about food and wine pairing, if you have an ornate complex dish, you want to choose a simpler wine so the dish shines and the wine complements. If you have a complex wine, often you want to move towards a simpler dish.”
College Cellars Tawny “Port” Dessert Wine | 17% ABV | $40
2018 Five Star Cellars Malbec | Walla Walla Valley AVA | 14.7% ABV | $40
POPCORN PREPARATION NOTE: Avoid adding butter to the popcorn. Add a generous amount of seasoning while popcorn is hot and toss well.
