Fried chicken and Champagne is a classic pairing with a long history in fine dining. The carbonation and acidity of sparkling wine cuts through the fat and crunchy coating, refreshing the palate between bites. But you do not need Champagne to make it work.
WHY SPARKLING WINE WORKS WITH FRIED CHICKEN
The logic is simple: fried chicken is rich, fatty, and intensely flavoured. You want a wine that cuts through that richness rather than adding to it. The bubbles in sparkling wine provide the cleansing effect, while the acidity balances the fat.
What you do not want is a heavy, tannic red that will fight with the crunch. Or a sweet wine that will make the saltiness feel overwhelming.
THE BEST CHOICES FROM LOCO WINES
Session Fizz is the obvious answer — and the format makes it perfect. You can eat fried chicken without ceremony, you can hold a can in one hand, and the organic sparkling is refreshing enough to drink through the whole meal without getting tired of it.
PROST!, our pét-nat, is the more elegant option. The natural bubbles and lemon-sherbet character work brilliantly with fried chicken — and it is impressive enough to feel like an occasion.
Arriba, our sparkling orange wine, is the adventurous choice. The slight tannins from skin contact add an interesting dimension, and the tropical fruit character works unexpectedly well with the seasoning in good fried chicken.
THE KONGS NQ APPROACH
Loco Wines has partnered with Kongs NQ in Manchester for a Fried Chicken and Fizz brunch — bottomless Session Fizz with one fried chicken dish at £20 a head. This is a pairing that works. Available at locowines.co.uk.
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