The New Normal - Wine Without Food? 8 things to have with wine that aren't food
Lockdown has changed many aspects of life, including the way we consume wine. Wine Intelligence recently carried out a global study investigating how regularly we consume wine with or without food. The study took place over the height of lockdown and carried through to July when measures were easing in most locations. The overall findings were that there is an increasing trend to consume wine without food. Now, whether this is another weird and wonderful 2020’ism yet to be confirmed, but we thought we’d do some digging…
So, I put the question to the team, how often do you drink wine without food? The results are in, and I can report that nearly all of us consume wine without food more regularly than with it (excluding with our Weetabix of course), myself included. But what does this mean for the romantic world of food and wine pairing? Is this, much like handshakes and nightclubs, to fall victim to the brutal mistress that has been 2020?
I, for one, certainly don’t think this is the end of food and wine pairing, I won’t be trading in hefty reds for a Lambrini when I’m tucking into a steak, but, it got us thinking, if we’re not eating, what are we doing when drinking wine?! Another whip round of the office later, and here are some of our favourite things to do when tucking into our favourite thing, wine!
1. Rubber ducks at the ready, it’s bath time! That’s right, one of our favourite things to do when we’ve got an evening to ourselves is run a steaming bath, bubbles and all, and open a delicious bottle. For me, a red is best. Whites and fizz will probably get too warm, and I find red more comforting.
2. Another popular activity, closely linked to food, is cooking! This is one I can totally relate to, music on, glass in hand, dancing around the saucepan, and probably burning my dinner! Nothing gets you ready for a glass at dinner, than a glass while you’re cooking it. You can even splash some in the food! It’s also great when you’re hosting, you don’t want to be missing out on the party while cooking, so bring the party to the kitchen!
3. For many of us here at Vintner, there is something about being near a cosy fire that has us reaching both the bottle….I mean glass! Whether this be cosied up by the fire inside after eating one too many roast potatoes, or round a campfire roasting marshmallows, there is one thing that both scenes need, and it rhymes with vine, wine! In my opinion, this calls for a warming red, our Bauduc Red would be just the ticket!
4. Bookworms, level up, because nothing quite beats a good book and a glass of wine. Whether it be after a long day of work, or while on your holidays, no thriller, romantic novel, or autobiography are quite as good without their grapey ally. Combine point three and four and you are off to an absolute winner! Drinking and reading can also be a handy tool for limiting consumption, once the words start to blur it might be a good idea to put the bottle away…
5. Now we’ve all heard about Netflix and chill, but what about Netflix and swill! A phrase coined by our digital marketing manager Matt, it can be great fun to film and wine pair. How you choose to pair is completely up to you, but for me, a good chick flick goes great with an easy white, but whatever your wine of choice may be, there is something comforting about clutching to the stem of your glass while watching the big screen.
6. This isn’t so much an activity, but something I think many people can relate to, the 6pm glass! One of the best tasting glasses for me is the one I have after a long day, circa 6pm, the well-earned tipple. This glass needs no accompaniment, you’ve perhaps been thinking about it for much of the afternoon, and when the time comes, it is GLORIOUS. It often tastes better if you’ve been good and waited till say Thursday or Friday to have your first glass of the week, but hey, we aren’t here to judge!
7. I don’t know about everyone else, but when I get together with friends, there are normally a few bottles of wine involved. Putting the world to rights is much more exciting when we’ve had a few glasses. Whether we’re consoling a broken-hearted pal or acting as a verbal punch bag after a long day, a glass or two can help release those pent-up frustrations! Similarly, when we’re celebrating, those corks will be popping, and tables will be danced on…
8. Call me basic, but for me, there is no better match than sunshine and rosé, and it goes down dangerously well without food! Whether you’re sunning yourself on a yacht in Saint Tropez, or perhaps more realistically getting stuck into an afternoon in a sunny garden, you’re more than likely to find plenty of the pink stuff. Rosé has made comeback more impressive than the Spice Girls. What used to be a relatively disregarded wine category now represents some of the most successful wine brands in the world, and we are here for it!
Well there you have it, some things to get busy with while drinking wine that isn’t eating! We are not negating the great thing that is food and wine, but sometimes a good glass and some good friends is all you need!
View our selection of red wine, white wine, rosé wine and sparkling wine here.