Pairing Wine with Potato Chips

14 March marks Potato Chips Day. The history of everyone’s favourite snack dates back to 1853, when George Crum, a African American chef at the Moon Lake Lodge resort in Saratoga Springs, New York, made fries that were too thin to eat with a fork after a customer complained about the thickness of his French fries. The customers absolute loved it and potato chips were invented. Crum’s chips were originally called Saratoga Chips and potato crunches and they were soon packaged and sold in New England.

Potato chips are such classic junk food. They’re cheap, crisp, and sweet. Most of us usually wash each greasy handful down with a beer, but the slight sweetness in this snack makes it an excellent partner for wines. Here are some suggestions for potato chip pairing.

Plain Potato Chips

You can’t go wrong with a glass of champagne or sparkling wine. The wine’s high acidity and the prickle of those bubbles are the ideal preparation for the next chip.

Barbecue

Barbecue chips get their flavor from honey powder, onion powder, garlic powder, hickory smoke powder, barley malt powder, tomato powder, and more! But one thing that’s common to a lot of them is yeast extract, which essentially imparts a savoury, umami note—the sort of thing that’s ideal with an earthy, spicy Pinot Noir.

Sour Cream & Onion

You want a fairly luscious white for this species of chip. Chardonnay does a good job of balancing its rich tropical fruit notes against a reasonable amount of acidity.

Salt & Vinegar

Tanginess loves tanginess when it comes to wine pairing. Go for a light, crisp, unoaked white such as Pinot Grigio.

Source