Which wine pairs best with a McDonald's Big Mac?

(Ping Zhu)

Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions – all on a sesame seed bun – create some challenges, due to the vinegar in the pickle and sauce, the fats in the patties and cheese and the high sodium content.

Barbera, sangiovese and tempranillo are well-suited to acid/fatty foods such as the Big Mac.

Barbera d'Alba is the prestige origin, but the grape is present in a variety of other wines, including many of the Central Valley of California jug wines.

Sangiovese is the foundation of the chiantis and the Brunello di Montalcino and is present in many Super Tuscans. Any of the straw-jug chiantis would pair equally well with a Big Mac meal as with a liver and fava bean casserole.

Tempranillo is a Spanish grape that produces wines with less acidity, which could be more to the taste of some Big Mac diners with less wine experience. Rioja, Ribera del Duero and Navarra are some of the regions in Spain in which this is the principal varietal.

California produces the grape in vineyards in cooler settings on higher slopes. It is also found prominently in blends and in jug wines, although it may be difficult to determine which ones.

My recommendation for a simple Big Mac picnic would be a generic, supermarket, straw-jug chianti.

For a cocktail reception, consider serving quarter Big Macs with flights of Super Tuscans, such as Vigorello, Tignanello and Le Pergole Torte.

Richard Careaga

I would agree with chianti, but I would say almost any modestly-priced one that you could get from a half-decent wine merchant. Spending any real money on a bottle of the better wines would definitely be wasted due to the type of meal it is.

Miles Dolphin

I'd say a very dry and well-chilled manzanilla sherry might do the trick. However, I also agree with the chianti suggestion.

Mike Millar

I feel like this is a trick question – wine generally pairs poorly with burgers. A better choice is a beer.

Mark Wang

Try with 'calimocho'. It's not actually wine; it's Coke with the cheapest wine in the market. In this way you will have a cold drink with a wine taste. Just a piece of advice – don't waste good wine.

Irene Moreno Mata

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