Add Some Soda To Give Bad Wine A Second Chance
Sadly, not every bottle of wine is a winner. Some wine is objectively bad, which you might not discover until you've already popped the cork and poured a glass. Fortunately, adding a bit of soda to the offending wine offers an expedient flavor boost. According to Kitchn, red wine and sparkling grape juice make a perfect pair. The drink was even dubbed a "favorite new summer cocktail" by food writer and chef Alissa Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald also draws comparisons to a Spanish cocktail called a kalimotxo, which features equal parts cola and red wine, as well as ice and a dash (not a splash) of bitters.
Grape soda enhances lackluster red wines in two ways. When it comes to flavor, the sweetness of the soda can make for a more complex beverage, as low-quality wines are notorious for being pretty bland and uninteresting. Some wines may even include unwanted flavors, such as a metallic tinge, which soda will mask. As for the mouthfeel of the wine, the bubbly soda can reduce some of the viscosity to make for a lighter, more appealing beverage.
Winning wine and soda pairings
Along with grape soda and cola, there are a multitude of other soda and red wine pairings that can rescue you from a no-good bottle of wine. For instance, a ginger ale and red wine spritzer is a refreshing and affordable cocktail that draws comparisons to sangria. When it comes to other types of wines, you may need to tweak your soda selection to ensure the best possible outcome.
With something like rosé, fruit-flavored sodas are the way to go. Watermelon soda is a good pairing for rosé thanks to its subtle sweetness, as is something citrus-tinged (like Squirt or Fresca). When it comes to white wines, lemon or grapefruit-flavored carbonated beverages can give the wine a nice boost. If you're concerned about the flavor of the soda overwhelming the combination, consider using flavored seltzer or sparkling water instead. These beverages have the carbonation necessary for texture enhancement but generally have less powerful flavors than your typical soda.
Soda and wine combos to avoid
With so many popular soda brands out there, you have endless combinations of flavors to experiment with. However, some sodas probably won't play nice with wine, including Mountain Dew. While Mountain Dew is considered citrus-flavored, the thick mouthfeel and cloying sweetness are bound to make for an odd flavor combination, no matter what type of wine you choose to pair it with.
Cream soda goes heavy on the vanilla flavors, which might be too overpowering for reds, whites, or rosés. Dr. Pepper also contains notes of vanilla, as well as slightly spicy underpinnings that are sure to clash with wine. While Pinot Noir and cherry soda are recommended to pair, cherry soda is incredibly sweet and has a higher chance of overwhelming whatever wine you pair it with. If you're not sure about a prospective pairing, add a small splash to the glass to see how the flavors mingle before making a cocktail.