Leading Off: What wine pairs best with Oreos? James Arthur Vinyards has the answer | Dining Leave a comment

The vision of pouring a robust red over a bowl of breakfast cereal makes us simultaneously laugh and gag because it  attacks our sensibilities. 

And maybe Carlin was pushing the envelope — as he was known to do — with his imagery, but it brings up some interesting questions: Why is it that wine isn’t allowed to mingle with some of the simpler things in our snacking lives? Why is it seemingly relegated to cheese plates, hors d’oeuvre and fancy meals?

How exactly did the the boojie set hijack our grape juice? 

With all due respect to beer and Lincoln’s microbrewers, when did a frosty cold one become the go-to adult refreshment for tailgates, family cookouts and while watching ballgames? 

The time for changing that mindset is long overdue, says Jeff Korbelik, who since leaving his full-time gig writing in these pages spends his days at James Arthur Vineyards in Raymond.

“Wine can be for the common man, too,” he says. “We want people to have fun with it.”

Korbelik and his pals at James Arthur are changing hearts and minds — one sip at a time (curled pinky finger optional). 

They believe that their wines can be served anywhere. Sangria in a can, anyone? More important, they are proving it can be paired with just about anything — from the finest cuts of beef to, say, a handful of Hot Tamales.

Throughout March, Korbelik has been hosting Saturday afternoon wine tastings, where some of James Arthur’s best wines are paired with our favorite junk foods.

The tastings began four or five years ago as a way to change the  perception that wine is for the elite. 

“People associate wine with snootiness, and it’s not,” said Korbelik, who recently played host to 50 guests for a junk food pairing.

No two pairing seminars are ever the same. Instead, each week, Korbelik goes shopping in a way that conjures up memories of college, of those late-night, half-baked, cure-for-the-munchies journeys to the store. 

When the gathering is complete, Korbelik returns to the winery, where he, along with his college buddy Jim Ballard, who now runs the show at James Arthur, and anyone else interested sit around a table experimenting with different combinations of wines and snacks.

“The taste you get in different foods is extraordinary,” he said. “Who could have guessed that Cheetos taste good with our cider?”

Other combinations are pretty unique — like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup paired with Sweet Charlotte, a semi-sweet red. Take a bite of the candy, hold it in your mouth and then take a sip from the wine and you’ll swear you can taste something that resembles peanut butter and jelly.

If you care for a salty snack, some Cool Ranch Doritos is the perfect accompaniment to Kira, James Arthur’s semi-sweet blush.

In all, we tried 10 different wines, all of which were paired with everything from beef jerky to to Little Debbie’s glazed mini doughnuts to animal crackers.