If you’re a serious wine lover, you can turn any meal into a celebration of flavour at a moment’s notice simply by choosing the right wine pairing for your meal. However, you may have never paused to think that wine pairing doesn’t just have to be something that you do with food. For example, you might be among the millions who have used vaping as a means of quitting smoking. Have you ever considered the possibility that wines and e-liquids can actually be paired with one another?
Giving up smoking is one of the best things that you can do as a wine lover because it inevitably leads to a drastic improvement in your ability to taste the subtle nuances of your favourite foods and beverages. The fact that you’ve replaced tobacco with e-liquid from a vape shop like V2 Cigs UK, however, actually creates the possibility of exploring your favourite flavours in an entirely new way. There’s a good chance that you’ve already spent some evenings puffing on your vape mod while enjoying a good glass of wine. Tailoring your wine and e-liquid choices to one another can actually deepen your enjoyment of both. In this article, we’re going to provide some ideas that can help you get started.
Chardonnay
Chardonnay has a crisp flavour with a slightly buttery aftertaste that results from the natural production of diacetyl during the process of aging in an oak cask. People often enjoy a really buttery Chardonnay, and they like to accentuate that flavour by pairing it with cream-based dishes like fettuccine alfredo. If you’re looking for a great e-liquid pairing for Chardonnay, we suggest going in that same direction and choosing a vape juice with a prominent creamy character. A vanilla milkshake e-liquid works very well with a glass of Chardonnay.
Pinot Grigio
Pinot Grigio is a crisp, dry white wine with a light mouthfeel and a snappy fruit character that some would say tastes a bit like citrus, pear or green apple. People often play on Pinot Grigio’s slightly fruity flavour by pairing it with foods that would typically be finished with a squeeze of lemon. Shrimp, mussels and fish such as tilapia all pair well with Pinot Grigio. As for e-liquid pairings, you can’t go wrong with a sour green apple vape juice or something with a citrus flavour. If you’re in the mood for something a little sweeter, try pairing Pinot Grigio with lemon custard or lemon tart e-liquid.
Riesling
Riesling is a unique white wine in that it combines a high level of minerality with a noticeable residual sweetness. People often drink Riesling when eating seafood. It works particularly well with the slightly sweet flavour of large predatory fish such as tuna and swordfish. The fish stands up to the wine’s strong minerality without competing with it. To pair an e-liquid with Riesling, you need to find a vape juice with similar qualities – something that’s just vaguely sweet, so it allows the sweetness of the wine to come through. Try an e-liquid with a complex flavour – such as strawberry or blackcurrant – to complement the wine’s minerality and accentuate its slightly fruity character.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is perhaps the ultimate dry red wine. Full-bodied and complex, Cabernet has an assertive flavor that demands an equally assertive pairing. That’s probably why most people consider red meat the go-to food pairing for Cabernet; it’s the only thing that can stand up to the wine’s robust flavor without overpowering it. If you want to vape while enjoying a glass of Cabernet, try a great tobacco e-liquid. Tobacco vape juices are often very assertive in their own right, and they tend to be either minimally sweet or not sweet at all. That’s perfect for a wine that doesn’t typically work well with sweet pairings.
Pinot Noir
Thanks to a prominent appearance in a well-known film some years ago, the popularity of Pinot Noir surged during the 2000s and 2010s. Most people think of Pinot Noir as one of the smoothest red wines, and its notes of dark fruits such as cherry pair beautifully with the complex flavour of wild game. A great Pinot Noir also has a slightly spicy backbone, though – and if you’re looking for a vape juice that pairs well with Pinot, we suggest choosing something that accentuates the spice notes in the wine. Pinot Noir pairs well with vanilla, clove and cinnamon. Try a glass of Pinot Noir with a pumpkin spice e-liquid during the holiday season.
Merlot
Merlot is one of the most popular varietals in the Bordeaux wine-growing region; some of the world’s oldest vines are Merlot vines. Merlot is an interesting red wine in that it has a very fruity character while still typically being quite dry. Merlot also has a full mouth feel and a fairly tannic bite. A good Merlot will also often have some spicy notes, and that quality allows it to pair very well with desserts. We suggest going in that direction if you want to pair Merlot with an e-liquid. Try a vape juice that captures the flavour of a dark berry dessert such as a blackberry crumble.
Fortified Wine
In producing fortified wine such as port, a distilled spirit is added to the wine before the fermentation is complete. The spirit kills the yeast in the wine before it has converted all of the sugar in the grapes to alcohol. As a result, the final product has a sweeter flavour than most standard wines. Port, in fact, makes an excellent dessert topping. If you’re never tried a bowl of vanilla ice cream with a bit of port drizzled on top, we highly recommend it. If you’re looking for an e-liquid to pair with a port, we suggest drawing inspiration from the ice cream world and pairing the port with a vanilla custard vape juice. Custard e-liquid has a decadent flavour on its own; pairing it with port elevates the experience to a true dessert event.
