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Salt, smoke, mustard and a soft bun. Easier to pair than it sounds.
A dry rosé, a chilled Beaujolais, or something sparkling. Hot dogs are salty, smoky and fatty, and the toppings are often sweet or sharp, which rules out big, tannic reds.
Wine with a hot dog sounds like a joke and works well. The sausage gives salt, smoke and fat; mustard gives acidity and heat; ketchup and relish give sweetness. A fresh, fruity, low-tannin wine served cold handles all of it.
Salt helps: it makes wine taste rounder and fruitier. Smoke and char add a bitter edge, which argues against heavy oak and firm tannin. Fat needs acidity or bubbles to cut it.
The toppings then pull in different directions. Mustard is sharp and pungent, so a low-acid wine tastes flat beside it. Ketchup and sweet relish add sugar, which makes a very dry wine taste sour. Sauerkraut is sour and salty, and loves Riesling. Fried onions add sweetness and savour.
Dry rosé. The all-rounder: enough fruit for ketchup, enough acidity for mustard, served cold. A Spanish rosado or a Provence rosé both work.
Chilled Beaujolais. The red to choose. Gamay is juicy and low in tannin, and twenty minutes in the fridge makes it even better with smoky sausage.
Sparkling wine. Bubbles cut the fat and suit the salt. Cava is the sensible choice; a dry Lambrusco adds red fruit and froth.
Off-dry Riesling. The best choice when there is sauerkraut or a lot of mustard.
A Chicago dog is loaded with yellow mustard, bright green relish, onion, tomato, a dill spear, hot peppers and celery salt. It is sharp, salty and fresh: a Riesling or a Grüner Veltliner, whose peppery note likes the celery salt.
A New York dog, with onions in tomato sauce, mustard and sauerkraut, is sweeter and sourer at once. Off-dry Riesling again, or a dry rosé.
A chili dog or chili cheese dog is the one that can take a fuller red. A Zinfandel or Primitivo meets the chili’s depth; choose one with moderate alcohol if the chili is hot.
In Denmark the hot dog comes from a pølsevogn, the sausage wagon: often a bright red sausage in a bun with remoulade, ketchup, mustard, raw and crispy fried onions and thin slices of sweet-sour cucumber. It is sweeter and creamier than the American versions.
The sweetness and the remoulade point to a dry rosé or a lightly off-dry Riesling, served cold. For other sausages, see kielbasa; for the rest of the grill, BBQ and burgers.
FAQ
A dry rosé, a chilled Beaujolais or a sparkling wine such as Cava. Hot dogs are salty, smoky and fatty, and their toppings are often sweet or sharp, so a fresh, low-tannin wine served cold works best.
Either can work if it is light and served cold. A chilled Beaujolais is the best red; an off-dry Riesling is the best white, especially with sauerkraut or lots of mustard. Avoid big, tannic reds.
A Zinfandel or Primitivo. The chili adds depth and richness that a fuller, fruity red can meet. Pick one with moderate alcohol if the chili is spicy, since alcohol makes heat feel hotter.
Not at all. Salt makes wine taste fruitier, and a cold rosé or sparkling wine cuts the fat better than many drinks. It is an easy, relaxed pairing.
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