70s Favourites Food and Wine Pairing

For many of us, the 1970s doesn't seem that long ago, but, whereas nowadays the wine store shelves are full of amazing bottles of wine from hundreds of different countries and vineyards, back in the 70s there was nothing like the huge range of different wines that are available today. The average UK wine drinker in the 70s was more likely to judge the quality of a bottle of wine according to whether it had a screw cap or a cork but with huge advances in wine production technology and the advent of the internet over the last few decades, modern wine drinkers can make far better informed choices in terms of the wine they drink and food and wine pairing.

The 1970s was quite a significant decade for wine. In 1976, a blind tasting session of French wines and American wines was organised in Paris. The outcome of this event was very favourable to the American wines and came as quite a shock to the wine industry. Suddenly, California gained huge recognition as one of the world’s outstanding wine regions. Wine drinkers began to take an interest in wines from outside the traditional wine producing regions.

A Bit of Fun With Food and Wine Pairing At 70s Themed Parties

Those of us who are in our 40s or older will remember clearly the kind of food we ate day-to-day and what we ate on special occasions during the 70s. With themed parties becoming more and more popular, many of us are choosing to reminisce by throwing parties based on 70s food and 70s fashions.  Back then, there wasn’t the vast array of wine choices that we have today and food and wine pairing wasn’t really something that the general public gave much thought to. So, we thought we would have a bit of fun and maybe give you some food for thought (pun intended), by suggesting some pairings for the meals we ate in the 70s and may well be serving at your party, and some modern day Premier Estates wines.

Welcoming Your 70s Guests with An Aperitif

As your flowery shirt (open at the neck, of course) and flare clad male guests arrive with their mini-skirt and psychedelic go-go boot sporting female partners, what better welcome could they expect than a chilled glass of Italian Prosecco sparkling wine? Back in the 70s they would have been treated to a glass of Lambrusco which was a huge seller at the time and one of the most popular wine imports. It gradually fell out of favour with wine drinkers during the 80s and has now been usurped by the altogether more sophisticated Prosecco.

Starters

When you’ve finished laughing your socks off at how ridiculous we all looked back in the 70s, it’s time to invite your guests to the table for a typically 70s starter. We’ll start our retro food and wine pairing advice here:

Oxtail Soup - A popular choice back in the day and such a richly flavoured soup needs a smooth fruity wine to complement it. Try our Californian Cabernet Sauvignon or our South African Pinotage here for a real flavour combination treat.

Prawn Cocktail – Pretty much a timeless stalwart of menus through the decades but we remember this one as a particular 70s favourite. Those who prefer a lighter, more subtle starter will no doubt go for the prawn cocktail along with a light complementing wine. Our Californian Chardonnay or Zinfandel Rosé would both be equally perfect depending upon your mood.

Mains

Your guests may want to stick with a particular wine for their whole meal and so the menu needs to cater for that likelihood. We’ve selected a couple of popular 70s main courses that will allow your guests to continue a light, subtly flavoured meal or stay with the strong flavours.

Liver and Onions – Once a very popular dish indeed, you don’t tend to see this one on the menu as often nowadays. Very strong flavours are out in force here and may need tempering with some tannins. If your guest has already gone for the oxtail soup and is fixed on drinking a red for the duration of the meal, then once again our Californian Cabernet Sauvignon or South African Pinotage will fit in well with this dish. Alternatively, if your guest would like to go in a different direction with their main meal red wine, then our Australian Shiraz would be equally complementary to the saltiness of this dish.

Pineapple Chicken - Remember this one? A lovely combination of subtle flavours here and the sweetness introduced by the pineapple will be perfectly accompanied by the two wines we suggested to go with the prawn cocktail or your guest might like to switch to a glass of our Australian Chardonnay to go with this lighter meal.

Desserts

The final course for our 70s food and wine pairing suggestions were both classics at the time but you still see them pop up on the menu occasionally. Maybe not the Angel Delight though, that seems to have firmly faded into the background!

Baked Alaska – Warm meringue and cold ice-cream, what a great combination! Lots of sweetness here and our South African Shiraz Rosé or Australian Chardonnay will accompany it wonderfully.

Apple Strudel with Angel Delight – Another smooth, subtle, creamy dessert given a kick by the acidity of the apples. Again, plenty of sugar, so we suggest trying our South African Chenin Blanc or our Chilean Sauvignon Blanc white wines to complement the sweetness.

With the meal over, your guests can party the rest of the night away 70s style but with a whole lot more to choose from with regards to wine, than Blue Nun and Lambrini!

Look out for more themed party food and wine pairing suggestions coming your way soon from the Premier Estates Wine team!