15 of the best crisp and wine pairings

Crisps are one of the most elite snacks – right? Loved in various guises across the world, from salted seaweed in Japan, via honey soy chicken in Australia, to our own British classic, cheese and onion – there really is a flavour for everyone.

Exploring the snacks of the world became a bit of an obsession for many during the Covid pandemic, as foodies extended their epicurious tentacles, reaching for new, exciting ways to inject a bit of fun into the lockdown months.

And the trend has stuck. Consumers continue to surprise and delight themselves (and their friends) with boxes of goodies from all four corners of the globe. And this, in turn, has spawned the huge Tik Tok trend for crisp and wine, and snack and drink pairings, which took off towards the end of 2023, picking up throughout 2024.

The joy of crisp and wine pairing as a high-low treating trend is you can be as decadent as you like…and there’s no cooking involved. It’s surely the ultimate ‘un-dinner party hack’.

Beyond wine, there’s the opportunity to draft in beer, cider, cocktails, mocktails and even soft drinks too.

Why is wine and crisp pairing so popular?

Jake Bennett-Day, co-founder of independent Suffolk wine shop Vino Gusto, says matching crisps and wine is a no-brainer.

“I think what makes crisps and wine specifically appealing is that you really don’t need to overthink it and get pretentious about it,” he says. “Crisps are salty and often fatty – they make you reach for a drink which should, in turn, make you want to go back for another bite.” 

Laura Kent, owner and founder of the Yorkshire Wine School, says the trend is appealing firstly because it’s so tantalising. She’s even held wine and crisp pairing evenings for her customers, to huge success.

“Most importantly,” Laura says, “I think it’s a pairing that most wine drinkers enjoy whilst relaxing at home. It’s a Friday night treat to open a pack of crisps and a bottle of wine. More traditional pairings like wine and cheese aren’t as likely to be repeatable at home, so this feels familiar,” she explains.

Wine and drinks journalist and writer Neil Ridley was so enamoured by the idea of crisp and wine pairing he penned a book entirely dedicated to the art - The Crisp Sommelier. This involved sampling 140 different varieties of crisps and snacks, making him very popular during the research period!

“We’re reaching the age where crisp and wine pairings have become quite a ‘thing’,” Neil says of his decision to write the snacky tome. “It’s a good night out, or a good night in, and a relatively affordable way to explore flavours and get more out of your wine.” The Crisp Sommelier explores the ideal crisp partners for 80 different drinks, from red, white and rose wine, to sparkling and fortified wine, and even cocktails. “The one thing that was surprising was the type of grape variety and how it went with certain foods. You can look at the alternative in crisp form that almost represents it. It’s fascinating.”

Neil hasn’t been afraid to inject the fun factor into his book, within which readers will find crisp and wine pairings for everything from the ‘posh’ Torres brand, to Monster Munch and Frazzles.

What makes a great crisp?

For Neil it’s texture. “It adds so much to a pairing. You need a sophisticated and robust dance partner with a good wine, beer or cocktail…something with a bit of backbone and consistency. You want a crunch, but also for flavour to be delivered evenly as well.” Choosing too delicate a snack can result in a disappointing crisp and wine pairing where you’ll “lose a sense of what it should be.”

Why should retailers be upselling the crisp and wine pairing trend?

As with wine and cheese or charcuterie board pairings, the wine and crisp pairing trend offers retailers the chance to upsell and cross-promote products across their shops.

Neil thinks matching wine and crisps in store is a win-win for retailers. It’s something that’s easy for shoppers to understand, and crisps are “universally loved by pretty much everyone” making them an ideal foundation for a pairing. “You’ve got the texture and the way crisps deliver flavour, and the elegance of the wine – it can work so well. Just keep an open mind,” he says.

Neil thinks new gourmet crisp ranges landing in the category will see the crisp and wine pairing trend continue to grow. “Posher crisps seem to make the trend more acceptable for some,” he laughs. “We’ve gone past the days when you’d only have regular cheese and onion crisps. Now you’ve got ‘aged Wookey Hole Cheddar and red onion’ or whatever the variety might be. Crisps have become more sophisticated, and because of that they’re an easy route into wine pairing.

“I think, given the cost-of-living crisis, it’s a way of helping people have an affordable but fun night.”

The crisps you choose will have an impact on the flavour of the wine, Laura says. “Certain flavours in crisps pick out flavours in wines which would otherwise stay hidden. So it makes wines taste more complex and more surprising,” she tells Speciality Food. 

While you might imagine the impact of a crisp to be subtle, it’s anything but. “It’s like having two different glasses of wine – one without crisps and then a different one when you add crisps to the mix,” Laura explains. 

However, don’t be too wary of making mistakes, and remember to have fun with it. “We’re not fussing over nuanced flavour combinations here; we’re having fun and discovering deliciousness,” Jake says.

15 of the best drink and crisp pairings

1. Champagne with Torres Black Truffle Crisps
“Perhaps to contradict my point about not getting overly pretentious, I think Champagne is the ultimate pairing for salty crisps,” Jake says. “Give me Torres Black Truffle Crisps and a glass of rich, Blanc de Blancs Champagne (or other good traditional method sparkling wine), and I’m a happy boy,” he says. 

With many salty and truffle-flavoured crisps available, retailers can get creative with this pairing. “The bracing freshness and acidity from a good Chardonnay-driven Champagne with the salty, earthy flavour of the crisp is a marriage made in heaven,” Jake adds.

2. Pinot Noir with Torres Black Truffle
Neil goes for red wine with these crunchy snacks – and it’s one of his favourites from his book. “Pinot has got those lovely, lighter tannins and then you get the umami earthiness from the truffles, there are some great flavours going through there and they really enhance each other,” he says.

3. Assyrtiko with Sensations Lime & Coriander Poppadoms
Laura’s all-time favourite pairing is a White Ash Assyrtiko from Greece, with citrus aromas and minerality, paired with Sensations Lime & Coriander Poppadoms. After struggling to find a good combination with salt and vinegar crisps, this alternative pairing was an instant hit. “The crisps make the wine just pop with flavour,” she says.

Native Snacks also makes Lime & Coriander Mini Poppadoms, while Oh My Hog! offers Southeast Asian-inspired Lime & Coriander Crackling. 

4. Rose with prawn cocktail crisps
Another match made in heaven? Jake says it’s prawn cocktail crisps paired with rosé. “Much to my wife’s distress, I’m a fan of prawn cocktail, and rosé is my Marie Rose sauce. Soft, juicy and delicious rosé (please don’t be afraid of something a little darker in colour) just perfectly counteracts the little heat from the crisp,” he says. “Very quickly, the bag is empty, and the bottle has disappeared.” 

According to Laura, Riesling and prawn cocktail crisps also pair well together. 

5. Sherry with root vegetable crisps
“Root veg crisps and Sherry is magical as well,” Laura adds. “Both earthy and sweet all at once, it’s really unusual!” She chose No 1 Torre del Oro Palo Cortado Sherry to pair alongside root veg crisps. Retailers have many brands to choose from, such as Brown Bag Crisps or Emily Veg Crisps. Or, for a meatier alternative, that packs a similar flavour punch, try Torres Jamon Crisps. 

6. Txakoli with Pickled Onion Monster Munch
Another crowd favourite for Laura is Ameztoi Txakoli Blanco, a slightly sparkling, dry white wine, with Pickled Onion Monster Munch. The tangy acidity of the crisp was challenging to pair and required something equally tangy, which led her to the little-known grape Hondarrabi Zuri. The pairing was inspired by the pickled pintxos one would find along the streets of San Sebastian. “It picked out a zinging sherbet taste in the wine,” Laura said. Fine food retailers could try this with pickled onion flavours from the likes of Glens of Antrim or Tyrrells. 

7. Gibson Martini with Pickled Onion Monster Munch
Neil goes for a Martini alongside the childhood snacks. “If you’re into cocktails you’ll know the Gibson is a classic Martini of gin and dry Vermouth, garnished with silverskin onions. Substitute those for Pickled Onion Monster Munch and suddenly you’ve got the chilled perfection of all the botanicals in the cocktails, this hit of onion, and the crisp, crunchy then soft texture. That’s a treat.

8. Riesling with Sensations Thai Sweet Chilli
For lovers of Riesling, Laura and Jake agree that it’s a perfect match with Thai sweet chilli crisps. “Thai Sweet Chilli Sensations are, to the best of my knowledge, as addictive as crack cocaine,” Jake says. “To wash them down and tone done the tingly spice, a glass of just off-dry Riesling does the trick – fruity, limey and a little mineral. This is one of the only occasions that I’d suggest the wine be very cold.” Countless independent producers create sweet chilli flavour crisps, like Fairfields Farm, Fiddler’s Lancashire Crisps and The British Crisp Company. 

Laura says Riesling pairs well with “so many flavours”. In addition to Thai sweet chilli and prawn and cocktail, she recommends it for enjoying with Mexican-style tortilla chips. Retailers could try Manomasa or Blanco Niño. 

9. Rioja with paprika crisps
Another classic combination is Rioja with paprika-flavoured crisps, such as San Nicasio Smoked Paprika crisps or Trafo Potato Crisps in Paprika. Laura, who paired them with Walkers Max Paprika crisps, says it “always goes down well” as paprika is such a quintessential Spanish flavour. Meat-lovers will find it also works well with chorizo, so retailers could try Pipers Trealy Farm Chorizo Crisps or even Made For Drink’s Chorizo Thins. 

10. Hazy Bacchus with Made for Drink’s Baron Bigod Cheese & Onion
While designed to be served with cider, Jake says there’s another obvious pairing for these crisps. “Hop over just a couple of fences from Fen Farm Dairy (home of Baron Bigod), and you’d be standing in the vines of Flint Vineyard. If you can get your hands on it, they’ve produced a limited run of Hazy Bacchus in a can – skin contact wine with no intervention, this is textured and wild,” he says. “A little tropical and round in style, it’s big enough to stand up to the punchy flavour of the rich, fruity cheese and onion. This takes the idea of experimenting to a different level!” If you can’t get the Hazy Bacchus, Jake recommends the vineyard’s Charmat rosé – “fruity, delicious sparkling rosé with plenty of freshness and sass.” 

11. Sparking rose and Skips
Neil adores this combination. “There’s something about the fruitiness of the wine and the soft shellfish note of the Skip. The tomato in there keeps the party going,” he says.

12. Muscadet with Kent Crisps Oyster & Vinegar
“Give me oysters and I demand a bottle of Muscadet,” Jake says. “The wine can sometimes be a little neutral, which isn’t a bad thing to pair with the acidity of vinegar. Make sure to look for a Muscadet that is ‘Sur Lie’, which translates as ‘on the lees’. This means that the fermented wine is kept in contact with the dead yeast cells to enrich the wine and give it a creamy, softer, richer feeling,” he explains. “This will make the wine stand up to the powerful flavours of this crisp. Otherwise, you’ll find flavours of green apples, melons and a slight saltiness that’ll all complement the oyster naturally.” 

13. Gamay or Riesling with Fairfields Farm Maple Glazed Ham
A seasonal favourite around Christmas, Jake gives two different options to cut through the richness of this flavour. “The fatty, unctuous feeling of glazed ham is just gorgeous with a slightly sweet white. Mosel Riesling as a great option,” he says. “You’ll want bags of acidity to cut through the fatty richness and a maple glaze would be very comfortable with a little bit of sweetness. 

“Otherwise, you could look to a bright, soft red,” he adds. “Again, acidity is important here, so we’re looking for cool climate, light-styled reds such a Gamay from Beaujolais, or Pinot Noir from Germany. The ripe juicy fruitiness of these wines will be appealing with the maple tones.”

14. Albarino with Salt n’ Vinegar Chipsticks
“This wine is very fresh and ripe and goes with anything that has salt and vinegar content,” explains Neil. “Chipsticks work very well, in that they bring these two moments together – the saline, coastal, maritime notes, and a blast of vinegar. That brings out the slight acidity of the wine. It’s a fantastic pairing.”

15. Old Speckled Hen with Pipers Great Berwick Longhorn Beef
“I really loved these crisps. I paired them with dark ale which is perfect. They’ve got all the hallmarks of a roast dinner just right, and they’re not oily at all. They have this sort of unctuousness to them, but the crunch is still there. And the beef flavour is outstanding.”