Fred Tasker’s Wine Suggestions for Shackburgers

When we think of wine from Argentina these days, we usually think of the red wine called malbec.  It’s rich, soft, altogether user-friendly – and cheap.  Usually no more than $10 or $15.
But now there’s a white wine from Argentina that has an equal claim to fame. It’s called torrontes. Spell. Argentina actually grows more of this than it does of chardonnay.
Torrontes in a little flamboyant – it smells like camellias, tastes like pink grapefruit and white peaches; it’s very crisp and has a nice, tart finish. It goes really well with foods that are popular today – sushi, seafood and spicy dishes from Szechuan Chinese to Cajun.
And it, too, is usually $10 to $15.
A couple of good examples are the torrontes under the brand names Sagta, Alamos and Michel torino.
But now I want to talk about the Shake Shack and something I like on its menu. Usually, at a fast-food restaurant, if you order a nice, big cheeseburger, the best you can get to drink with it is Diet Pepsi. A flavor match made in kindergarten.
Now, in Europe, things are different. I found a nice red wine at a Burger King is Seville, Spain, and another red wine at a McDonalds in Paris, right on the Champs d’Elysees. I’m a little embarrassed to admit I went to places like that in  Europe, but I had a good excuse. They have by far the cleanest bathrooms.
Anyway, Shake Shack has solved my problem. It has beer on its menu – two draft ales plus Budweiser, Amstel Light and Albita. And it has a white wine – a Shake Shack Chardonnay and a red wine – a Shake Shack Shiraz.
I think congratulations are in order. There’s nothing better than a burger and a beer, or a New York Hot Dog and a glass of chardonnay.