Pairing Sparkling Wine with Video Games

What’s your favourite sparkling wine and video game pairing?

Choosing a good sparkling wine to have while playing a video game is fun and is like pairing wine with food.

Below are some of the best types of sparkling wines to enjoy while playing these popular video game genres.

Action

Action games are video games that focus on physical challenges, often with fast-paced gameplay. They often include combat or overcoming obstacles. Shooter games, specifically First-Person Shooters (FPS) like Call of Duty and Halo, are widely considered the most popular action genre due to their fast-paced gameplay and competitive nature; other notable action subgenres include Action-Adventure, like Assassin’s Creed. An Australian Sparkling Red Shiraz is a vibrant, deep, full-bodied, rich wine with ripe and intense fruit flavours that will pair well with all the action on screen.

Adventure

Adventure games are a popular genre with interactive stories and gathering information and items to solve puzzles. Some of the top adventure games include The Legend of Zelda, Red Dead Redemption II, The Last of Us and The Quarry. Lambrusco, a sparkling red wine from Italy, will pair well with an adventure game as it’s fun and fruity with a whole lot of character.

Role-playing game (RPG)

A top RPG game typically features a compelling storyline with good characters and meaningful choices that have noticeable consequences. Players become invested in their character and the narrative unfolding around them, they can unlock experience points and perks to get stronger. Some of the top RPG games include Fallout, Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, The Witcher 3 and Elden Ring. A bottle of New Zealand sparkling wine renowned for its nutty, biscuity aromas, balanced with fresh acidity and fruit, which will pair well with this type of game.

Strategy

Players use thinking and planning to win, rather than instant action, a good strategy game will have complex decision-making with a variety of options, and an immersive world with custom options while maintaining a fun and engaging experience for the player. Some of the top strategy games include Civilization games, Civilization VI, Starcraft II, XCOM 2, Total War: Warhammer 3 and Age of Empires II. A bottle of Cava that has a crisp, zesty citrus flavour, bright acidity and a distinct minerality will stand up well to the thinking and planning needed to play a game of strategy.

Simulation

A good simulation video game accurately replicates real-life activities, where players focus on the activities like piloting vehicles or running a business. Some of the top simulation games include Cities: Skylines, The Sims 4, Microsoft Flight Simulator and Football Manager. Canadian Sparkling Ice Wine with its strong notes of citrus, honey, stone fruit and tropical fruit will pair well with these types of games.

Sports

Sports games test the player’s precision and accuracy. Most sports games attempt to model the athletic characteristics required by that sport, including speed, strength, acceleration and accuracy. Some of the top sports video games include: FIFA, the most popular football video game franchise, NBA 2K for basketball, MLB The Show for baseball, WWE 2K for wrestling and Forza and F1 for racing video games. A bottle of Argentine sparkling wine would pair with a sports game as it’s fruity, vibrant and refreshing.