What Wine To Pair With Anthony Bourdain’s Favorite Dishes
Greetings VinoVossers! Do you find it unusual that one of the most influential chefs of this millennium is hardly remembered for his cookbook. Instead, he's remembered for what and where he chose to eat and his focus on the people who worked in the kitchen. Anthony Bourdain never wanted you to cook his recipes. He wanted you to find your own corner noodle shop, your own perfect sandwich, your own truth in food. Join us today as we explore his backstory and pair some wines to his favorite dishes.
Who Was Anthony Bourdain?
Anthony Bourdain was a New York chef who rose to fame outside the kitchen as a food focused cultural commentator after the release of his memoir detailing the life of a chef and the dynamics of restaurants, Kitchen Confidential in 2000.
What Made Bourdain Famous?
Anthony Bourdain rose to fame on account of the focus and style of his writing.
Stylistically, Bourdain was raw. His unfiltered stories of chef life and restaurant dynamics were as much a personal confession as they were commentary on restaurant culture. Writing during the reality TV boom, Bourdain's profane and witty style was exactly what audiences craved. Bourdain was the chef the public didn't know they wanted to meet.
Bourdain also stood out for his focus on the hardworking people who make the kitchen work, and the challenges they face as opposed to the celebrity chef who headlines the operation. Additionally, Bourdain championed regional cooking and simplicity over complicated cooking styles and gimmick dishes. As he once said, "Good food is very often, even most often, simple food." His focus on real people and authentic stories gave a generation of chefs a voice long before Instagram existed.
These values shaped every meal he shared with the world, from presidential dinners to street food discoveries. Join us as we revisit some of them and pair wines to them.
What Anthony Bourdain And Barack Obama Ate
In 2016, then US President, Barack Obama, shared a meal with Anthony Bourdain in Hanoi. In a street-level eatery, crowded with locals, the two men sat on plastic stools, and ate bún chả as they talked about being parents. The ease with which Obama embraced the local Hanoian dish and setting possibly had greater impact than the rest of his diplomatic mission. This moment perfectly captured Bourdain's belief that the best interactions happen over shared meals, not conference tables.
When considering a pairing for this dish of grilled pork, rice noodles, and soup, the richly flavored herbal broth is the key element. This Austrian Grüner Veltliner offers earthy, herbal notes that mirror the soup, while providing the bright acidity needed to cut through the richness of the pork.
Anthony Bourdain's Favorite Mortadella Sandwich
Anthony Bourdain's favorite sandwich came from the Bar do Mané stand in the municipal market of São Paulo, Brazil. Deceptively simple, the sandwich consists of cheese-topped, fried mortadella on toasted white bread. Generosity is the secret ingredient, with the thinly sliced mortadella piled 10 to 15 slices high, making it a filling meal even when shared. This represents everything Bourdain loved: working-class ingenuity turning humble ingredients into something satisfying and real.
The mound of fried mortadella creates rich, savory flavors that need balance. Rather than pairing richness with richness, this Spanish rosé brings freshness to cut through the meat while its bold, sun-ripened character ensures it won't be overwhelmed.
Spanish Rosado wines make a great pairing for Bourdain's favourite mortadella sandwich. Photo by Rhamely on Unsplash
Anthony Bourdain's Death Row Tofu Dish
At one point, Anthony Bourdain listed his personal top 5 dishes all of which he described as being contenders for his final meal should he ever find himself on death row. Among them was the Sichuan dish Mapo Tofu. Based on local, culturally significant ingredients, and possessing bold flavors it can be as much an experience as it is a meal.
When pairing Mapo Tofu what stands out most is the magnitude of the dish. Numbing heat, aromatic spice, and savoriness are all present in abundance. Skin contact wines, including those made from Pinot Grigio, or Muscat are great potential pairing partners. They have the acidity, aromatic lift, and phenolic texture to complement such a dish while adding depth to the experience.
Which Would You Try First?
Ready to dine like Bourdain? Grab these bottles and create your own authentic food adventure. These aren't just wine pairings—they're your passport to experiencing food the way Tony did: bold, authentic, and unapologetically real. Shop these perfect pairings now and discover what made Bourdain fall in love with simple, extraordinary combinations. Because the best meals aren't about fancy restaurants—they're about finding magic in the authentic.
