Celebrate National PB&J Day With The Perfect Sandwich Wine Pairing

National PB&J Day takes place annually on April 2 according to National Day Calendar, and what better way to celebrate than by enjoying the sweet and salty sandwich? Whether you prefer strawberry or grape jelly paired with crunchy or smooth peanut butter, it's easy to prepare the sandwich to fit your personal preferences.

Though the sandwich is a youthful classic often found in lunchboxes of school-aged children nationwide, it can be easily dressed up for a more mature palate. As far as adding new indigents goes, PB&J sandwiches lend themselves to experimentation as much as any other lunch standard out there. On the other hand, there's no shame in enjoying the simple staple of some smooth peanut butter and grape jam on some fluffy, white sandwich bread, either. If you're craving a more classic sandwich but still want to elevate it a little, try pairing your peanut butter and jelly with a nice glass of wine.

In a 2020 episode of "Wine School," Food & Wine's executive wine editor Ray Isle talked with Hallie Tarpley regarding which wines paired best with the snacks that Tarpley had in her home. Tarpley shared that a peanut butter and raspberry jam sandwich was her main course for lunch, and she was trying to find a wine to pair well with it.

Isle shared that white wines typically pair well with salty foods. Tarpley had two white wines in her selection, but Isle suggested going with the Dr. Konstantin Frank Riesling. "The sweetness of the food is actually going to make the wine taste less sweet," Isle said. He shared that, when pairing wines and foods, you should attempt to pair them to complement each other.

While the sweetness of the jelly might dull that of the wine, the combination of sweet flavors could make an overly sweet wine more tolerable. Additionally, Isle suggested avoiding more bitter drinks when eating sweet foods because it could make the drink taste unpleasant.

If you don't want to drink a full glass of wine alongside your sandwich but you're still craving a more adult edge to your meal, you could swap out your jam for some wine jelly. This jelly uses wine alongside fruit to add an additional flavor profile to the typically super-sweet spread.

There are plenty of non-alcoholic fruit and wine spreads out there that are perfect for pairing with your favorite peanut butter on some sandwich bread. Popular flavors include blackberry cabernet sauvignon, black cherry cabernet franc, and orange pineapple chardonnay. More than probably, there's a jam version of your favorite wine flavor out there somewhere. But if you'd rather make your own jelly at home, your set of ingredients might be as minimalistic as pectin, sugar, and your fruit of choice, depending on the recipe. This could be the perfect addition to put a grown-up spin on a childhood classic.