The Andre Cold Duck is a sparkling wine that you can pair with a lot of different dishes - far more than you might expect. It has a bit more substance and flavor than most sparking wines. This Cold Duck is more complex than typical, inexpensive, fruit-flavored sparkling or carbonated wines you find on the shelves. It's a particularly good choice, I think, for picnics, cookouts, and similar events.
Color & Clarity
The color of the Andre Cold Duck is a bright strawberry red.
Nose
The aromas of the Andre Cold Duck are cherry, red berries, and red grape juice.
Palate
Andre Cold Duck is a medium-dry, light-bodied sparkling red wine with marked acidity. It smells like it will be sweet, but the flavor is far less sweet than you'd expect, which makes the Cold Duck work well with a much wider variety of foods.
Pairing Andre Cold Duck with Side Dishes
- Cheddar Cheese: The Andre Cold Duck becomes drier and has a stronger fruit finish when paired with cheddar cheese. The Cold Duck would probably work well with a lot of different cheese appetizers and hors d'ouvres
- Cole Slaw: Cold Duck is acceptable when paired with cole slaw.
- Potato Salad: Cold Duck is acceptable when paired with potato salad.
- French Fries: The Andre Cold Duck becomes more aromatic when paired with french fries, especially seasoned fries. It seems likely that slightly saltier and more seasoned foods will work better than sweeter foods.
Pairing Andre Cold Duck with Meats
- Hamburger: When paired with hamburger, the Cold Duck becomes drier and smoother. The Cold Duck would probably be good with a variety of grilled meats.
- Sweet Italian Sausage: The Andre Cold Duck becomes much more tannic and creamy when paired with sweet Italian sausage. I'd recommend trying this with just about any sort of sausage, bratwurst, or hot dog.
- BBQ Beef: Cold Duck is acceptable when paired with BBQ beef. I had expected it to work better with BBQ, but perhaps the sweetness works against it.
Bottom Line
The Andre Cold Duck is a sparkling wine that you can pair with a lot of different dishes - far more than you might expect. It has a bit more substance and flavor than most sparking wines. This Cold Duck is more complex than typical, inexpensive, fruit-flavored sparkling or carbonated wines you find on the shelves. It's a particularly good choice, I think, for picnics, cookouts, and similar events.
Cold Duck used to be very popular in the United States with lots of different companies making their own version. Andre appears to be the last company making it and that's shame — though it would be an even bigger shame if they stopped as well. You really should go out and try a bottle.
