Drink Up!
By David Setley
According to songwriter and performer Darius Rucker, “There are two seasons: Football season and waiting for football season.” And this year, South Jersey’s near-home team is going to Super Bowl LIX! I know I’m the wine guy… football fans drink beer! Well, not all of us. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good beer. However, in my experience, most beer drinkers do not match the style of beer (lager, stout, IPA, etc.) to what they are eating. Instead, they drink the style they prefer, perhaps changing things up seasonally. On the other hand, wine drinkers tend to pair their wines with their food. Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest food day of the year in America, surpassed only by Thanksgiving. Allow me to offer wine pairings for the foods that many folks enjoy when settling in for a game. Based on a compilation of online sources, the top five foods for the Super Bowl are wings, chili, nachos, chips with salsa or guacamole, and pizza.
Chicken wings can be a bit complicated to pair with wine due to the variety of sauce options available. If you choose the classic spicy buffalo hot wings, try a bright, refreshing Riesling such as the Nik Weis St Urbans-Hof Mosel Riesling from Germany or a Domaine Barmès-Buecher Gewürztraminer from Alsace, France. Either will tame the spiciest wings. If you choose barbecue sauce on your wings, go with a delicious red wine like the OZV Zinfandel or the Old Soul Petite Sirah from California. If you’re willing to go out on a wing (limb), sparkling wine with chicken wings is Nick Foles’ surprise play. The acidity and bubbles of a wine like Brilla! Prosecco or Dibon Brut Cava do a great job of cutting through the richness of fried chicken. Why not go for the win with Champagne? Get a bottle or two of Nicolas Feuillatte Blue Label Brut Champagne, one for wings and one for celebrating (hopefully) at the end of the game.
Thirteen sommeliers were asked what the perfect wine is to pair with chili. Selections varied from a semi-sweet Riesling, such as Chateau Ste. Michelle, to a Chenin Blanc, such as the Vigneau-Chevreau Cuvee Silex Vouvray, to a rosé, such as Beach by Whispering Angel, to a Cote du Rhone red blend, such as Le Grand Valmal Generation GSM Blend. Though I wasn’t one of the thirteen, my pick would be a Spanish Rioja like the Ramirez Piscina Seleccion Rioja Reserva. Perfect for chili!
I love nachos and will probably have some on Super Bowl Sunday. A red wine from Spain, such as the Zorzal Malayeto Garnacha or the Clos De Tafall Red, would pair perfectly. However, I will likely opt for a refreshing Spanish white wine. Albarino is my “go-to” for Mexican food flavors. Paco And Lola Albarino or Nora Albarino will be my choice for the big game.
Chips with salsa and/or guacamole is another menu item that allows for many wine options. I would recommend a nice medium-bodied red wine, such as the Juggernaut Pinot Noir from California’s Russian River Valley or the Montinore Borealis Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley of Oregon. A Sangiovese wine from Tuscany, such as the La Gerla Poggio gli Angeli Sangiovese, would also be awesome. However, if you are the one who keeps dipping into the guac, I would call an audible and call in a white wine, such as Spain’s Alegre Valganon Rioja Blanco or Italy’s Pfitscher Pinot Bianco.
According to an article on foxsports.com, as many as 48 million Americans will have pizza on the table for the Super Bowl. That is 350% more than on a regular football Sunday. Stories abound regarding the origin of pizza. However, my mother’s family emigrated from Naples, Italy to the U.S., and, in my humble opinion, so did pizza. When it comes to pairing wine with food, my rule is, “drink what you eat,” so wine from Central Italy is really the only choice. Naples is located in the Italian wine region of Campania, where the premiere grape is Aglianico. For me, the perfect wine pairing with pizza is Rocca Del Dragone Campania Aglianico. This wine is full-bodied, rich-flavored, and is a Napoletano pizza wine of choice. If you are having a white pizza, I would suggest Terredora di Paolo Greco di Tufo Loggia della Serra. This white wine from Campania pairs well with all that wonderful mozzarella and ricotta. I’m getting hungry now!
What if you are going with foods that are quintessentially related to the hometown of your favorite team? My research tells me that for Kansas City, barbecued pork ribs is the food most related to that city. For this dish, a red blend is the wine to serve. I would suggest either a California blend, such as J. Lohr’s Pure Paso Proprietor’s Red Blend, or a French Bordeaux Blend like Château Carbonneau Sequoia Bordeaux. No food is more related to Philly than the cheesesteak sandwich, “wit or witout.” Other sommeliers chose anything from Merlot to Malbec or from Cabernet Franc to Carmenere. My suggestions are either a great California Cabernet Sauvignon like Daou Cabernet Sauvignon Special Select or a Vallone Flaminio Primitivo from Salento in Puglia, Italy. Italy’s Primitivo is the same grape known as Zinfandel in California.
Game time will be just days away when this article hits the stands. I actually remember the very first Super Bowl in January 1967. NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback Bart Starr and the Green Bay Packers defeated NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback Len Dawson and the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. That was a little over 58 years ago, but the memory of that day is still etched in my memory. Whether you are a Chiefs fan or an Eagles fan, or if you just enjoy the food, the halftime show, or the commercials, here’s to a great game. Feel free to contact me with any questions, or let me know your favorite football food pairings, at dsetley@passionvines.com. Until next time, enjoy the game and happy wining!
David Setley is enjoying his retirement from higher education as a wine educator and certified sommelier at Passion Vines in Somers Point, New Jersey.
