The super bowl is traditionally an all-American beer day, but who said it has to be? I love a good beer but I would still always choose wine. I think people tend to believe pub food is best paired with beer, because good wine is usually unavailable at your neighborhood sports bar.
What I love about the Super Bowl, however, is that you get to eat elevated bar food not at a bar, but rather, in the comfort of a friend or family member’s home. If you’re hosting, you can put out whatever bottles you want and, if you’re a guest, you can bring something that will go so well with the food no one will even miss the beer. Here are my recommended pairings for the big game:
Buffalo Chicken Wings and Roederer Brut Rose: Bubbles always pair well with salty foods, but what do you do when something is salty and spicy? Compromise with a brut rose. I love everything made at Roederer, but this is possibly my top choice there. It’s crisp, a little bit peachy and almost too easy to drink. Popping some bubbles will be perfect for (hopefully) a Rams win or (guaranteed to happen) the Maroon 5 halfime show!
Chips and Guac/Salsa and Wilson Sauvignon Blanc: What do chips and salsas and sauvignon blanc have in common? 1) It’s way too easy to have more than you should and 2) They both are the perfect way to kick off a party. Wilson Winery, located in Dry Creek Valley, specializes in Zinfandel, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know how to make white wine. This sauvignon blanc is a total party pleaser (and I’m lucky to get it at a discounted price with my wine club membership!)
Pizza and Unti Barbera: I don’t actually have pizza at my usual party, but I know this is a popular one. The truth is so many wines are great with pizza (Zin, Chianti, Aglianico, Cab Franc etc), but I will always go for an excuse to drink Unti Barbera. Barbera is a grape typically out of Northern Italy, but Unti does a great job growing these grapes in the Dry Creek Valley region of Sonoma. It’s meant to be drank young, so you don’t need to save it for a long time and can pull it off your rack if you forgot to buy something to bring to your friends’ party 😉
Chili and Turley Juvenile: It’s not surprising that, for the Wilson Artisan Wineries Wine & Chili Competition I’m attending this weekend, the vast majority of the wines that will be paired with the chili are Zinfandels. Sure, part of that is that Dry Creek Valley is one of the premier Zinfandel regions in California and a lot of the wineries are there, but I also think it’s a testament to how great of a pairing zin and chili is. During the summer, I love pairing zin and BBQ…think of this as the cozy, winter version of that!
I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for the weekend and psyched to watch the game with some delicious food & wines. Also, calories don’t count on the super bowl, right? Asking for a friend 😉
