Football tailgating wines

With the football season in full swing, the weekend activities have shifted from nice weekends at the beach and evenings filled with fun, laughter and a glass of wine on the patio to bold, hearty food and American football.  Wait a minute?  This is supposed to be a wine blog!  It is, don’t you worry, it wouldn’t be me if I wouldn’t try to squeeze a glass of wine into this American traditional feast!

So, let’s begin with listing some typical tailgating foods and some wine pairings.  First, the appetizers such as Chili, buffalo chicken or even a spinach dip.

For the Chili, I am going to Chile and would suggest a Chilean Carmenere.  The wine
 is big enough to handle the spice in the chili, has some acidity and as most Chilean wines, it has that herbal note to it to keep the jalapeno in check and offer overall balance!  Furthermore, there are plenty of bargain Carmenere out there, making this also a relative inexpensive pairing.

Buffalo chicken wings are a must have for any football fan and I just got the perfect wine for that.  German Riesling!  A Spaetlese will work wonders here with its lush fruity aromas, high acidity and sweetness.

For the spinach dip, try an Oregan or Alsatian Pinot Gris.  The acidity will balance the creaminess of the dish.  If you are a bit more adventurous, try a dry muscat wine.

For the halftime show aka main feast, you got to have some nice smoky ribs.  Petite Sirah would be my first choice to ensure that the wine doesn’t go under in the smoky flavors of your ribs.  Shall your ribs not be that smoky, a nice red Zinfandel will be a beautiful pairing.  And for all the Hamburger, grilling football out there, I got wine for you as well.  Traditional burger, pull a bottle of Merlot.  If you prefer your burger loaded with bacon & cheese, I would go old world and pair that with a Cote du Rhone.  Why the difference?  The fat and yummy grease from the bacon and cheese.

Have a great football season everybody!