I rarely drink wine at live sporting events.
Wine doesn’t taste great in plastic bottles and cups. And it just doesn’t feel right.
In the privacy of your home you should drink what you want, but wines are sometimes a better match with food. Try it for yourself, beer vs. wine, with your favorite Super Bowl dishes.
If you normally drink lager beer…
(Budweiser, Corona, Stella Artois), you are drinking beers that are light bodied, bright and crisp.
Similar white wines would be Pinot Grigio (from Northern Italy), or Sauvignon Blanc (try the Loire Valley, French version). Drink with Chips and Dip!
If you want to try some reds look for low tannin, fresh acid wines like Barbera or Beaujolais (not Nouveau, please). Great with Doritos!
Summer ale (Sam Adams) or Belgian White (Blue Moon) is your thing?
Try white wines with more aromatics like Albariño (Rías Baixas, Spain) or Torrontés (Argentina).
For a slightly more aromatic red you may like a chilled Tempranillo (Rioja/Ribera del Duero), or unoaked Sangiovese.
All great with nachos or chili!
Hefeweizen (wheat) beer fan?
For whites, try Gewürztraminer from Alsace, France. Gewürz (guh-vorts) for short, is spicy and can be dry, or have a little sweetness. Perfect with asian flavored chicken wings.
Another option is Zweigelt, a funky, spicy, but floral red from Austria.
IPA (hop) head?
You might want to try the New Zealand (Marlborough) style of Sauvignon Blanc, grassy with Juicy Fruit (the gum) flavors. Another white wine option is Chenin Blanc (French, not South African) if you want a fuller bodied wine.
“Go to” reds could include Cabernet Franc or Carmenere from Chile.
Also great with chili!
For traditional Ales/Stoudts…
Since they are full bodied there are only a few whites for you, Viognier (northern Rhone, France) or oaked Chardonnay (Burgundy, France).
On the red side, go big or go home! You would probably enjoy full bodied reds like Aglianico (Italy) or Australian Shiraz.
Save these wines for the main course…
For some of my other “Super Bowl” favorites see previous recommendations:
Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLVI
As always, please let me know what you think…
