Rough-and-ready picnics in arena parking lots have grown into a national pastime. You may not be ready to invest in a Hummer SUV with your team colors and a fold-out, custom grill with its own fire suppression system, but you can still enjoy boundless wine pairings for tailgating season. Don’t worry about the neighbors in the candy-apple Accord wondering why you’re holding Riedel in the middle of the parking lot. They’ll be begging you for a stem once they figured you’re the envoy for killer food and wine in the lot!
The best way to match wine to a burger is not by the burger itself, but what goes on top of it. If your burger comes with a sharp cheddar, tomato, pickle and ketchup – plenty of vinegar in those last two items – you’ll want a light refresher wine. Grab a bottle of Occhipinti SP68 Rouge. Named for the road (Strada Provinciale) that runs past the house, this red is a blend of 70% Frappato and 30% Nero d’Avola. The two varietals, native to Sicily, are grown on red sand soils over limestone rock, with vines averaging 20 years old on four different sites. The vines are organically farmed and hand-harvested. The fruit is co-fermented with native yeasts in concrete tanks and a two-week skin maceration. It’s then aged in concrete tanks for eight months and bottled unfiltered. With pure aromas of cherry, plum, herbs and licorice, the wine is juicy and penetrating, with smooth fruit flavors framed by fresh acidity. If you’re feeling a bit more gourmet and you’ve got a burger with, say, blue cheese, caramelized onions and mayo, go for a big, structured fruit-driven wine like Pax Syrah Castelli Knight Ranch from Russian River Valley. A Syrah from this singular site is inky black and concentrated with black fruit, roses, black pepper and tar.
One word: Riesling. The idea of pairing Riesling with sausages isn’t new – the Germans have been doing it for centuries. The Keller Von der Fels Riesling is highly aromatic and fresh. This dry Riesling is a blend of young vines from the Grosses Gewächs’ vineyards. On the palate, the wine is elegant with a razor-sharp acidity. Dubbed Rheinhessen’s best producer, Keller took over his family’s estate in 2001, focusing on single-vineyard, old-vine Riesling. Known for their complexity, weight and texture, the wine’s fruit comes from 35- to 40-year-old GG (Grand Cru) vines. Expect a dry and juicy palate plus flavors of lemon, nuts and smoky wet stones.
We all have those fans in our posse that don’t eat anything that has a face. Roasted vegetable skewers with chermoula and preserved lemon are easy to pre-prepare, but fancy for you-know-who. This deserves a full-on explosive Petillant Natural from Subject to Change “Party Monster” Mendocino, natty to go along with the no face-ism eating and a funky varietal, 100% Carignan. It’s fermented in the bottle to keep the fizzy lifting capabilities of the CO2, unfiltered and perfect for the full-on spice and acid of the veggies.
Glazed, seared rare tuna sliders with yuzu, lime, coriander and wasabi mayo on grilled gluten-free focaccia (a certified Miami Dolphin fans go-to tailgate dish). Head to France and the terrific wines of Beaujolais. Here the grape Gamay rules and the Cru Morgon dominates with Asian inspirations. Jean Foillard Morgon ‘Athanor’ is a bit spendy, but you never know in hurricane season if this is your last big game. A Beaujolais-based pioneer of the natural wine movement, Jean Foillard farms 14 hectares with a non-interventionist philosophy, so the wines develop as naturally as possible. ‘Athanor’ is one of Foillard’s top cuvées, featuring silky notes of dark fruit, soil, aromatic purple flowers and spice.
Grilled 36-oz. tomahawk bone-in ribeye, also referred to as the “cowboy steak.” The butcher takes a cut of ribeye and leaves the rib bone in to a length of about 20 inches. Then they “french” the bone, removing the excess meat and exposing the bone. It’s super dramatic, especially in a parking lot BBQ. This requires an over-the-top, excessively massive wine to cut through the riches of the meat coma that will persist. Thierry Allemand Chaillot Cornas is on the short list of producers at the very top of the quality hierarchy in the Northern Rhône Valley. The wine is inky ruby, with intense blueberry, incense, exotic spice and mineral qualities on the nose, and stains the palate with spice-laced black and blue fruit, spice cake, olive and violet pastille flavors.
Super Bowl LIV is right around the corner. And if you're going to the game, food and drink and part of the fun. From...
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