It’s Grey Cup Sunday … naturally it’s time for beer and wings, and nachos, and chili, and as you see on every commercial break a baconator. There is no reason why you can’t keep it classy sports fan! My focus this week is on a pair of wines that are reasonably priced and will pair well with your typical bar food fare. I’m even going to take it one step further, these are wines that you don’t need to break out the stemware for. My favorite vessel of choice when drinking wine in a casual setting is a Red Solo Cup. Now before you stop reading, I do realize this will make it difficult to keep the temperature of your wine at ideal serving temperature. But let’s face it… people tend to drink a little quicker with a game on TV. This is also one of the reasons I tend to prefer to overchill my White Wines.
Without further ado …
2011 13th Street Red Palette – VINTAGES 249458 – $14.95 – I picked this winery on purpose… because in my mind 13th Street are one of the classiest wineries in the province. If you’ve ever had a chance to visit the estate it almost more Art Gallery than Winery. They make excellent wine and the Palette is no exception. This vintage is even easier drinking than the 2010 with a lot of flavours of Cherry while being very dry. This would pair perfect with your wings, and your chili (as long as it’s not too spicy), your burgers and sausages, and if you’re a tortilla chip and salsa kind of guy … heap those chips with Salsa this is your perfect match.
2009 Trumpour’s Mill Riesling – LCBO 28258 – $14.95 – Riesling is great for this kind of ocassion because it tends to pair well with just about anything. But it’s important to find a riesling that isn’t too sweet … firstly because higher sugar wines tend to have a longer finish, and secondly more sugar means you will have a worse hangover. This is filled with flavours of lemon, orange tangerine and apple. But it has a nice high acidity. The balance in this riesling will help cut through some of the saltier foods you will be filling up on. The higher acidity will help cut through any spice on your Buffalo Wings, or your Chili.
My one piece of advice with regards to pairing these wines with your bar food is you will want to stay away from dishes that have a high amount of vinegar (Salt and Vinegar Chips, and some Teriyaki)
GO ARGOS!
