So the big game is on Sunday, and it’s day where the food is flowing and although you may think beer is the beverage of the day, I can guarantee a few bottles of wine will be consumed as well. My friend Lisa asked me last night what was a great wine to go with chili. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular foods and pair them with a great wine. And let’s start with Chili.
On Friday, we had a Chili Smack-down at work. 6 of us whipped up our favorite chili recipes, and we had a dozen judges or so, do a blind taste test. Congratulations, to Tom Bedell for winning, and I was proud to tie for 3rd place with my good friend Anthony. We both put red wine in our chili, and understandably I liked our two the best. LOL Each of the 6 chili recipes were delicious, and each so very different. Unless it’s a vegetarian chili, chili has a meat base. So you can pair a big heavy wine like a Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot to a nice Chardonnay if you’re a white wine drinker. Here would be a couple of options for wine that would pair great with Chili.
The Godwin Merlot is a great Merlot and food friendly. A Shiraz, like the Penfold’s Koonunga Hill pictured in the middle, has some spice which I especially love with Chili. And for white wine drinkers, this Chilean Chardonnay is perfect. Chili is putting out first class Chardonnay wines and they are reasonably priced and delicious.
If spicy wings are your menu for Sunday, or any other day of the week, my pick for a wine would be a Riesling.
Here are a couple of my favorites. This Wakefield Riesling from Australia has yummy flavors of green apple and lime zest with a nice acidity. And the Kung Fu Girl Riesling from Washington State in the U.S. has been 90+ points from many wine reviewers across the board. I especially love the apricot and nectarine flavors in this wine, making it very easy to drink. And not only spicy wings, for all spicy food, but Riesling is also a great wine if you’re planning on having a fondue.
I’m sure there will be a scattered pizza ordered on Sunday. You know what’s great about pizza, other than the taste. Easiest food to pick wine with. No matter which wine you have in your wine rack, it will go with pizza.
I have a brand new Carmenere I’ve recently tried pictured on the left and an Old Vine Zinfandel on the right. The Arboleda Carmenere is a great wine that comes in at about the $21 mark, and has juicy fruit, good structure and hints of spice. The Brazin Old Vine Zinfandel, is food friendly and goes with just about everything. Great picks for pizza if you love red wines.
A Chardonnay, like this 490 meters Chardonnay from Australia, and the wine on the right is a Canadian Pinot Gris. Very similar to Pinot Grigio, I find this Pinot Gris has a very rich mouth feel. Good acidity makes for a good pizza paring.
And now it’s time for my new wine of the week………
I was at a friend’s house on the weekend, and the first bottle he cracked open was this one. From the same vineyard, Fowles in Australia, that produces the 490 Meters Chardonnay, comes this interesting Shiraz. This rich tasting Shiraz has dark rich fruit with a smoky flavor and good tannic structure. We had steak done on the grill, no problem. It was a great wine.
Rayell and I sitting on the big display they made at my favorite NSLC store. Have a great Super Bowl Sunday, and I’ll be watching the game with some friends, and I will probably be the only person drinking wine, but that’s OK. It’s my beverage of choice.
Till next week, Cheers
Darlene
Wine-It’s Just My Opinion 
Howdy from Hanoi!