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Super bowl food and wine paring is a great way to enjoy the game, even if you don’t care who’s playing. In case you do, check out these regional specific recipes and wines from 2021 contenders, Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While the boys are toppling each other and tossing touchdowns, these winning combinations are a hit year after year.
Don’t forget to stock up on stemless glassware. Great for clinking hard every time you score!
1. Buffalo Wings and Torrontés
Silky and aromatic Torrontés glides over the palate as a soothing balance to fiery buffalo sauce. Blue cheese dressing blooms alongside the intense apricot notes and long mineral finish of this dry Argentinian white wine.
Why does this work?
A mineral finish means a mouthwatering finish, which helps to skim any residual fattiness or creaminess from the palate. Intense flavors require equally intense aromas. Torrontés is a part of the Muscat family, one of the world’s most aromatic grape varieties.
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2. Spinach Artichoke Dip and Vinho Verde
Spinach artichoke dip is less about intense flavors and more about spreading creamy comfort on bread bowl edges and dipping veggie crudité. The brightness and effervescence of Portuguese Vinho Verde provides a tingle for balance on the palate while its delicate aromas won’t overwhelm the flavors of your favorite recipe.
Why does this work?
Acidity, soft fruit flavors, and the occasional effervescence work like astringent and scrubbing bubbles to polish the palate and provide balance. Spinach artichoke dip has a lot of cream in it, but not super intense flavors. A bigger or bubblier wine would diminish the subtlety. Too much alcohol would clash.
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3. Guacamole and Verdejo
Verdejo, especially from Rueda appellation in Spain has a piquant green quality reminiscent of Sauvignon Blanc. The pairing works to make those crunchy bits of jalapeño and tomato pop, and bring out the earthiness of the avocado.
Why does this work?
Wine and food should compliment each other. That means balancing out out the elements, like aroma, flavor, body, and finish. It also mean finding some corresponding flavors and sensations to tease out every bit of bouquet and palate on your plate and in your glass.
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4. Nachos or Cheesy Salsa Dip and Tempranillo
Red, peppery Tempranillo is a match for loaded nachos, especially if bacon or chorizo is involved. The warmth and complexity of the wine is a match for Mexican spices, while prickly tannins balance that blanket of queso on your palate.
Why does this work?
Tempranillo is a regional and traditional pairing for salty cheeses and Chorizo. While nachos and queso may be a far cry from Spanish tapas, there’s a culinary through-line that works in addition to the basic science of food and wine pairing.
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5. Pizza and Lambrusco
Sparkling red wine served cold works in the same way beer does to balance the fattiness of cheese with acidity and fizz. Fruity red berry flavors offer complexity and aromatic longevity to accompany that meat-lovers’ special. Be wary, Lambrusco does come in a spectrum of sweet to dry. Ask your local store and be sure to read the description. Our recommendations below are on the drier side.
Why does this work?
Another regional pairing here! But as we said above, there’s a science to food and wine pairing. Acidity and effervescence balance fattiness which allows more flavor to come through.
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- Fiorini Lambrusco di Sorbara Corte degli Attimi
- Lini 910 Labrusca Lambrusco Rosso
- Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco del Fondatore
6. Potato Skins and Brut Sparking Rosé
Crispy potatoes topped with bacon, cheese, and sour cream can be a mouthful. Refresh your palate with a dry sparkling wine like cava rosado or rosé crémant. The red grapes used for rosé add structure and aroma that stands up to powerful smoky bacon.
Why does this work?
The sparkles clean and clear the sheen of fried potato skins from the palate. A gamier rosé made from red grapes also elevates the flavor of the bacon.
Shop Sparking Rosé Wines online
Shop Sparkling Rosé Online
7. Baked Beans and Shiraz
Sweet, smoky Kansas City-style beans with barbecue pork works great alongside a spicy Shiraz (Syrah) or Missouri’s own deep and earthy Norton red wine.
Why does this work?
Shiraz (Syrah) is famous not only for its smoky finish but also for a faint bacon-y quality. It’s highly complimentary to the beans and brings out any meat you’ve added to the recipe, for example, the Kansas City classic with burnt ends.
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8. Ribs and Dry Viognier
A honey-mustard based dry rub pairs well with Dry Viognier or Russian River Chardonnay. Satin on the palate won’t overwhelm the spice blend. For rich red BBQ sauces stick with Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, or a Côtes du Rhône blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. And of course, Missouri’s own Norton!
Why does this work?
Viognier, even the driest versions, has a silky palate. Flavors ride it like a slip and slide, and more delicate spices blends and marinades like honey and mustard sometimes start with a citrusy twist. You risk losing that to a heavier red wine. For the sweet, spicy, smoky KC style you’ll need something more robust and complex. A little smoke in the wine doesn’t hurt either.
9. Pigs in a Blanket and Champagne
That delicate pop of the hotdog encased in flaky pastry dough pairs exceptionally with brut Champagne. Bubbles rinse any lingering fat from your palate and leaving space for delicate flavors to soar.
Why does this work?
Another example of sparkling wine clearing away that greasy unctuous feeling from your palate and allowing flavors to come through. There’s also a toasty, yeasty element to the nose and the finish of Champagne that totally echoes the flavors or flaky pastry dough.
Shop for Champagne Online
- Louis Roederer Brut Premier
- Laurent-Perrier Cuvee Rosé Champagne
- Nicolas Feuillatte Reserve Exclusive Brut
10. Meatballs and Barolo
Succulent crock pot meatballs slow-cooked in grape jelly are a juicy mouthful. Dry and tannin-rich Barolo offers palate cleansing power with matching deep purple fruity aromas to match.
Need a crock pot recommendation? I love this one for portability!
Why does this work?
Barolo is one of the most pried wines in the world and that is much in part to its distinctive purple-tinted aromas that span everything from black licorice and cherry to tar and caraway seeds. Grape jelly might be your (and everyone else in the Midwest’s) little secret, but it’s an undeniable pop of flavor worth noticing.
Barolo is made from the Nebbiolo grape, which is notable for its tannic structure. This relaxes with time but it never goes away. Tannins work like tiny hooks on the back and sides of your mouth to pull excessive liquid from your palate. Think of tannins like making a reduction in a sauce pan. Flavors intensity when concentrated.
There’s plenty of fun to be had on Super Bowl Sunday. Drinking wine while sprawled on the couch is something every sports fan can enjoy!
