Super Bowl Sips n’ Sides

Although the Super Bowl is traditionally viewed as a beer holiday, wine can be as much of its tradition―and as easily paired―as nachos and expensive TV ads. While this year’s Game Day parties may be a little more intimate, they don’t have to be any less flavorful and fun.  Don’t be afraid of a little variety! Sparkling, white, and red all have a place on the field.

Having a nice well rounded variety will also lead to more interesting combinations of flavors and textures to keep everyone amped up and feeling good. This week, we’re serving up the play-by-play for curating the perfect Super Bowl snack and wine pairings. Don’t feel like cooking? Pre-order one of our Greene Grape Game Day Platters and shop online! We’ll do the rest. 

Starting Players

Classic savory appetizers like pigs in a blanket calls for a wine with good acidity and minerality to cut through the salt and fat. We recommend a classic Gruner Veltliner like Schloss Gobeslburg’s Kamptal Gruner 2019. A very pure expression of what Austrian Gruner can do, you’ll pick up some gorgeous savory notes like moss and crushed sage and well defined ripe fruit with perfectly integrated acidity. 

Onto the Antipasto! Definitely a fan favorite, there's lots of wiggle room when it comes to antipasto platters. Prominent cheeses like mortadella, cheddar, manchego and mozzarella are a no brainer for cured meats and pepperoni, but what to drink with all those flavors flying around? For a white wine, sparkling wines offer a taste of luxury and incredible flavor. Negro Lorenzo Roero Arneis Metodo Classico Spumante Brut 2012 offers just the right balance of richness, fruit, and minerality. 

For red wine, something fresh, fruit-forward and versatile is going to serve you best. Andrea Formilli Fendi’s “Casafranca” 2017 is a sublime blend of Sagrantino, a varietal that is indigenous to Umbria, Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, a dreamy partner to meats and cheeses. The wine opens with aromas of blackberry jam, creme de cassis, violets and balsamic, this wine is extremely food-friendly and is an absolute must-have for any gathering.

VIP Mains and Entrees 

Layers of refried beans, a medley of spices, fresh avocados, salsa, cheese, and of course, slatherings of sour cream, the mighty seven-layer dip is the quarterback of any Game Day gathering. For this epic snack, only true captains can take the field. 

Sauvignon Blanc can always be relied on to be fresh and crisp, but there are distinct stylistic differences based on region. Perhaps the most well-known is the Loire Valley where the grape tends to be at its most fragrant and fresh with gooseberry, cut grass, nettles and flinty mineral notes. Jean-Paul Picard Sancerre Le Chemin de Marloup 2019 is a beautiful white that can absolutely stand up to the flavors and give your mouth a little reprieve from all the spice and creamy textures. 

For reds, go big or go...well, big. We recommend the plush and full-bodied Banshee Sonoma County Pinot Noir 2018 with sweet and tart notes of plum and blackberry. The wine is dry, yet soft and lush, with a bright, slightly savory finish that makes this an excellent food wine, and a charming drinking experience by itself. 

For our final entree, we have the highly sought-after fried pickle brine chicken. Made with pickle and buttermilk-shop brined breasts, thighs and legs, this is definitely an all-star dish on Game Day. Crispy texture and mouth-watering flavor are all front-and-center here, so sparkling is always a great choice. We have a knockout sparkling Chenin Blanc that's basically begging to be paired with this specialty chicken. Pithon-Paille Brut de Chenin is in a class all of its own. A complex bouquet of ripe stone fruits, white flowers and dried fruit with just a hint of fresh toasted bread to balance. Fresh and light with a delectably smooth, airy texture this cremant is a standout by any measure.