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Subscribe to RSSWinemaker Joe Bastianich shows TODAY's Matt Lauer how you can switch from beer to wine at your Super Bowl party this weekend, and shows some fun foods to pair with his suggestions.
Why not try a selection of wines for your Super Bowl bash this year? Joe Bastianich shares his picks for perfect pairings.
1st quarter white: Hermann J. Wiemer Vinyards 2010 Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes, New York, $14-$17
This is a lighter white wine and is a good one to start the party. Pair it with Wisconsin cheddar cheese cubes.
2nd quarter white: Hess Select Monterey 2010 Chardonnay, California, $13
A domestic wine (perfect for the Patriots), this big, modern-style Chardonnay is weighty and oaky. It’s a mainstream commercial wine that most people would enjoy — a real crowd pleaser. Pair it with pigs in a blanket.
Madonna’s halftime performance: Bellini
A Bellini is festive, fruity, light and a little retro. It’s refreshing and effervescent – just like Madonna, who is refreshing in her ability to reinvent her coolness.
This Bellini is Prosecco and puree of ripe pears and sugar syrup. Try Flor Prosecco, Italy $15-$16, which is 100 percent prosecco, from the Veneto region. For the Bellini mix, you need ripe pears, lemon juice and sugar syrup. Peel, core and chop some nice ripe pears with some lemon juice (so they don't turn brown) and sugar syrup. Use a blender to liquify, then strain.
2nd half: Switch to red — the red wine is more serious business for the second half.
3rd quarter red: Allegrini Valpolicella Classico, Italy, $10-$15 (depending upon the state)
This is a lighter-style Italian red, on the nose cherry. Pair it with pizza bagels or pizza bites.
4th quarter red: Henry's Drive Pillar Box Reserve 2009 Shiraz, Australia, $18
This big fruity red is another crowd pleaser. It’s very fruit-driven, with notes of black cherry, plums and a little spice. This is a heavier red, for pairing with protein dishes like chili.
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- Delicious, healthy chips and dips for your Super Bowl party
- Send us your food photos!
Leave a Comment:
Ok, how many different kinds of boxed wine do you think I will need? My refrig is not all that big.
First I am seeing recipes for healthy Super Bowl snacks and now this....I know....sliced tofu turkey sandwiched on rice cakes with a nice spicy mustard....what will they come up with next? Beer, chili and chips sound good to me...
Lets be a little honest here, if you are a real football fan you are not interested in sitting or standing around discussing the attributes of a bottle of wine. You are more interested in wheither Eli or Tom throws a touchdown, not wheither a bottle of white wine has the strong enough aroma of oranges. They are more interested in the beer and chips or popcorn.
The Super Bowl Wine tasting party will be held by people who enjoy talking about wine not football. They KNOW what wine they would like to try. Someone MIGHT actually turn on the TV, but it will be for background noise.
Nope, it will be on for the commercials. But seriously, I like wine and I like football. They are not mutually exclusive.
That's a terribly uninformed generalization. Some of the most ardent football fans I know can digress on the fruit of the vine the way Bill Belichick can digress on the influence trap block.
If you want to have a Super Bowl wine tasting party, lay in a good supply of Ripple, Boones Farm, and Mad Dog. They go great with wings and nachos.
Are you come kinda Commie? On this most American of days, wherein we celebrate an American institution--the Super Bowl--you're actually recommending two imported wines? There is no excuse for not suggesting an all-USA (preferably California) wine board, especially for the reds. Perhaps a Ridge (Santa Cruz County) Zinfandel in the third (a perfect compliment spicy and/or cheesy snacks) followed by a refined Donum or Kosta-Brown (Sonoma County, both) Pinot to cap off the evening. Australian Shiraz? Meh...