Sips: More on the Super Bowl food and wine showdown

At least one of my NBC colleagues shook his head when I told him I was preparing a story on wines that would work well at a Super Bowl party with all its varied food possibilities. Like many, he's a beer man when it comes to the big game. But for those of you wondering about wines to serve with a Super Bowl spread, I have some suggestions, plus those of some of my wine friends, in my latest Weekend Wines post on the Bites blog of MSNBC.com. Beyond that, Karen Page and Andrew Dorenburg, authors of the new "Food Lover's Guide to Wine" and other books, offered me some of their suggestions.

They write: "For Super Bowl parties, we're all about the flexibility of bubbles for their food-pairing prowess, and all about whites so you don't have to worry if your friends spill on your couch (or you spill on theirs!) during a dramatic moment in the game -- so a good Prosecco would probably be our first choice (even though we also love good cava, we just got back from Italy!)."

Their choice for a red? "In honor of Andrew's hometown team (the 49ers, which was one good kick away from this year's Super Bowl), he'd pour a lighter-bodied, fruity California Zinfandel with the vegetarian chili he's hoping to get around to making."

And their recommendations for some of the most popular Super Bowl fare:

"Chicken wings: sparkling wine; or riesling, syrah/shiraz or zinfandel.

Chili: Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone, syrah/shiraz or zinfandel.

Guacamole: Champagne, unoaked chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, torrontes.

Nachos: sparkling wine, torrontes (with white meat), zinfandel (with red meat).

Pizza (pepperoni or sausage): barbera, Chianti, lighter-bodied zinfandel.

Popcorn: Champagne or other sparkling wine.

Fudge brownies and chocolate chip cookies: Banyuls, port or Pedro Ximenez sherry."

Thank you, Karen and Andrew.

The Daily Sip: for a top California zinfandel, it’s all in the balance

I often have a visceral reaction to the prospect of very big wines, something akin to the thought of getting on the wrong side of the school bully in my youth. I usually try to avoid them. So the thought of a zinfandel weighing in at 15.1 percent alcohol would normally give me pause, except if its from a property like Quivira Vineyards and Winery. Quivira makes exceptional, well-balanced  wines in Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley, and the reds draw attention to themselves for that fact rather than for their alcoholic punch.  Quivira’s 2007 Wine Creek Ranch Zinfandel makes the point beautifully. Made from biodynamically grown grapes (the blend is 92 percent zinfandel and 8 percent petite sirah), this elegant wine shows concentrated blackberry and blueberry notes, mocha and dark chocolate, minerals and chewy tannins that persist on a very long finish.  Drinking well now, it will continue to develop over several years. For grilled meats , duck, game and ragus. The suggested price is $34, and 375 cases were made. Received as a press sample.

del.icio.us Tags: California zinfandel,Dry Creek Valley,Quivira,Quivira zinfandel,Edward Deitch,Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel,Sonoma zinfandel,Quivira Vineyards and Winery

Wine and chili (and football)

I have a friend who is a Minnesota Vikings fan, or, more precisely, a Bret Favre fan. My friend is from Wisconsin and rooted for the 40-year-old quarterback for many years when he played for Green Bay. That’s why this year, with Favre leading Minnesota to the doorstep of the Super Bowl, my friend is a Vikings fan. In any event, I, too, enjoy football in these exciting last weeks of the season. So when my friend invited me to watch the Vikings against the Giants, I didn’t hesitate. It didn’t hurt that the invitation came with the promise of homemade chicken chili, and that, of course, would give me the chance to bring along a terrific wine. But which wine?

It turned out my choice was just about unbeatable as we sipped Bradford Mountain’s superb 2005 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, which is made from organically grown grapes. Like many zins, this one is relatively high in alcohol, at 14.6 percent. But unlike some, it’s a model of balance with refreshing acids that keep it from being overpowered by robust foods. It was a great complement to the delicious chili with its sweet and spicy tomato base (thanks again to my friend’s wife).

As the Vikings handed the Giants a season-ending 44-7 defeat, the wine was the real winner with its concentrated blackberry and blueberry fruit, mocha, herbs and smooth but solid tannic structure. It would be nice to repeat it all with the Vikings and the Jets in the Super Bowl. I know who I’ll be rooting for. The wine has a suggested price of $28 and 1,950 cases were produced. More information at Bradford Mountain’s  Web site.  (Wine received as a press sample.)