AmericanWinery.com

Whether your gamewatch gathering is centered around football, baseball, basketball or any other spectator sport, wine is a natural for gametime entertaining. No longer are sporting events classified as “beer only” occasions. According to entertaining experts, more and more fans are opting to sip wine on the sidelines.

America’s sports enthusiasts are discovering that wine is a real crowd-pleaser — and scores big points for its versatility. wine teams up with chips and dip at a lively game day party as well as it does with beef tenderloin at a sit-down dinner. And since it’s easy to find great wine at most grocery stores for under $15, it’s natural that wine is becoming more commonplace at all types of entertaining occasions. Whether you stick to pretzels and pizza or pull out the stops for a full living room tailgate, serving wine at your next game day party makes it easy to turn your living room into a luxury box.

Keep wine in the Starting Lineup

There’s no reason to stress about selecting wines to serve on game day. Stick with what you like — choose a food-friendly red and white option and you can’t go wrong. To complement the range of spiciness often found in game day foods, try lighter wines, typically higher in acid and often with sweet, spicy or fruity characteristics. Winning white wines include bright Sauvignon Blanc or unoaked Chardonnay. For red wine fans, he suggests lightly spicy Pinot Noir or fruity Beaujolais.

Have fun with wine choices, and encourage your guests to DO the same. Since every one of the 50 states is now home to at least one winery, invite guests to try wines produced in the home states of their favorite teams. Here are some more tips for a winning glass every time:

• Stick to the planning playbook. When preparing for a party, plan about two to three glasses of wine per guest. A standard 750 ml bottle contains about five glasses. To determine which types of wine, use the simple formula of 60 percent white wine and 40 percent red wine. Champagne, sparkling wine and rosé are considered white wine for these calculations.
• Consider up-sizing. Remember that there are a wide variety of magnum-sized wine bottles (1.5 liters) that hold a crowd-pleasing 10 glasses of wine. Today’s new generation of boxed wines also make excellent party-friendly choices.
• No uniform required. From plastic party cups to traditional stemmed glassware, any glass can be a wine glass. Feel free to serve wine in any glass you have on hand or that will make your guests feel most comfortable.
• Make a play for wine leftovers. Don’t dump partially-consumed bottles post-party. Just re-cork them and the wine will stay fresh for three to four days in the refrigerator or, for red wines, three to four days on your kitchen counter. wine bottles with screw caps and wine in TetraPak cartons are great party additions because they’re easy to open and easy to close.

Plus, check out wine Market Council’s suggested wine match-ups for America’s favorite gametime snacks.

BUFFALO WINGS

Piquant and vinegary wings need white wines with a lot of acidity like Sauvignon Blanc or Albarino from Spain to stand up to the sharpness of the flavors. If the wings are exceptionally spicy, an off-dry Riesling from Germany or the United States also works well to tame the heat.

PIZZA

With so many variations in its preparation, pizza matches well with many different wines. Keeping with the Italian theme, Chianti is a natural fit. Its tart cherry flavor and bright acidity meld well with any pizza’s tomato sauce. Red wines from the Barbera grape, which is produced in Northern Italy’s Piedmont area and parts of California also has a nice tang to accompany pepperoni or sausage. For a pizza emphasizing garlic or vegetables, try a Pinot Grigio.

CHILI/SLOPPY JOES

These quintessential American foods call for quintessential American wines. Try a lush, fruit-forward Zinfandel with a sloppy joe, the bright berry flavors will have affinity for the sweet, tomato flavors. With chili, a Syrah from the U.S. or Rioja from Spain (with flavors of the Tempranillo grape) works wonders, as these wines have the same earthy and meaty characteristics.

VEGGIES AND DIP

Crispy and crunchy crudité s call for a fresh, zippy white like Sauvignon Blanc or an unoaked Chardonnay from New Zealand, Australia or the United States. If you’re in the mood for a red, try something light and fruity like a chilled Beaujolais from France or an inexpensive Pinot Noir from Oregon or California.

NACHOS OR QUESADILLAS

One of the best matches for anything with corn, such as chips or tortillas, is Chardonnay. This is the case here, as Chardonnay also will complement creamy cheeses and counterpoint the salsa. In the red category, Zinfandel likewise accompanies spicy salsa and Merlot can have a cooling effect. Consider drinking the reds slightly chilled.

SUBMARINE SANDWICHES

When you roll out that big sub at halftime, consider a big wine like shiraz from Australia or even a Malbec from Argentina, which will happily go with any meat. If the sandwich has a spicy mustard flavor, go with a Pinot Noir from California or France (Burgundy). If the sandwich is a cheese steak, consider a Cabernet, which goes beautifully with beef.

Courtesy of wine Market Council. For more information, visit www.wineanswers.com