I know, most of our Super Bowl drinks will probably be from Shiner, Texas, but I thought it might be fun to pull together a group of wines that would go well with snacks and screams. What we need are wines that are quaffable, inexpensive, and can either go with a broad selection of munchies or can be drunk all by themselves.
Let’s start by showing a little sympathy for Texas. It seems as though it will be several decades before we have a team in the big one again, but we already have several wines that fit the bill. In the white category, Fall Creek Vineyards Chenin Blanc ($6.99) offers a delicious wine with a floral aroma and just a slight touch of sweetness that makes it a great match with buffalo wings, barbecue, and any kind of Southwest or Asian food. The perfect Texas red wine for those foods is Llano Estacado’s Signature Rhone ($8.99), a blend of several grapes with the emphasis on spicy intensity.
A white wine that I’ve recently discovered and am just nuts about is Marquis Philips 2003 Holly’s Blend ($9.99). This is made from an obscure grape – the Verdejo – usually found only in Portugal. Marquis Philips is a joint venture between an Australian and American family with the aim of using Australian fruit to make wines for Americans. This wine is slightly floral but filled with a red-wine-like viscosity. The flavors last in your mouth for a good long while after you swallow. This would go great with anything from a ham sandwich to chips and queso. My last recommendation is for an Italian red wine LaNunsio Barbera D’Asti ($9.99). I recently had a bottle of this wine with a grilled chicken, and it was delicious, but the next night, we discovered its highest calling: It makes the perfect hamburger wine.
This article appears in January 28 • 2005.
