Try Serving Wine at Your Next Sports-Related Gathering

It’s Super Bowl Sunday and if you’re still scrambling for some last minute party planning tips there’s no reason to limit your beverages to a couple of six-packs of beer. Surprise yourself – and your guests – by having a few wine selections on hand that can be served at any sports-related gathering.

With a variety of styles and flavor characteristics, wines are incredibly versatile, enabling them to pair up with a wide range of foods – to everything from a carefully planned hors d’oeuvres to a pre-packaged snack.

Try a sauvignon blanc or a sangiovese to serve with creamy dips or nachos with cheddar cheese. Each varietal’s naturally high acidity will cut through the fat content of these foods, allowing you to taste both the food and the wine.

A couple of sangiovese suggestions: the Mount Baker Vineyards 2005 Barrel Select Sangiovese (about $16), an excellent, somewhat fruit-forward red with a dry finish, or the Maryhill Vineyards 2006 Rose of Sangiovese (about $14), a slightly sweet blush wine that also provides a nice contrast to salty snack foods. Both of these are well distributed and should be available in the wine section of your grocer.

Container wines are also great to serve at large parties. Revelry Vintners provides wine in a unique, cylindrical package with an airtight bag that keeps the wine fresh for up to 30 days. I’ve recently enjoyed the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, with subtle, dark fruit flavors and a vanilla-like finish and the 2005 Merlot, which is a bit fruitier with plenty of berry and cherry flavors.

The winery also produces a 2006 Chardonnay and all three selections will cost you about $20 for a 1.5 liter container, which is the equivalent of two regular bottles. You’ll find them at local Fred Meyer stores.

For your post-Super Bowl celebration, try the Silver Cup Non-Vintage Blanc de Blancs Brut. This French sparkling wine is made from 100 percent chardonnay and is rich and toasty with touches of apple and lemon cream flavors. I picked up my bottle at Gateway Wines in downtown Bellingham for the incredibly low price of just $9 a bottle. Although the shop is not open on Sundays, you can purchase the wine during their regular hours, Monday through Saturday from 11:30 am to 7:00 pm.