John Brown has been a wine and food columnist in West Virginia since the 1980’s. His regular columns appear in the Charleston (WV) Gazette-Mail under the title Vines & Vittles.
Pairing wine with sports
I’m making my annual transition from the heavier wines of winter to the more approachable and somewhat lighter wines of spring and summer. Most of us are more active now so the foods and wines we choose should match this lifestyle. Here are some wines you might want to try that fit this bill.
2009 Anselmi San Vincenzo ($15) Robert Anselmi wanted to produce a wine in the Soave district of northern Italy, but he wanted to blend some chardonnay into the approved whites from the region. His delicate San Vincenzo has ripe peach and citrus flavors, excellent balancing acidity and depth provided by a substantial dollop of the chardonnay. Pan sauté a filet of grouper or other white fish in a little butter, lemon and tarragon and pair it with the San Vincenzo.
2011 Badenhorst Chenin Blanc Secatuers ($16) – South Africa produces some of the world’s greatest chenin blanc and the Secateurs is a delicious, medium-bodied wine that is just a tad sweet. Similar to a Vouvray from the Loire Valley, this chenin blanc is round and rich with nuances of apricot and lemon, and can be used as an apertif or as an accompaniment to Asian stir-fry.
2009 Chateau De Saint Cosme Les Deux Albions ($20) – At first glance, this Rhone red blend of mainly grenache and syrah looks like it would be better suited to winter foods, but it is silky with flavors of ripe blackberries with just a touch of mocha. The wine is also well balanced and would be an excellent match to grilled short ribs basted with a KC Barbecue type sauce.
2010 Duckhorn Decoy Pinot Noir ($21) – This Mendocino County pinot noir is chock full of black cherry flavors with just a hint of cinnamon on the finish. Some earthiness in the aroma and good balancing acidity make this a wine to pack in your picnic basket. Pair it with smoked sausages or hamburgers on the grill.
For example, many people drink a beer or sip a glass of wine while playing golf. Personally, I find that wine provides the only pleasure I derive from a sport that is otherwise dreadfully frustrating.
But there are other sporting activities. How about Bocce, Croquet, Shuffleboard or even Horseshoes (you might wish to avoid this one if you have more than a glass or two)?
I recall as a kid growing up one particular sport where the sole purpose of the game was to earn the right to sip some wine or drink a beer. This was an Italian numbers game called Mora which some older Italian men pronounced as “Mooda.”
Mora is played with as few as two or as many as five persons per side lined up across from each other. The first player engages their opponent and if that player wins, he or she moves on to the next person in line. Players throw out a single hand, showing zero to five fingers, and calling out loudly their guess at what the sum of all fingers shown will be.
The first team to vanquish all their opponents wins the game. And here is the catch: only the winning team is permitted to sip their preferred beverage during the next game while the losers must abstain. As you might guess, I’ve changed the rules so that there are no losers.
Even if you choose not to sip a little Vito’s Thunder Mountain Chablis while competing in outdoor sporting activities, you might still want to give the wines previously mentioned a try.
2009 Anselmi San Vincenzo ($15) Robert Anselmi wanted to produce a wine in the Soave district of northern Italy, but he wanted to blend some chardonnay into the approved whites from the region. His delicate San Vincenzo has ripe peach and citrus flavors, excellent balancing acidity and depth provided by a substantial dollop of the chardonnay. Pan sauté a filet of grouper or other white fish in a little butter, lemon and tarragon and pair it with the San Vincenzo.
2011 Badenhorst Chenin Blanc Secatuers ($16) – South Africa produces some of the world’s greatest chenin blanc and the Secateurs is a delicious, medium-bodied wine that is just a tad sweet. Similar to a Vouvray from the Loire Valley, this chenin blanc is round and rich with nuances of apricot and lemon, and can be used as an apertif or as an accompaniment to Asian stir-fry.
2009 Chateau De Saint Cosme Les Deux Albions ($20) – At first glance, this Rhone red blend of mainly grenache and syrah looks like it would be better suited to winter foods, but it is silky with flavors of ripe blackberries with just a touch of mocha. The wine is also well balanced and would be an excellent match to grilled short ribs basted with a KC Barbecue type sauce.
2010 Duckhorn Decoy Pinot Noir ($21) – This Mendocino County pinot noir is chock full of black cherry flavors with just a hint of cinnamon on the finish. Some earthiness in the aroma and good balancing acidity make this a wine to pack in your picnic basket. Pair it with smoked sausages or hamburgers on the grill.
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Since this is the season when we are inclined to participate in physical activities, do you suppose it is okay to sip wine while engaging in a sport? How about the wines mentioned above? I think they would be perfect matches to some sports.
Now, I would agree that using wine to hydrate between plays in football or between innings in baseball would not be advisable nor would sipping the fruit of the vine while competing in a NASCAR event. However, I think that moderate wine consumption would enhance the experience of certain more – shall we say –sedentary sports.For example, many people drink a beer or sip a glass of wine while playing golf. Personally, I find that wine provides the only pleasure I derive from a sport that is otherwise dreadfully frustrating.
But there are other sporting activities. How about Bocce, Croquet, Shuffleboard or even Horseshoes (you might wish to avoid this one if you have more than a glass or two)?
What wine goes with Croquet ?
I recall as a kid growing up one particular sport where the sole purpose of the game was to earn the right to sip some wine or drink a beer. This was an Italian numbers game called Mora which some older Italian men pronounced as “Mooda.”
Mora is played with as few as two or as many as five persons per side lined up across from each other. The first player engages their opponent and if that player wins, he or she moves on to the next person in line. Players throw out a single hand, showing zero to five fingers, and calling out loudly their guess at what the sum of all fingers shown will be.
The first team to vanquish all their opponents wins the game. And here is the catch: only the winning team is permitted to sip their preferred beverage during the next game while the losers must abstain. As you might guess, I’ve changed the rules so that there are no losers.
Even if you choose not to sip a little Vito’s Thunder Mountain Chablis while competing in outdoor sporting activities, you might still want to give the wines previously mentioned a try.
