FROM THE GRAPEVINE

BY Scotty Scott of Ted "The Wine Guy" & Co.

The recent, albeit brief, break from our high humidity has me thinking about football season and all the tailgating and socializing opportunities soon coming our way.  I love the excitement and tension of watching my team play, but I love the social aspect of tailgating or entertaining at home just as much.  Which leads to the question, “How do I entertain myself and my guests before or after the game?” 

The easy answer is to load the counter up with chips, cheese dip and chicken fingers, make sure there are plenty of cold bevvies and let the conversation take care of itself.  Or, you can go a little further and arrange a wine tasting.  The possibilities are nearly limitless!  One of my favorite things to do is to have a blind tasting where you cover the bottles and have guests attempt to guess the variety of each wine.

Here’s what to do:

1.  Decide on the wines.  You can go with a very basic lineup like Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet.  Or if you’re feeling more advanced, try four reds such as Shiraz, Merlot, Zinfandel and Cabernet.  For an all white grouping you could do Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.
2. Once you’ve settled on the wine, bag them up (our individual plain brown bags work fine) and label them A, B, C, D and so on depending on the number of wines. 
3. Line up the bottles on the counter and put a sheet of paper in front of each one, labeled with the appropriate letter. As your guests try each wine, have them sign the paper and list their guess as to which wine they’re drinking.
4. Enjoy the fun!  As an added bonus, you can make it a contest and award the person with the most correct guesses a bottle of wine…or maybe they get the best seat for watching the game!

If you’ll be tailgating at the game you can still enjoy a good bottle of wine.  Just remember that red wine and heat go together like oil and water.  It is perfectly fine to keep red wine in your cooler; in fact, you might find you like it better a little cool.  Personally, I like a spicy red like Zinfandel or Syrah to go with tailgate food…They will cut through cold fried chicken with ease! 
If you just can’t imagine having red wine during the day, no worries. There are many, many white wine options.  Sparkling wines are sensational with food, and make a great transition from Mimosas in the morning to standing on their own with snacks and lunch.  Try light and fruity Prosecco or a Spanish Cava for good sparkling values.  I would be very remiss if I did not mention two of the best warm weather wines: Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc.  Both are light and offer fresh fruit flavor and refreshing acidity to quench your thirst and clean the palate.

Come see Ted or me at Ted “The Wine Guy” & Co. at our Zelda road location between Publix and Starbucks.  We’ll be happy to advise you on hosting your own wine tasting party or what to take to the game!