Wines to Pair with Appetizers 750 ml

It’s estimated that the US loses $4 billion in productivity due to post-Super Bowl, um, we’ll say absenteeism. There’s a movement afoot to make the Monday after the big game a holiday, but until that day comes, we say don’t let that productivity perish in vain. 

The best way to do that is by savoring every sip we take on Super Bowl Sunday—which means having perfect pairings at the ready.

You’ve only got two hands, and one is holding a floppy paper plate laden with cocktail franks, potato skins, mozzarella sticks, and jalapeño poppers—so what do you want in the other? A wine of maximum versatility and refreshment, that’s what, and for that, absolutely nothing beats bubbles. Sparkling is your H-back, your cornerback-kick returner, and should be your number-one no-brainer bottle when you think no single wine could possibly tackle the task. 

Singing from the Southern-Fried Heart

2018 Weingut Von Winning Winnings Riesling Pfalz Germany

Hands-down one of the most drinkable wines on planet Earth, folks in the industry love this wine because it shows you really can have it all: thirst-quenching, energetic, food-friendly deliciousness. 

Tasting Note: Pale straw color with golden and silver highlights. The nose is explosive with citrus notes of lime, lemon, and yellow grapefruit, as well as white flowers and nectarine. The palate is lifted, elegant, and vibrant with plenty of wet stones, salty minerals, and citrus zest. Clean and refined, with a lushness to the palate that balances the dry, slightly petrol side of Riesling with the faintest notion of sweetness. The wine dazzles on the finish while it vacillates between clean and off-dry to medium-dry, with a kiss of sweetness. Drink now - 2025.

A Crémant of Champagne Standards

NV Langlois-Chateau Cremant de Loire Brut Loire Valley

Taking a page right out of Bollinger’s own Special Cuvée Champagne-making script, this Crémant de Loire dazzles with the complexity we’re used to seeing only in Champagne. A true must-have.

Tasting Note: A beautifully complex Crémant, easily confused for a top-shelf Champagne. In the glass, finely delineated beads of the Langlois-Château Crémant de Loire Brut burst with ripe apple and pithy grapefruit notes. Round and elegant on the palate with lively acidity, complex citrus notes are underscored by roughly 10% of reserve wines blended in from exceptional vintages, which unfolds in creamier layers hinting at baked fruit and notes of brioche. Excellent length and tension on an energetic and crisp mineral finish.

An Outstanding Sherry Value from One of the Greats

Bodegas Hidalgo NV La Gitana Manzanilla Dry Sherry Sanlucar de Barrameda Spain (500 mL)

Hidalgo makes the most iconic and consistent Manzanilla sherry in the marketplace. Exhilaratingly fresh, it stormed its way to #37 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 List of 2018. 

Tasting Note: Pale straw color with hints of green apple notes. You can literally taste salty sea spray with hints of almond, yellow skinned fruits, and chalk. Savory bone-dry finish. Enjoy cold with an array or small bites such as jamon, fried or sautéed seafood, olives, and the Spanish classic, tortilla espanola. Drink now - 2022.

Pinot Noir Gold from South of the Côte d’Or

2017 Louis Latour Les Pierres Dorées Pinot Noir Burgundy

Maison Louis Latour is synonymous with first-class Pinot, from Grands Cru sites to way-ahead-of-the-curve terroirs. Today’s Pierres Dorées Pinot brings that peerless pedigree. 

Tasting Note: Showing pale ruby color in the glass. Effusive aromas of fresh strawberries, candied red cherry, violets, forest floor, and a hint of clove. The palate shows pleasant ripe fruit, with soft and fleshy tannins, light body, and a pleasant floral lift carrying flavors of raspberry and coriander. Drink now - 2021.