#SundaySupper Father’s Day

Today’s #SundaySupper is all about special recipes that remind you of Dad.  As a Dad, I can tell you that Dad wants to be appreciated, and cooking something special for him is a great way to do that.

Here’s the menu for today.  My suggested wine pairings are italicized.

Father’s Day Brunch:

There’s a reason that sparkling wines go so well with brunch, the effervescence adds a celebratory feel to the meal, and the high acidity of sparkling wines makes them an ideal companion for the melange of foods that might be served.  I recommend Mumm Napa Brut Prestige for something on the dry side, and La Marca Prosecco if Dad like his bubbly a bit sweeter.  Both are available for less than $20

Dad’s Favorite Soup, Salads and Bread:

For the Tuna Salad, and the German Potato Salad stick with the sparklers I mentioned above.  For the Roasted Beet soup, I recommend the “Chef’s Wine” – Pinot Noir.  Like sparkling wine, its got great acidity, which make it very food friendly.  The acidity has the effect of cleansing the palate and preparing it for the next mouthful of deliciousness!  It can be a challenge to find a budget friendly Pinot Noir.  Look for the 2008 Buena Vista Pinot Noir, it’s about $10 at Trader Joe’s.  It has a nice mix of cherry, and earthy flavors that will be a great complement a variety of food, especially Roasted Beet Soup. 

Father’s Day Favorite Main Dishes:

I recommend Syrah for the following dishes.  Syrah is a “big” wine that will stand up the the hearty nature of these dishes.  What I like about Syrah is that it typically has more acidity than Cabernet Sauvignon, or Merlot. That enables it to pair with a wider range of foods.  Look for the 2010 Andrew Murray Tous Les Jours Syrah.  It retails for $16.  Another great option for these dishes is a Côtes du Rhone Villages, which is often a blend of Syrah, along with Grenache and Mourvedre.  Look for the 2009 Perrin Cotes du Rhone Reserve Red.  It’s around $15. 

For these dishes I recommend 2010 Chateau Ste. Michelle Pinot Gris.  Pinot Gris is a “cousin” to Pinot Noir, it has good acidity, and is more full-bodied that Pinot Grigio, so it will stand of to the bolder flavors of these dishes.  

Dad’s Sweet Tooth:
When pairing wine with dessert the main thing to remember is that the wine should be sweeter than the dessert.  Since I’m not sure how sweet the desserts are I’ll propose a few dessert wines that will work with this alluring line-up of desserts.
 
For the all but the sweetest of chocolate based desserts, especially the Black Forest cheesecake, I recommend  Banfi Brachetto d Acqui Rosa Regale, which is a red sparkling wine from Italy, made from the Brachetto grape.  It  complements chocolate very well.  And because it’s a sparkler it has the added benefit of cleansing the palate.  Around $20
For the fruit based desserts, custards, meringue, puddings I recommend a Late Harvest Riesling.  It’s a sweeter dessert wine, but the acidity of the Riesling keeps it from being cloying.  I recommend 2010 Hogue Cellars Late Harvest Riesling. Around $10
And finally, Dad might like a little Port to go something a little bit sweeter, or that contains nuts. Try the Graham Porto 10-year Tawny.  Port has the added advantage of being longer-lived than my other dessert wine recommendations.  That’s nice because, of course you DO want to let Dad know he’s appreciated more than once a year. Right? 
Cheers!

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16 Comments

  1. Another round of great wine pairings for #SundaySupper. Thanks so much Martin!

  2. juanitascocina says:

    I love a good Riesling! Thanks so much for fabulous wine pairings, once again!

  3. This is amazing. I’m so impressed that you found a wine to pair with my Korean dish. I will have to give it a try!

    1. Thanks Amy! I can’t think of a food that can’t be paired with wine. Though in many Asian cultures other adult beverages are more popular choices than wine…that’s changing. Cheers!

  4. Great post Martin!

    I need to find Andrew Murray Syrah and that Buena Vista Pinot Noir. Syrah really is a great wine to go with grilled foods, I don’t know why more folks aren’t drinking it.

    Hey, what are you having tonight? Do you do the cooking on Fathers Day, or do you man the grill?
    Cheers!

    1. Thanks Eileen! My wife is taking me to one of my fave restaurants – A Côte for dinner! Small bites and or course a great wine list!

  5. I always LOVE seeing what you pair w/ the food I post. What a great asset that is!!

    1. Thanks Sofie! I’m a wino with latent foodie tendencies;-)!

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