#SundaySupper – Celebrating Independence Day with Family, Friends, Food and Wine!

I don’t necessarily think of myself as being very patriotic, but each year around this time we sing “America The Beautiful” at my church, and it chokes me up each time! I truly appreciate this great nation of ours, and feel blessed to be an American.  And that’s what the Fourth of July is about for me.  Okay – well that,  and it’s a great reason to gather with family, and friends share great food and wine!

My food blogging friends have outdone themselves with this week’s #SundaySupper theme – Celebrating Fourth of July with Family and Friends.  It’s big fun, and an honor for a self-described “Wino with latent foodie tendencies” such as myself, to offer some wonderful wines recommendations to match these great recipes!

Here’s a list of this week’s recipes and my recommended wines!

Pair these main course dishes with Zinfandel, an All-American wine if there ever was one!  I recommend the 2009 Ridge Vineyard “Three Valleys” Sonoma Zinfandel Blend.  It’s mostly Zinfandel with some Carignane, Petite Sirah, and Syrah invited to the party.  It’s well-balanced with great fruit, acidity, and a bit of spice!

Pair these main course dishes with a Pinot Noir.  I recommend the 2009 MacMurray Ranch Central Coast Pinot Noir.  This one shows plenty of classic Pinot Noir red fruit flavors and acidity.  And Pinot Noir can take a chill.  Throw it in the ice bucket for 10-15 minutes and you’ll have a delightfully chilled food partner!

What’s the Fourth of July without some sparkle?!  A sparkling Rosé is a great wine for your Independence Day culinary festivities.  It’ll do double duty with these salads/sides and main dishes. Try the Barefoot Bubbly Rosé Cuvée.

Riesling is the white wine version of a “Chef’s wine” because it’s so food friendly.  The 2010 Chateau Ste Michelle Columbia Valley Riesling will be a great match for these ethnic dishes!

Try these salads and sides with a Sauvignon Blanc.  It’s one of the few wines that’ll be a good match for asparagus.  Sauvignon Blanc (a.k.a. Fumé Blanc – it’s the same wine) is a very versatile wine, and has a bold and forthright personality.  Look for the 2010 Dry Creek Vineyard Sonoma County Fumé Blanc. 

For these salads and sides, Chardonnay, America’s favorite white wine, will be great match.  Look for the 2010 Napa Cellars Napa Valley Chardonnay.
Here’s another bubbly that’ll do double duty.  Try an Extra-Dry Sparkling wine with these salads/side and desserts.  The Chandon Extra Dry Riche has got a bit of sweetness that partners well with spicy fare as well as fruity desserts.
As for the last of the salads and sides?  This one needs no wine pairing because it’s made with one of my favorite Fourth of July beverages – Sangria! 
These desserts will be a pair nicely with a late harvest Riesling.  Late harvest wines, as their description implies are wines produced from grapes that are picked late in the season  The extra “hang-time” means the grapes have a higher sugar content, and are therefore sweeter.  I recommend the 2008 Chateau Ste. Michelle Late Harvest White Riesling.  

For these desserts, I recommend a Port.  Look for Graham’s “Six Grapes” Port.

I hereby raise a virtual glass, and I say to you – “Here’s to making memories!”  – because that’s what family, friends, great food and wine are all about! – Cheers!

37 Comments

  1. Renee Dobbs says:

    Once again you have done incredible wine pairings for #SundaySupper. Now I have more wines to add to my list of wines to buy.

    1. Thanks Renee! This has been such a great experience for me!

  2. Knowing about wines is really something on my list, and your posts get me a little bit closer. Great job! Have a great week

    1. Thanks Paula! I’m glad you’re enjoying! Ot’s a two way street! The #SS recipes are so great!

  3. I think I need to start printing your weekly posts and taking them to the store with me to stock up! So much to try! My inner foodie may turn into a wino too! lol

    1. Ha! The main difference is that winos decide what wine to drink, the figure out what food prepare. Foodies do it the other way;-). Either way great food and wine go together like hand and glove! Definitely one of life’s get pleasures!

  4. you offer such an amazing bonus to #sundaysupper! Now I will have to go buy more wine and try all these out. Shucks!

    1. Thanks! I’m enjoying the experience! And I’m definitely looking forward to making some of the great recipes!

  5. Thanks for all the great wine suggestions. I am trying to learn more about proper pairings! Just back from Portland, where we visited three nice wineries and sampled some great Pinot noir!

    1. Thanks Wendy! Oregon has great Pinot noir and Pinot Gris too! Both are food friendly wines! If you’ve ever got questions feel free to drop me line!

  6. Wish I would have had some wine when I actually made my salad! I love a good wine!

    1. Erin- Ha! As the old saying goes “I Iove cooking with wine – sometimes I even put it in the food!”

  7. I’ll have to find that bubbly to go with my Strawberries & Cream Cake. All of the wines sounds fabulous.

    1. It’s nationally distributed I believe. I hope you can find it! And let me know what you think of the pairing! I love bubbly with desserts!

  8. What great pairings!! Thanks so much for putting this all together – such fun!

    1. Thanks Katherine! I love putting the pairings together!

  9. Soni says:

    Such great wine pairings!!Its great to know what wines go with the different kinds of food out there :)Very soon I’ll be able to impress my guest with all this knowledge ;)Thanks so much!

    1. Thanks Soni – doing the pairings is fun. I believe wine can be paired with virtually anything!

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