Beat The Heat #SundaySupper – Hot Wine Pairings for “Cool” Food

It may be the hottest summer on record in the U.S.  When it’s THAT hot, the last thing you want to do is turn on the oven or the stove.  I don’t know about you, but I tend to eat more salads or anything I don’t have to cook inside.  This week’s #SundaySupper is all about salads, refreshing drinks, desserts and foods that don’t require baking.  I’m pleased to offer wine recommendations for this great lineup of foods that beat the heat!

Image courtesy of portablefarm.com

Check out this week’s lineup of “cool” recipes!  My recommended wine pairings are italicized.

#BeatTheHeat Appetizers:

Rosé is my favorite summertime quaff – it offers the soul of a red wine because it’s predominately made with red wine grapes, but with the cool refreshment of a white wine.  Try the following appetizers with the 2011 Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé from South Africa. It’s a fabulous wine, and a great deal at less than $10 too!

Try these delightful appetizers with Prosecco, which tend to be fruitier than other sparkling wines produced using the traditional method. That makes them the ideal foil for slightly spicy foods and smoked fish.  Look for La Marca Prosecco.  It has apple, peach and honeysuckle aromas followed by fresh, fruity apple, citrus flavors.

Pair the following appetizer with a Riesling, arguably the most food friendly white wine.  Look for the 2010 Columbia Crest Two Vines Riesling – it’s distinctly off-dry with tropical fruit and citrus aromas, followed by  stone fruit and mild orange flavors rounded out with a crisp refreshing acidity.

The grilled and the cheesy goodness of a baked potato skins will work best with a red.  Look for the 2010 Ménage à Trois, a blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.  It’s an easy drinking red that can take a chill too because it’s fruity, lower in tannins with good acidity!

#BeatTheHeat Salads, Soups, & Sides:

Try the following dishes with a Sauvignon Blanc.  Look for the 2011 Veramonte Ritual Sauvignon Blanc from Chile – it’s an elegant Sauvignon Blanc that sees a bit of oak, with pineapple, stone fruit, and citrus aromas and flavors.

Riesling will be a nice match for the following dishes.  Go with the 2010 Columbia Crest Two Vines Riesling mentioned above.

Pair  the following soup with a Rosé, or a sparkling Rose either the Mulderbosch, or the Gruet respectively mentioned above.

#BeatTheHeat Main Dishes:

Pair the following main dishes with a Sparkling Rosé.  They are among the most versatile food wines.  I recommend Gruet Rose.  It’s shows lots of red fruit, and the chilled effervescence will have you ready for the next bite of your entrée!

Pair the following main dishes with a crisp refreshing white blend, in this case the 2010 d’Arenberg Stump Jump White – a blend of 28% Riesling, 27% Sauvignon Blanc, 25% Marsanne and 20% Roussanne from McLaren Vale, Australia.  It’s very food friendly with juicy citrus and tropical fruit aromas balanced nicely with good acidity.

#BeatTheHeat Desserts:

I differentiated between the frozen and other desserts because frozen desserts are a treat unto themselves, especially when it’s so hot!  

For these non-frozen desserts my wine recommendations are as follows:
  • Elegant Fruit Jellies ~ Happy Baking Days  – La Marca Prosecco will be a fruity refreshing match for this dessert
  • Raspberry Mousse ~ Basic and Delicious – Pair with Banfi Rosa Regale, a lovely Italian sparkler that offer rose and berry aromas, along with strawberry and raspberry flavors.

#BeatTheHeat Drinks & Cocktails:

Be sure you join the conversation on Twitter throughout the day on Sunday, and at 3:00 p.m. EST for the weekly #SundaySupper Twitter chat!  All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag, or you can follow us through TweetChat!  Or check out the #SundaySupper Pinterest board.

51 Comments

  1. Thanks You ! That is a lovely wine pairing for my fruit salad. I like fruitier vines so that’s perfect. The other pairings are lovely too !

  2. Thank you for finding the perfect win to go with my Lemony Garbanzo Kale Salad with Tuna! I am going to hunt it down and drink it.

  3. juanitascocina says:

    Once again you have knocked it out of the park! Thank you for pairing this week’s #SundaySupper!

  4. Prosecco, sounds like a wonderful wine to go with my whitefish salad! Thanks again, Cindy

    1. You’re Welcome Cindy. If you get a chance to have some Prosecco, let me know what you think!

  5. Renee Dobbs says:

    Such great wine pairing Martin! You do such an excellent job with our big #SundaySupper event. Cheers to you!!

    1. Thanks Renee…enjoy working with this creative group so much! I’ve already tried a few of the dishes, with more to come! Salud!

    2. Thanks so much Renee! It’s fun for me to offer my recommendations for such diverse and creative recipes! Y’all got me wanting to cook (or for this week-not;-)!

  6. I love my sandwich with a white wine, and with a mix of grapes I knew nothing about. Thank Martin, you did a great job with the whole group!

  7. I can’t wait to try out some of the wines you listed! You did a fabulous job of putting this together! 🙂

    1. Thanks so much. It’s fun to offer my recommendations for such great recipes! So creative!

  8. diabeticfoodie says:

    I think the rose would be perfect with my Strawberry Gazpacho. Thank you so much!

    1. The pleasure is mine! I’m looking forward to making the strawberry gazpacho!

  9. How did you know I love Ravenswood Zin. Perfect pairing for my pork. And so many other wines I want to try. Amazing job!

    1. Thanks so much Brianne! Your recipe looks great!

  10. Jerry says:

    Nice choice on the Rose! I would have gone for something darker, but I’ll have to give that a go!

    1. Hi Jerry. Thanks, a Pinot Noir would be nice to I bet!

  11. Jerry says:

    I never would have thought of a rose to go with the slaw. I probably would have gone with something darker to match the chipotle, but I’ll definitely give it a shot!

  12. jamierippy says:

    Thank you for the great wine pairings!

    Jamie @ http://www.mamamommymom.com

    1. You’re welcome. Pairing wine with such creative dishes is fun!

  13. Great recommendations. I don’t drink so when we have company I never quite know what to pair with dinner.

  14. Totally cool having a wine pairing for my Totally Cool Green Hummus. You rock!

    1. Thanks Renee. It’s a great recipe!

  15. Cherri Brodrick says:

    I love to eat Salads, salads are quite tasty and also they are considered to be health foods. Salads are also great when you are on a diet. ::”..

    Kindest regards
    http://www.healthmedicinelab.com“>

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