This week, the Sunday Supper taste makers are celebrating regional food specialties. Foodies believe there is no better way to get to know an area than to experience what the “natives” eat.  The Sunday Supper family is sharing more than 40 wonderful dishes they grew up eating or learned to love while visiting or living in a specific area.

I love this theme because I believe, in many ways, you can come to know something about the people of a place through the food and wine of that place.

Here are my general tips for How To Sensibly Pair Food And Wine.

My wine pairing recommendations follow:

Pair the appetizers, breakfast items, salads, soups, and side dishes below with a glass of sparkling wine. Sparkling wines are the Swiss Army knife of wines in my book.  They are a good match for virtually anything   And enjoying a glass of bubbly will not only elevate your meal, it’s the only wine that’s socially acceptable to enjoy with any meal). Look for Gruet Blanc de Noir. It’s blend of mostly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with a lovely pale salmon color and an enticing, rich raspberry, baked pear and toasty vanilla character.  

Appetizers:

• Crispy Salmon Bites with Homemade Tartar Sauce by Pine Needles In My Salad
• Loaded Tex-Mex Chile con Queso by The Weekend Gourmet
• New England Style Stuffed Clams by Caroline’s Cooking

Beverages:

• Brandy Old Fashioned by Curious Cuisiniere

Breakfast:

• Breakfast Empanada Casserole by Simply Healthy Family

Salads:

• Pittsburgh Steak Salad by Seduction in the Kitchen
• Homemade Ranch Dressing by My Imperfect Kitchen
• Tupelo Honey Key Lime Vinaigrette by Family Around the Table

Sauces:

• Alabama White Barbecue Sauce by Cookin’ Mimi

Side Dishes:

• Delaware Crabs by Delaware Girl Eats
• JoJo Potatoes by A Mind Full Mom
• Long Beans with Coconut by Food Lust People Love
• Old Bay Cauli-Tots by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Southern Collard Greens by Magnolia Days

Soups:

• Mohawk Corn Soup by kimchi MOM
• Steve’s Famous Maryland Crab Soup by Monica’s Table

Main Dishes:

Pair the dishes below with Pinot Grigio.  I like the Kirkland Pinot Grigio, Friuli.  It’s a Pinot Grigio from the Friuli region in the far north-eastern corner of Italy. I think it’s one of the best regions for Pinot Grigio in Italy.  The Kirkland Pinot Grigio opens with aromas of apple, peach, clarified butter and wet stones.  In the mouth, it’s medium-bodied, fresh and fruity with apple, and pear flavors and an appealing minerality.

• California Beer Steamed Shrimp by Nosh My Way
• Cali Inspired Fish Tacos by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Corn and Bacon Chowder by Moore or Less Cooking
• Crab-Stuffed Artichokes with Spicy Aioli by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Pair the following dishes with Riesling. A perennial favorite of mine is the Chateau Ste. Michelle & Dr. Loosen Riesling Eroica.  It offers calamansi, mandarin orange, and tropical fruit aromas. on the palate it’s off-dry (slightly sweet) with mouth-watering acidity and tropical fruit, citrus, and honey flavors.

• Halal Cart-Style Chicken and Rice with White Sauce by The Texan New Yorker
• Copycat Hattie B’s Hot Chicken by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• How to Make Vegetable Lumpia by Asian In America

Pair these dishes with a medium-bodied Chardonnay with good acidity.  Look for the Columbia Crest H3 Chardonnay.  It opens with aromas of spiced pear and freshly sliced apples with a hint of honey.  In the mouth, it shows spiced peach, apple, citrus, tropical fruit, and vanilla flavors.

• Amish Chicken and Noodles by Palatable Pastime
• Boiled Lobster with Drawn Butter by Taste And See
• Mom’s City Chicken by My Life Cookbook

It’s not hard to imagine myself dining al fresco enjoying a chilled glass of a food friendly Rosé with the dishes below.  A perennial favorite is Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare.  It’s a blend of both red and white Rhone grape varieties with a refreshing, savory Alpine strawberry, and citrus character. 

• Avocado BLT Sandwich by Brunch-n-Bites
• Spicy Salmon for Tacos by Hey What’s for Dinner Mom?

When I saw these two dishes, the first thought that came to mind is the tried and true food pairing guideline “what grows together, goes together”.  So an Italian wine made from the Barbera grape came to mind.  Barbera tends to be a light-bodied, juicy wine.  Look for the 2012 Terre da Vino “La Luna e I Falò” Barbera d’Asti Superiore from Italy.  It has lush, savory black cherry, plum, and licorice character.

• Deep Fried Pizza Roll by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Italian Hot Dog by Simple and Savory

Pair the dishes below with a Malbec. I recently enjoyed the 2013 Catena Malbec from Argentina.  It’s a textbook smooth and supple Malbec with very appealing black cherry, blackberry, plum, dark chocolate and vanilla character. 

• Bison Steaks with Cranberry Chimichurri by Tramplingrose
• Cola Marinated Steak Tips by Hardly a Goddess
• Homemade Quebec Maple Baked Beans by She Loves Biscotti

Pair the dishes below with a Rioja from Spain. The primary red wine grape in Rioja is Tempranillo. When I look for a value in a food-friendly wine, Spain is at the top of my list. Look for the  2010 Marqués de Murrieta Reserva Rioja.  It’s produced by one of the two oldest, historical bodegas that put Rioja on the map in the mid-19th century.  It’s a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano with a perfumed, spicy, savory red cherry, licorice and vanilla character.  

• Cheesy Tex Mex Enchiladas by The TipToe Fairy
• Tex-Mex Slowcooker Chicken and Beef Fajitas by Meal Planning Magic
• West Michigan Wet Burritos by Wholistic Woman

Pair these dishes with a red wine blend.  Look for the Michael David Petit Petite. It’s an intriguing blend of 85% Petite Sirah and 15% Petit Verdot from the 2015 Wine Enthusiast Region of the Year, Lodi. It’s a rich, full-bodied wine with gobs of pure black fruit, cacao and vanilla flavors. 

• North Carolina BBQ with Cole Slaw and Hush Puppies by The Freshman Cook
• Philly Cheesesteak Calzones by Baking Sense
• Polish Boy Sandwich by Renee’s Kitchen Adventures

Desserts:

When it comes to dessert, it’s often best to pair your favorite dessert with a cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk!  But pairing dessert with a dessert wine can make your favorite dessert even better.  Here are three recommendations that I believe will

Here are some guidelines and recommendations for desserts. There are three factors to consider: sweetness (a dessert wine should be sweeter than the dessert itself), acidity (an acidic wine may pair best with a fruit dish, which also has natural acidity), intensity (the more intense the flavors of a dessert, the more intense the wine), and color ( in general the darker the dessert, the darker the dessert wine should be)

For a mild, light, buttery dessert such as custard, meringue or where vanilla plays a prominent role, I recommend a Moscato d’ Asti, a semi-sweet, lightly sparkling, low-alcohol wine from Piedmont, Italy.  Look for the 2015 Saracco Moscato d’Asti.

For desserts featuring pome, or orchard fruit and cinnamon spice, look for a late harvest or ice-wine style Riesling.  Try the Pacific Rim Vin de Glaciere Riesling.

For dark, buttery, caramelized, nutty, and rich desserts try a Port. Look for the Fonseca Bin No. 27 Port from Portugal.

For frosted cakes or cupcakes, pair the wine to the frosting (i.e for chocolate, peanut butter,  or toffee frosting go with a Port, for vanilla, coconut, whipped cream, sugar cream type frosting go with a Moscato d’Asti or late harvest riesling.

• Upside Down Angel Food Cupcakes by Cooking With Carlee
• Austrian Mohnnudeln (Poppy Seed Noodles) by The Bread She Bakes
• Butter Tarts – A Canadian Tradition by Red Cottage Chronicles
• Carob Cherry Crumb Bars by Pies and Plots
• Florida Key Lime Cream Pie by The Crumby Cupcake
• Fried Biscuits by Angels Home Sweet Homestead
• Gooey Butter Cake from Saint Louie! by Our Good Life
• Homemade Butterscotch Krimpets by The Redhead Baker
• San Jose Burnt Almond Cake by Eat, Drink and be Tracy
• Shoofly Pie by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Spanish Bar Cake by Get the Good Stuff!
• Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie by That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Plus Rhubarb Steamed Pudding and Favorite Regional Recipes from Sunday Supper Movement

What are your favorite regional recipes? What about regional wines?

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