I always have mixed feelings about Labor Day weekend. The last few years, our friends and neighbors have hosted a Labor Day Cookout. They always throw one heck of a party. But, at the same time Labor Day heralds the end of the summer, my favorite season of the year. Well, at least we go out with a bang!
Speaking of going out with a bang, check out this week’s #SundaySupper menu. It’s dynamite! My recommended wine pairing are italicized. Cheers!
Pair these sensational starters, snacks, salads, and sides with sparkling wine. A sparkling wine will instantly give your cookout a celebratory feel, and sparkling wine is one of the most versatile wines for pairing with foods. A Blanc de Noir style sparkling wine would make a great match for this diverse palate of flavors. A Blanc de Noir is made with dark-skinned grapes used to make red wines like Pinot Noir , Pinot Meunier and/or other grapes. I recommend the Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noir. Its red fruit and vanilla aromas are followed by creamy red fruit and citrus flavors.
- Lobster Salad with Avocado, Corn and Tomatoes by The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
- Grilled Vegetable Spread by Magnolia Days
- Toast Topper #8: Tomato Confit for #SundaySupper by Yummy Smells
- Honey BBQ Wings and Cool Ranch by Big Bears Wife
- Finger Lickin’ Chicken Drumettes by Noshing with the Nolands
- Ranch Potato Salad by My Catholic Kitchen
- Gluten Free Penne hot salad with basil, asparagus, cherry tomatoes fresh mozzarella and chicken with a mustard vineagarete for #SundaySupper by Cooking Underwriter
- Southern Surprise Potato Salad by Granny’s Down Home Southern Cooking
- #SundaySupper Marinated Ginger Chicken & Spinach Salad by Kwistin’s Favorites
- Roasted Potato & Corn Salad w/ Bacon by GirliChef
- Vegan Caprese Salad by Galactosemia in PDX
- Picnic Friendly Grilled Vegetable Salad by Mama Mommy Mom
- Smokin Hot Caribbean Spiced Corn-On-The-Cob by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
- Potato salad with Stilton and bacon by Tora’s Real Food
- Tomato Feta Orzo Salad by Family Foodie
Pair these delectable dishes with a cookout favorite – Zinfandel! I recommend the 2010 McManis Family Vineyard Zinfandel. It shows plenty of ripe red fruits, vanilla and a bit of spice.
- Strawberry BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches by The Weekend Gourmet
- Spicy Seoulful Pulled Pork Sandwiches by Kimchi Mom
- Soy Glazed Chicken Thighs by The Messy Baker Blog
- Stuffed Green Chili con Queso Cheeseburger Sliders by Damn Delicious
- Pork sliders by Basic ‘N Delicious
Pair these main and side dishes with a red Rhône blend. What’s great about blends is that the combination of grape varietals creates a wine that is greater than the sum of its parts. Such is the case with my recommended wine the 2010 Bonny Doon Vineyard Contra Old Vine Field Blend. It’s a rich blend of Carigane, Syrah, Zinfandel, and Petite Sirah loaded with dark fruit, spice, and a bit of smoke aromas and flavors.
- Korean chili by Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends
- Spicy Portuguese Style Sliders by Daily Dish Recipes
- Smoked Pork Butt (A How-To) from Juanita’s Cocina
- Adana kebab by Small Wallet, Big Appetite
- Bloody Mary Skirt Steak by From Fast Food to Fresh Food
- Mint Marinated Beef Kabobs with Garlic Sauce by Sustainable Dad
- Mom’s Savory Pork’n’Beans by Webicurean
- Foil Packet Chicken by In the Kitchen with Audrey
- Baked Shrimp and Pasta Caprese by Mama’s Blissful Bites
- Newfangled Cowtown White Chicken Chili by Shockingly Delicious
- Tuna and Roasted Pepper Packets by Cindy’s Recipes & Writings
- Creamy Latin Style Pasta by Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
- Portabello Paninis by The Hand That Rocks the Ladle
- Aromatic Glazed Salmon by Happy Baking Days
Drinks
- Frozen Sangria by Supper For a Steal
- Persian mint & cucumber cooler (sekanjabeen) by Family Spice
Desserts
Don’t forget about desserts when it comes to pairing wine with foods. A wine with dessert is a great way to cap off a meal!
Pair these desserts with a sweet Moscato wine. It’s a great match for fruit-themed dessert. Try the 2011 Redtree Moscato with its slightly spritzy nectarine and rose petal flavors.
- Lightened lemon pound cake by The Meltaways
- Strawberry Cream Squares by Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
- Fresh Mango Pie by La Cocina De Leslie
- Gluten Free Lemon Blondies by No One Likes Crumbley Cookies
- Blueberry Lemon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake by Baker Street
- Strawberry Pie + White Sangria by Vintage Kitchen Notes
- Root Beer Float Cupcakes by Chocolate Moosey
- Brown Butter M&M Cookies by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Grilled Banana Splits by Diabetic Foodie
- Easy Desserts: Frozen Chocolate Bananas by Home Cooking Memories
- Ice Cream Sandwich Cake by Comfy Cuisine – Pair with a Pedro Ximenez (“PX”). PX is a ribald sweet sherry with an acidic backbone from Spain. Look for the Lustau Pedro Ximenz “San Emilio”
- Blueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies for a Holiday Cookout #SundaySupper by In the Kitchen with KP – Pair with the Yalumba Muscat Museum Reserve, a dessert wine from Australia with rose petal, ginger and orange peel aromas, and rich raisined fruit, and spice flavors.
Please be sure you join us on Twitter throughout the day during #SundaySupper. We’ll be meeting up at 7:00 p.m. EST for our weekly #SundaySupper live chat where we’ll talk about our favorite cookout recipes!
All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag, or you can follow us throughTweetChat!
We’d also love to feature your Cookout recipes on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board and share them with all of our followers!
Wonderful pairings as always Martin! Thanks so much and once again I have more wines to add to my to-buy list.
Thanks so much Renee! I hope you’ll get a chance to try some of the wines!
Thanks! Your match for my white chicken chili looks great!
Dorothy – you’re welcome. The recipe looks great!
Thanks so much, I know this is a lot of work for you! Great job.
Thanks Shelby. I appreciate the kind words!
I love coming here because I love learning! Love the look of the blog!
Thanks so much Jen! I appreciate you noticing the new blog. I’m not sure about the self-hosted thing yet. It may be more work than I thought it would be. Still have a lot of things to do to get it where I want it to be. Cheers!
Sounds like a great pairing for my Tuna and Roasted Peppers, Martin! Now I’m thirsy! 😉
Cindy Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Thanks. The Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas Blanc not only taste great, it’s a damn good value for around $20! They also make a Patelin de Tablas Red, which is just as good!
Great wine pairings! I love discovering new wines 🙂
Thanks!Your Sangria would also work well with so many of the recipes!
Thanks so much for the wine pairings! A glass of port would be wonderful with my cookies 🙂
Thanks Liz! Those cookies looks amazing!
Such valuable information! I always need help in knowing what wine to pair with foods, so having this list is awesome. I’ve never had Madeira, but will keep my eye out for it when it comes to pairing with sweet desserts.
Hi Brandie – Thanks for the kind words. The thing I like about Madeira is that it has some nice acidity, which keeps it from being too cloying as some dessert wines can be. Hope you get a chance to try one!
I love blends–I can’t wait to try the one you recommended for the pork and beans!
Thanks! That BDV is a very good one!
I love that Terra d’Oro Zin Port, and its so reasonably priced.
Ive got to see if I can find the McManis Zinfandel here on the East Coast.
Cheers!
Thanks Eileen! Cheers!
Wonderful pairings– just like usual! I love your recommendations!
Thanks Melanie. I appreciate the kind remarks!
A great job as usual Martin! I like moscato but never thought it might have a rose petal flavor. Happy Labor Day!
Thanks Paula!
Thank you Martin. I can not thank you enough for your awesome pairings. I love trying new wines that you recommend. Love that you are part of our #SundaySupper team.
Thanks so much Isabel…I’m enjoying being part of the fantastic #SundaySupper movement. It’s a great team of bloggers who are so creative and passionate about what they do…and it’s contagious!
Great pairings, and great tips in there too!
Thanks Erin!
The wine pairings are fantastic! Thank you 🙂
Thanks for dropping by and the kind words! I’m enjoying it!
Wow! Great pairings as usual, Martin! Really appreciate you listing this week on week! 🙂
Thanks for the kind words. I’m having fun doing it!
I like the wine you paired with my dish ! Maybe will go out and get me a bottle tomorrow 🙂 Thanks so much for all these fab pairings and the way you describe them is awesome 🙂
Thanks Sunithi! The Gloria Ferrer is a favorite of mine. Sparkling wine is so underappreciated as a pairing partner. It’s one of the most versatile wines for matching with a variety of foods!
I have never tried a red Rhône blend but I love Syrah so I am excited to give it a try. Thanks for some great pairings.
Thanks Laura – Rhône blends are wonderful variations of Syrah. In fact even though a bottle is labeled “Syrah” it often has other grape varietals in there for either color, aromatics, or something else the winemaker wishes to express. Even in the Rhône (France) 100% Syrah bottlings are the exception rather than the rule. If you like Syrah…bet you’ll love Rhône blends!
Martin you did an awesome job! Made my simple ice cream cake a little more sophisticated!
Thanks Patti! The PX may be a challenge to find, but I think it’ll definitely work with your magnificent ice cream cake!
Sounds awesome!! 🙂
Thank you so much! I never know which wines to pair with what, but now I’m going to look like an expert. 🙂 First on my shopping list is a Moscato to pair with dessert, then to see if I can find a Pinot Meunier, because it sounds amazing!
Thanks Leslie…it’s been fun for me to work with such creative and passionate #SundaySupper foodies such as yourself. I’m already looking forward to Mexican Independence #SS!
I am going to be honest with you Martin. I thought I was all done commenting on the posts until I remebered we have wine pairing. Doh! How can I forget. Thank you for pairing all our dishes. I’m sure it takes alot time and thought to do that. We truly appreciate your hard work. Now excuse me because I need to go get a bottle of 2010 Bonny Doon Vineyard Contra Old Vine Field Blend. 🙂
Thanks Sarah Lee! lol – hope you can find the Bonny Doon! If you do, let me know what you think!
Wonderful pairings! I always look forward to seeing what you will suggest!
Jamie @ http://www.mamamommymom.com
Jamie – Thanks for the kind words. I hope you get to try some of the wines!