It’s football season, which means it’s time to tailgate in parking lots and cheer from home with friends and great snacks. And while football may be more associated with beer than wine, to us, nothing says party time like great New Jersey wine (red Solo cup optional!), served up with an indulgent, but thoughtful spread.
Ready to trade your keg for some terroir-driven Garden State beauties? Read on for the best wines to pair with your favorite snacks on game day.
Pulled Pork + Jessie Creek Chambourcin
Pulled pork, eaten straight from the pot with a fork, rolled into a taco, or piled on top of a soft bun, is a game day classic. And it is begging for a fruit-forward red wine with a hint of spice.
Jessie Creek Winery, in Cape May County, focuses on small-batch wines from dry to dessert, but their Chambourcin, with its black cherry, mocha and pomegranate-pepper notes, allows the pork’s sweet-savory flavors to pop, while cutting through some of the richness.
Buffalo Wings + Tomasello Winery OCP Dry Riesling
Are you even celebrating a football game if you don’t have a heaving platter of spicy Buffalo wings by your side? We hope we never find out.
To tame the fiery flavors and cut through the greasiness, you’re going to want to reach for the honeyed, floral, citrus notes found in a great dry Riesling. Tomasello Winery, the Garden State’s oldest continuously owned family winery is perched in the Outer Coastal Plain and produces a gorgeous Riesling with notes of Meyer lemon, honeysuckle, and golden apple that acts as an ideal partner to spicy wings.
Fried Anything + William Heritage Blanc De Noirs
If you haven’t gotten the memo yet that dry sparkling wine is the perfect palate coordinator for anything fried—mozzarella sticks, any form of fritter, potato skins, donuts, dumplings, French fries—we are here to deliver it!
It is the perfect high-low comfort food combo, especially when the sparkling wine in question is thoughtfully crafted. William Heritage Winery, with estate vineyards in Mullica Hill, is renowned for its sparkling wines.
Bust open a bottle of their Vintage Brut, and let the effervescence, with notes of Granny Smith apple, shortbread and raspberries work their magic.
Mac and Cheese + Laurita Winery Chardonnay
Mac and Cheese is not just for the kids, especially on game day. Nothing goes this decadent and rich classic like the wine equivalent: Chardonnay.
Laurita Winery, renowned for its dedication to all things sensory, from its wines to the food it serves to its excellent on-site Inn, offers a structured, full-bodied Chardonnay Reserve that will complement the Mac and Cheese, with notes of citrus, figs, spice and vanilla.
Beef Sliders + Auburn Road Vineyards Petit Verdot
Whether you’re grilling up bite-size cuties or the real deal, griddled ground beef needs a full-bodied, lush red, ideally with enough acidity and brightness to offset the opulence.
That’s where Auburn Road Vineyards comes in. The winery has earned a reputation as a quiet respite of tranquility and style, with a creative range of wines crafted with care.
Auburn Road’s single-varietal Petit Verdot offers up blackberries, blueberries, black cherry, rippling acidity, incredible structure—the perfect counterbalance to a juicy burger, without overwhelming it.
All the Dip + Brook Hollow Winery Frontenac Blanc
Whether you’re dishing out a creamy ranch, a classic spinach-artichoke, seven-layer bean, or even hummus, you’re going to want the crispy tropicality of Frontenac Blanc to play with the creamy flavors of the dip and crunchy textures of veggies or chips you’re scooping it up with.
Brook Hollow, where people come for the wine and stay for the incredible views of the estate vineyard and the Delaware Water Gap, makes a spectacular Frontenac Blanc offering up notes of pineapple and mango.
Whatever you’re snacking on this season, we hope your team wins—unless you’re rooting for the wrong one, and then you’re on your own. Thankfully, we can all agree that the best source for sipping is the Garden State. Cheers to that!
