Good Morning!

I love football and I am originally from the Midwest so I grew up with a dad who liked the Bears and as a kid a new grocery store was opening and they brought in Dick Butkus and we even stood in line to get his autograph. My dad was not as much a sports fan as most guys are today, but he would watch the Bears if they were playing, so I always have a soft spot for them.

The Colts moved from Baltimore to Indianapolis in the middle of the night and we built a big, fantastic stadium and I started following them. My company had seats in the first row in the end zone and right where the players would run out of the tunnel and it was always great to take clients to the game because you were so close to the players.

So far this blog has ZERO to do with wine….but when I started going to the games, you could not get decent wine then so we always tailgated and I brought the wine for the pregame fun. So, since my beloved Colts were beat by the Jets early this year, all I could focus on was what wine and game food would I be serving? Pizza is always my go to food for anything. I will make it on the grill, in the oven, with anything and everything on it. But my all time favorite is mozzarella cheese, basil, Roma tomatoes, garlic and sauce. I make my own dough and keep it simple but it always turns out perfect.

I opened a bottle of Flora Springs Trilogy 2005, it is a blend of three grapes and it is a very rich, velvety and lush wine. For some reason that has to do with acid and texture this wine always works with tomato based sauces. I love this wine alone too! I try not to do straight out plugs for certain wines but this one is worth looking for! (Get your grill out, steak or lamb and have this wine with it…it will rock your world).

I was having pals over so I also made a “white” pizza. It does not have typical tomato sauce but it has gorgonzola cheese, carmalized onions,chicken, pecans, and all kinds of herbs… it is rich, savory and my peeps ate it up! I had picked up a wonderful wine to go with it and I knew that wine had to have some acid in it to cut the creaminess and richness of the cheese. I picked up some Albarino from Rias Baixas, Spain by Paco & Lola. This wine is crisp, quick to finish and great acidity so anytime I am looking for something to “brighten and lighten” up a food that alone can have a thickness or “weightiness” in mouthfeel, I grab Albarino. It is really easy to find these days and not expensive about $10-14 a bottle.
It almost has a tart apple thing going on and it is easy to drink, moderate amount of alcohol too, so if you are looking for a wine to enjoy by the pool or in the summer….check it out?

Next year I hope the Colts will be playing in the Superbowl and since the game will take place in Indianapolis, I will start saving my pennies so I can pay a fortune for a ticket to watch my favorite team in their own stadium!

Much LOVE and wine,
Tammi

I am in the end zone of the Cowboys new stadium!