Make room for the vine at tailgate parties

At professional and college football games around the nation, tailgating has moved beyond a picnic table, fried chicken and beer.

Makers of portable grills have tapped into the phenomenon. When I go early to a pro football game, I see sport utility vehicles, trucks and other vehicles equipped with tents and grills I didn't know existed -- better than what I have at my house.

Tailgating tools and menus have gotten fancier every year.

As tailgating truly becomes more artful, the natural question is whether wine should replace beer. I won't get into that argument, but there is a place for wine at tailgate parties.

It shouldn't be too expensive, but it should complement the food.

I challenged the wine-tasting group to find a good wine to drink with bratwurst at a tailgate party. (For you non-football fans, brats can be served at non-football events.) We bought some Johnsonville Smoked Brats and cooked them on the grill.

If you choose wine, should you bring a red or a white? That depends on your taste, but we sampled both in a blind tasting. Here is what we found:

- 2003 Hop Kiln 1000 Flowers at $9.99. This wine was a blend of chardonnay, gewurztraminer and Riesling. Its aroma suggested honeysuckle, citrus, grapefruit, perfume and a bit of mustiness. In the mouth the fruit had a tinny taste, as if it had been canned fruit. Plus there was a lot of alcohol. The wine generally went well with the food, bringing out the smokiness of the brats. Some tasters thought the brats overpowered the wine.

- 2003 Claiborne & Churchill Gewurztraminer at $15.99. This wine had an aroma of honeysuckle and pineapples. We tasted honey in the mouth. It had good acids and was not as sweet-tasting as the Hop Kiln blend. With the food, the wine made us appreciate the texture of both the food and the wine. The wine also brought out the saltiness of the brat. This was our favorite white wine with the brats.

- 2002 Lindemans Reserve Shiraz at $9.99. This wine, for this price, had a big aroma of cedar, dill, raspberry, vanilla, clove, cigar and cocoa. We smelled more fruit in the aroma than we tasted on the palate. The food brought out the spice in the wine and gave it a green wood taste.

- 2002 Castle Rock Napa Pinot Noir at $13.99. This was an extraordinarily good wine for this price. The complicated aroma was full of hot pepper, green pepper, tomato stems and ripe fruit. In the mouth, it tasted jammy with a lush, soft texture. The Castle Rock was a good pairing with the brats. They complemented each other rather than fought each other as some of the other wines did. The wine toned down the saltiness of the bratwurst. The Castle Rock was our favorite of the four for a tailgate wine.

Surfing the wine shelves

- 2002 Rosemount Hill of Gold Shiraz at $16.99. Lots of spicy fruit invaded our noses, with hints of oak. In the mouth, we tasted clove and cinnamon along with good berry fruit.

- 2000 Rosemount Estate Show Reserve Shiraz at $23.99. The aroma was full of plum, spice and oaking. On the palate, we found toasty oak, more spice and black fruit. You can drink this wine now, but it will keep for a while.

- 2001 Kenwood Reserve Olivet Pinot Noir at $25. Spicy for a pinot noir, the wine tasted of cinnamon and clove along with strawberries and vanilla. The texture was lush.

- 2002 Feudo Arancio Cabernet Sauvignon at $9. Red raspberries were in the aroma and flavor, along with black currants, licorice and a hint of spice. It had that smooth, lush fruitiness that made it easy to drink plus a lingering finish with just enough tannins on the end to make it a good match for a steak.

- 2003 Kenwood Sauvignon Blanc at $11. Smells of grapefruit and herbs burst from the glass of this wine. Grapefruit tastes that dominated the palate were softened somewhat by flavors of pear and tropical fruits. Serve it well chilled with higher acid foods, including salads such as Thai beef salad with lime juice.

Questions may be sent to Frank Sutherland, editor, The Tennessean, 1100 Broadway, Nashville 37203, or e-mailed to editor@tennessean.com.