Reds and whites pair with tailgater chili

Whether trying to keep warm while tailgating or simply looking for some comfort food while watching the game at home, many football fans have found chili and football to be a terrific combination.

The wine-tasting group tried five wines with chili, looking for a winning pair.

The chili consisted of tomatoes, red beans and ground beef seasoned with a heavy dose of spices and peppers. We looked for wines that could handle the salt and spices, work with the tomatoes' acidity and complement the meaty flavor.

Here are the results:

-- 2003 Folie A Deux Menage a Trois at $17.99. This off-dry blended white wine offered lemons, mandarin oranges, apricots and honeysuckle in the nose -- flavors that followed through on the palate. While the wine was able to stand up to the strong spices of the chili, its floral quality was intensified and fought with the flavors of the chili.

-- 2002 Plantagenet Hazard Hill Shiraz at $10.99. We smelled canned tomatoes and dusty aromas in this Australian wine. In the mouth, we found sweet, fresh strawberries up front and caramel in the finish. The wine tasted fruitier when we tried it with the chili, and the chili tasted slightly sour. The wine also seemed to cool some of the heat from the chili. This wine tied for first place as our favorite without the food.

-- 2002 D'Arenberg Stump Jump Red at $12.99. Stump Jump is a blend of grenache, syrah and mourvedre from Australia. This wine was packed with aromas ranging from leafy tomato vine and dry earth to tobacco, menthol and smoky, savory meats. We noticed a vegetal quality in the mouth, as well as cooked fruit compote. With the chili, the wine tasted of burnt sugar and cooked cherries. The wine also complemented the smoky elements in the food. It held up to the spicy chili, and even though the wine seemed to intensify the heat of the chili, the wine's flavors remained dominant. This wine tied for first without food, and it finished as our favorite with the chili.

-- 2002 San Fabiano Chianti at $12.99. This Italian sangiovese offered raspberry, brambly vine, vanilla and bubble gum aromas. It was well balanced on the palate with a silky texture. Although our group decided this wine definitely had the best texture in the bunch, the chili overpowered it and turned the wine watery.

-- 2002 Castano Hecula Red at $13.99. This Spanish red wine offered powdery aromas and tasted of dark fruits. It was well-structured with a nice amount of tannins and a clean finish. Those tannins held up to the chili, and the wine took on stemmy, smoky and leather qualities with the food. This wine finished second favorite with the chili.

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Surfing the wine shelves

-- 2002 Frei Brothers merlot at $20. Soft and supple, this was a most pleasant toasty merlot that tasted of plums, cherries and spice.

-- 2002 Gallo of Sonoma cabernet sauvignon at $13. A lot of wine at this price, the aroma showed black currants, dark berries, cigar and oak. The finish was slightly short.

-- 2003 Maso Canali pinot grigio at $18. The aroma was delicate and full of perfume. In the mouth, we tasted pineapples and a hint of bananas. It had a nice, crisp finish.

-- 2002 Hogue Reserve chardonnay at $22. The aroma surprised us with its suggestion of peaches and cream. In the mouth, we tasted pears and wood.

-- 2003 Santa Margherita pinot grigio at $23. Fresh lemon and spice dominated the aroma. It had a medium body, with just enough spice and minerals to make it interesting to the dry finish. This is still the pinot grigio against which others are measured.

Note: Kate Sutherland was a co-writer of this column.

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